Link Purpose (In Context)
The purpose of every link must be determinable from the link text alone, or from the link text together with its programmatically-determined context.
What it requires
Screen-reader users often navigate by jumping through a list of all links on a page. Generic link text — "click here", "read more", "learn more" — strips the context that surrounding visual layout provides for sighted users, leaving the screen-reader user with a list of identical "read more" links and no way to tell them apart.
The fix is either: descriptive link text ("Read the WCAG 2.2 checklist"), or pair generic text with `aria-label` / surrounding `<h3>` so the accessible name is meaningful.
Common Shopify failure
Blog index pages with "Read more →" repeated under each post excerpt. Product card grids with "Buy now" buttons that have no per-product aria-label.
How to fix it
Either rewrite link text to include the post title ("Read the WCAG 2.2 checklist"), or add `aria-label="Read more about ${ post.title }"` on the link.
Merchant QA checklist
- Scan the storefront page where this pattern appears: product pages, collection pages, cart drawer, customer-account pages, and any landing page built with theme sections.
- Confirm the issue is fixed in the rendered browser output, not only in the Liquid file. Shopify section settings, app blocks, and third-party scripts can reintroduce the same 2.4.4 failure after a theme edit.
- Re-test the affected component with keyboard navigation and a screen-reader accessibility tree before publishing the theme, especially when the fix changes markup or ARIA attributes.
How AccessComply handles it
AccessComply uses automated rules to check supported patterns in the pages reached during a scan. Some WCAG requirements need human judgment, assistive-technology testing, or access to third-party content and cannot be established by an automated scan. This criterion is generally treated as a guided or hands-on fix pattern. If the app can safely match the issue to supported source code, the merchant must review and approve the suggested change before anything is written, and the result is checked afterward. Otherwise the merchant should use the guidance above and independent hands-on testing. The label is not a guarantee of detection, a fix, WCAG conformance, or legal compliance.
Primary source: W3C — WCAG 2.0 Understanding 2.4.4