Navigation & links
Links with the Same Text Go to Different Places
When several links share the same words but lead to different pages, people can't tell them apart without reading around them.
identical-links-same-purposeWCAG 2.0Introduced in WCAG 2.0.Level AAAAAA — the highest level; beyond the Australian baseline (AA).
- Status
- MinorMinor — Cosmetic, or best practice.CurrentScanners run this rule today.
- Owner
- DesignDevContentTest
- Audit
- Automated+ManualA scanner finds it; a person confirms the fix.
Why it matters
Many screen reader users pull up a list of every link on the page. That list shows only the link text. Five links all called "Read more" look identical, but each goes somewhere different.
Link text that names its destination helps everyone. People can scan and choose quickly, without guessing or going back.
Who it affects
| Who | What they experience | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Screen reader users | In the links list they hear "Read more, Read more, Read more" with no clue which is which. | High impact |
| Low-vision users (magnification) | Zoomed in, they may see the link but not the heading or card that explains it. | Partial impact |
| Cognitive and neurodivergent users | Matching words that lead to different places make it harder to predict where a click goes. | Partial impact |
| Voice control users | Saying "click Read more" matches several links, so they must pick from numbered labels. | Partial impact |
Business & product impact
| Area | Why | Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Legal | This rule checks a Level AAA criterion, 2.4.9. Australian law and EN 301 549 point to Level AA, so it is rarely a legal requirement on its own. | Low impact |
| Conversion | Clear link text like "View pricing" gets more clicks than vague "Learn more" links. | Moderate impact |
| SEO | Search engines like descriptive link text a little, but the gain is small. | Low impact |
| Brand trust | Clear, specific links make the site feel easier to use for everyone. | Low impact |
| Cost to fix | Mostly a wording change. Fix the pattern once in card and teaser templates. | High impact |
Fixing it in code
"Read more" links on news cards
Don't
<h3>Rates rise again</h3>
<a href="/news/rates">Read more</a>
<h3>New office opens</h3>
<a href="/news/office">Read more</a>A screen reader says: “Read more, link … Read more, link”
Do
<h3>Rates rise again</h3>
<a href="/news/rates">Read more about rates rising</a>
<h3>New office opens</h3>
<a href="/news/office">Read more about our new office</a>A screen reader says: “Read more about rates rising, link … Read more about our new office, link”
Each link now names its own destination.
Fixing it in design and content
Two "Contact us" links to different pages
Don't
<a href="/sales">Contact us</a>
<a href="/support">Contact us</a>A screen reader says: “Contact us, link … Contact us, link”
Do
<a href="/sales">Contact sales</a>
<a href="/support">Contact support</a>A screen reader says: “Contact sales, link … Contact support, link”
Different places get different words.
Designer's handoff note
Avoid card designs that rely on a generic "Read more" button. Make the card title the link, or put the topic in the button text.
If two links share a label, make sure they go to the same page.
Quick test
Tool
VoiceOver (opens in a new tab) (on every Mac)
Checklist
- Pass
- Every repeated link text leads to the same page.
- Fail
- The same words appear for links that go to different pages.
Check these at the same time
What a green scan still misses
A scanner can spot matching link text with different addresses. It can't judge whether two pages are really the same purpose — a person must check.
Reference
- Rule ID
identical-links-same-purpose- Raised by
- axe-core: “Links with the same name must have a similar purpose”
- WCAG
- 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only) (opens in a new tab) · Level AAA · since WCAG 2.0
- Last reviewed
- 14 October 2026