Who this affects
Links containing only an icon or image are announced without a destination. Keyboard and screen reader users cannot navigate reliably.
How to fix it
Add aria-label to the link or visually-hidden text describing the destination.
Effort Low · ~10 min per link
Before and after
Fails
<a href="/basket">
<img src="/img/cart.svg" alt="">
</a>Passes
<a href="/basket">
<img src="/img/cart.svg" alt="">
<span class="visually-hidden">Basket</span>
</a>Where this sits in the standard
| WCAG success criterion | Level | EN 301 549 clause |
|---|---|---|
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | A | 301-549, 9.2.4.4, 9.4.1.2 |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | A | — |
EN 301 549 clause 9 applies these criteria to web content. The published version referenced by the European Accessibility Act is V3.2.1, which incorporates WCAG 2.1 level A and AA. More on the standard.
How to check it by hand
Tab to the control and listen to what a screen reader announces. It should say what the control is and what it does. "Button" on its own is a failure.
Automated testing settles roughly a third of the WCAG success criteria. This rule is one an automated tool detects reliably — but a clean automated result is not proof of conformance.
Reference
Deque's technical write-up for this rule: link-name
See whether your site trips this rule
Paste a URL. We open it in a real browser, dismiss the cookie wall and run the full EN 301 549 rule set. No account, no card.