Document & Hyperlink Best Practices

When publishing content on your website, choosing the right format and creating clear, accessible links ensures a smooth experience for all visitors and improves your search engine visibility.

1. Choosing the Right Format: Web Page vs. PDF

Before uploading a document, consider whether the content would be better published directly as a web page or a blog post.

Benefits of Web Content Over PDFs

• Improved SEO: Web content is more easily crawled and indexed by search engines, which can help boost your site's search visibility. By contract, search engines are often unable to effectively index PDF content.
• Better accessibility: Web pages are generally more accessible to screen readers and assistive technologies, whereas many PDFs do not meet accessibility standards. 
• Responsive/Mobile-friendly: Content added to a web page will be automatically formatted using DA's responsive layouts, ensuring it's easy to read and navigate on all devices.
• Streamlined user experience: Unlike PDFs—which require users to download or open a separate file—web page content is readily available, making it more convenient for visitors to access.

2. Best Practices for Writing Link Text

Before adding a document or web link, consider the clarity, accessibility, and user-friendliness of the text you’re hyperlinking. Well-written link text helps users understand where a link will take them and ensures your content is accessible to everyone—including those using screen readers. 

Avoid Vague Link Text

Generic phrases lack context when read in isolation by screen readers. Avoid text such as:

• Read more...
• Learn more...
• Click here...

These phrases lack context when encountered by screen readers or assistive technologies. Link text should always convey the destination or purpose of the link without relying on surrounding body text.

Keep Link Text Short & Meaningful

Clearly describe what the user can expect. For example:

• Tax Tips for Investors
• View Our 2025 Market Report

Indicate File Types for Downloads

This helps users know it will open or download a document, especially if the file is a downloadable format like a PDF:

• Tax Tips for Investors (PDF)
• Download: 2025 Market Report (PDF)

Indicate External Links

Let users know when they are being taken to a different website. You can do this in two common ways:

• Inline: Visit the Digital Agent website (external)
• Visual/Icon: Digital Agent website ↗

3. Alt Text & ARIA Labels for Links

The Alt Text field may be used to provide an invisible label (also called the ARIA label) for an element when: 

• The element has no visible text, such as an icon-only button or link.

• A custom label is needed for accessibility but should not be shown on screen.

However, writing clear and descriptive link text should always take priority over relying on alt text or ARIA labels. Alt text should only be used in specific situations—such as when the link is represented solely by an icon, or when the visible text lacks context on its own. 

Remember: Avoid using generic phrases such as "click here" or "read more" as these do not provide meaningful context.