If you’ve had a website accessibility audit lately, there’s a good chance one line item made you scratch your head: “Learn More” links flagged as an ADA violation. It seems harmless. It’s on nearly every website. So why does it keep showing up in compliance reports?
Here’s the plain-English explanation, plus a few other common design habits that trip up the same rules.
The Real Reason “Learn More” Fails
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) doesn’t spell out web design rules directly, but courts and the Department of Justice consistently point to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as the standard for what an accessible website looks like. One of those guidelines, Success Criterion 2.4.4, requires that the purpose of a link be clear from its text alone, or from its text plus the surrounding context.
Here’s the problem. Many visually impaired visitors browse the web using a screen reader, and one of the most common ways they navigate a page is by pulling up a list of every link on that page, out of context, so they can jump straight to what they need. Sighted visitors scan a page visually and use surrounding headlines and images to understand what a button leads to. Screen reader users relying on a links list don’t get any of that. They just hear the link text, over and over.
Now picture a page with five “Learn More” buttons. To a sighted visitor, each one clearly points to a different service because of the heading above it. To a screen reader user pulling up the links list, it reads:
- Learn More
- Learn More
- Learn More
- Learn More
- Learn More
There’s no way to tell which one leads to pricing, which one leads to your team page, and which one leads to a case study. That ambiguity is exactly what 2.4.4 exists to prevent, and it’s why automated accessibility scanners (and human auditors) flag vague link text so consistently.
The Fix Is Simpler Than It Sounds
You don’t need to rewrite your whole site. You need link text that describes the destination on its own. A few ways to do that:
Rewrite the visible text to be specific. Instead of “Learn More,” try “Learn More About Our Web Design Services” or simply “See Our Web Design Services.”
Use an accessible label behind the scenes. If you’d rather keep “Learn More” visually for design consistency, you can add an aria-label attribute that gives screen readers a fuller description while sighted visitors still just see “Learn More” on the button. This is a quick fix your developer can usually make in an afternoon.
Avoid other repeat offenders. “Learn More” isn’t the only vague phrase that raises flags. Watch for:
- “Click Here”
- “Read More”
- “Continue”
- “Submit” (on forms, “Submit” is technically fine, but “Send Request” or “Get Your Quote” is more useful to everyone)
Other Common Rules Worth Knowing
Since we’re on the topic, here are a few other frequent flags we see in ADA and WCAG-based audits, because they tend to travel together:
Missing or unhelpful alt text on images. Every meaningful image needs a text description for screen readers. “Image123.jpg” doesn’t count, and neither does leaving it blank on a photo that conveys information.
Low color contrast. Light gray text on a white background might look modern, but if it doesn’t meet a minimum contrast ratio, it fails for visitors with low vision, and often for anyone squinting at a phone screen in bright sunlight.
Form fields without labels. A placeholder inside a text box (like “Enter your email”) isn’t a substitute for an actual label. Once you start typing, the placeholder disappears, and a screen reader may never have announced it in the first place.
No visible keyboard focus. Some visitors navigate entirely by keyboard, tabbing from link to link and button to button. If your site removes the visual outline that shows which element is currently selected, those visitors lose track of where they are on the page.
Skipped or messy heading structure. Headings should go in order, like H1, then H2, then H3, and so on, the way an outline works. Skipping levels or using headings purely for font size (rather than actual structure) confuses screen readers trying to help someone navigate your content.
Why This Matters Beyond Compliance
We understand ADA lawsuits and demand letters are the reason this topic usually comes up, and that’s a legitimate concern worth taking seriously. But there’s a business case here too. Clearer link text and better structure improve your SEO, since search engines rely on many of these same signals to understand what a page is about. They also make your site easier to use for everyone, not just visitors using assistive technology. A visitor quickly scanning your page on their phone benefits from a button that says “See Our Pricing” just as much as someone using a screen reader does.
Where to Start
If you’re not sure how your site currently stacks up, a good first step is a straightforward accessibility review of your pages, starting with your calls to action and images. Small changes to link text and alt text often resolve the majority of flagged issues without any redesign at all.
If you’d like us to take a look at your site and point out where these issues might be hiding, reach out. We’re happy to walk through it with you. Contact us here.
