# Link text that works for screen reader users on Shopify

Source: https://storefronta11y.com/blog/2026-10-17-shopify-link-text-screen-reader.html

Reviewed October 17, 2026


Screen reader users often navigate by pulling up a list of links, where click here and read more say nothing. How to write link text on product, collection, and policy pages that stands on its own.

## Why link text gets judged out of context

A common screen reader strategy is to list every link on a page and jump between them, hearing only the link text with none of the surrounding sentences. On that list, a store full of shop now, learn more, and click here entries is a menu of identical mysteries. The shopper cannot tell which link sells the shoes and which explains the returns policy.

Sighted design encourages the opposite habit: big visual buttons with minimal words. Both audiences can be served at once, because descriptive link text costs the visual design nothing. A button that says shop waterproof boots works on screen and in a link list equally well.

## The patterns that fail and their fixes

Vague verbs fail: click here, read more, this page. Bare URLs fail: a screen reader may spell out a long address character by character. Image only links fail worst when the image has no alt text, leaving the link announced as a filename or as nothing at all. Each of these appears constantly in themes, announcement bars, and blog sidebars.

Fixes are plain writing. Name the destination and the action: read our sizing guide, download the care instructions PDF, view the delivery and returns policy. If the link opens a file or an external site, saying so in the text saves every user a surprise, not only screen reader users.

## Making theme elements behave

Product cards are the biggest offender in Shopify themes, where the image, the title, and a button may all link to the same product, giving screen reader users three stops for one destination. Better themes merge these into one link or hide the duplicates from assistive technology. If your theme repeats links, check how it sounds in a link list before assuming it is fine.

Footer and header navigation usually do well because menu labels are naturally descriptive. Blog indexes are the other weak spot: give each post link its full title rather than a generic continue reading, or add the title into the link text with the excerpt following outside the link.

## Testing with the link list itself

Open your homepage in a screen reader, or use its links list feature, and read only what it shows. Every entry should make sense to someone who cannot see the page. Repeat on a product page and a collection page, where theme duplication hides. This ten minute check catches problems no automated scanner flags, because scanners can verify a link has text but not that the text means anything.

Add link text review to your content habits. Every new banner, campaign page, and blog post introduces links, and the writer is the cheapest accessibility tool there is. Descriptive text also helps search engines and every hurried sighted shopper scanning a page.

## Related reading

If this topic is useful, these earlier guides go deeper on connected questions: [Shopify color contrast for sale badges, buttons, and banners that everyone can read](https://storefronta11y.com/blog/2026-10-16-shopify-color-contrast-sale-badges-buttons.md), [Making a Shopify announcement bar accessible without hiding the offer](https://storefronta11y.com/blog/2026-10-16-shopify-announcement-bar-accessible.md), and [Focus visible on Shopify: why keyboard shoppers need to see where they are](https://storefronta11y.com/blog/2026-10-15-shopify-focus-visible-keyboard.md).

## Frequently asked questions

### Is read more always bad link text?

On its own, yes, because a list of twelve read more links communicates nothing. If the link text includes the subject, such as read more about our repair service, it stands alone fine. Many themes also support visually hidden text that completes the phrase for screen readers only.

### How long should link text be?

Long enough to name the destination clearly, short enough to scan. Two to six words suits most cases: view shipping policy, shop the winter collection. Full sentences are rarely needed. If you need a paragraph to explain the link, the explanation belongs in the page copy, with the link kept tight.

### Do image links need alt text if the product title is right below?

Yes. The image link is its own stop for keyboard and screen reader users, and without alt text it may be announced as a raw filename. Set the image alt to the product name, or better, configure the theme so image and title form a single link.

### Does descriptive link text help SEO too?

It does. Search engines use anchor text as a signal about the destination page, and descriptive text is a clearer signal than click here. This is one of the happy overlaps where the accessible choice and the commercial choice are the same choice.