Discernible Text: Improving accessibility
The Anchor tag is a powerhouse of the web. It is basically what has made hyperlinking with HTML work. I could go on to say that countless fortunes and paths of history start with an anchor tag link going somewhere new.
It is important that we use anchor tags in a way that is optimal with assistive technology. One of these ways is to ensure that Links have discernible text.
What do we mean?
Well often, but not always, an anchor tag will have text within it.
<a href="https://example.com">This is discernible text</a>.
Assistive tech software will be able to read to interpret the text contained within that element. However, sometimes there is no text inside the anchor tag, such as an image:
<a href="https://example.com"><img src="example.png"></a>.
Other examples could include a button with an SVG Icon within it but no text. These kinds of anchor tag can be improved for accessibility by adding an Aria Label:
<a aria-label="Go to Example dot com" href="https://example.com"><img src="example.png"></a>.
An Aria Label in this instance allows a screenreader to read what the link does with more accessibility.