Transcript of video:
(00:02) Why Descriptive Links Matter
This video is about using descriptive links for your digital content. So why can't we just take this URL and copy it into an email or copied into a Google doc and be good? Because our users can just click on it, right?
Well, the reason is is because if I was using a screen reader reader, the screen reader would read the entire thing character by character and it would take a long time and it would be very tedious for the user, especially if all the links were like that.
(00:29) Why Long URLs Are Not Helpful
As a person that was wasn't using a screen reader, I don't know where that link is taking me other than to a Google Doc presentation. It's not descriptive at all.
(00:29) What Descriptive Links Should Do
So, we want to make sure that when we're providing links that it includes the name of the destination, not just that entire long URL.
Links should always be underlined and if you use the link tool, it will underline it for you when you're providing it as a link.
(00:53) Where to Find the Link Tool
And so that link tool you can find in the Google Docs, you can find it in emails, you can find it in Slides, Microsoft Word, all those different tools has something like this where you can add a link. So look for that tool.
(00:53) Underlining Rules and What Not to Write
Text should only be underlined when it is a link. So make sure you're using descriptive text in all of your web links.
Don't just say click here or more info or main page, anything like that. We want descriptive text.
(01:12) Example of Descriptive Link Text
If I provide something like ESU10 webpage, I see that it's underlined. I know that it's a link probably to the ESU10 web page, right?
So, that's great. It's a descriptive clickable link if I'm accessing it on my own device.
(01:32) Why Shortened URLs Help
But what if somebody projects that in a conference room and I need to try to type that link in? That's not going to help me. So, that's where shortened URLs come in handy.
(01:54) URL Shortener Examples
bit.ly.com is a pretty popular one. There's tiny URL, owl. There's um lots of different URL shorteners where you can customize them so that they are not only friendly to screen readers, but also to users who aren't using those screen readers.
They're descriptive and you know where that link is going to take you.
(02:12) Bitly Example
Here's an example of I used bit.ly for my Nebraska digital citizenship page. Now, I abbreviated that, but the screen reader would still separate those words because of the capital letters.
(02:12) ESU10 URL Shortener in OD
In our OD system, you can find our own URL shortener down towards the bottom when you're logged in. If you create click um create shortened URL, you'll get a page that helps you build one.
If you click this shortened URL list, you can see those that others have used.
(02:31) Creating a Shortened URL
So, here's what it looks like. If I click that create, and I'm going to add So, I want to put my long link here. here. It's very um intuitive.
Then I can change my link ending here. I just want a random one. I don't recommend that, but you can also do that.
So then you click add shortened URL.
(02:47) Using the Shortened URL and QR Code
And then when you're done, you get this. And so this is it. It if you're providing the link for somebody that's going to be typing it in. You don't have to have this https part. Just start with s.u10.
Um if you're if it's clickable, they can just click right on it or they can type it in pretty easily.
And then um from here you can see this was my original link, but I can also get the QR code as well.
(03:08) Who Descriptive Links Help
So descriptive links help primarily people using screen readers because it doesn't read these long URLs, but it also helps people who do use the keyboard to navigate. Some people can't use a mouse, can't use a trackpad, and so they use tab keys, shift tab, left, right, up, down arrow keys.
Um and so it helps them get to links more easily.
(03:32) Additional Benefits of Descriptive Links
It helps if people are skimming the content on a web page or a Google doc, they can see and they can tell what that link is going to take them to.
And then also anybody who's typing links out later, those short URLs are definitely easil easier to handle.
(03:50–end) Closing Notes
So where are you going to use descriptive short URLs? Anywhere you link something, including social media post.
Our office hours for accessibility with our edtech team members is from 8 to 10 on Mondays. And then we also have our website a11y.esu10.org where you can find more videos and more information. Our contact information. Please reach out at any time.