WCAG 2.0 · Level A · Operable
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
Manual verification
How to validate 2.4.4 by hand
Determine each link’s purpose from its text together with the programmatically determined context allowed by the criterion.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- Review link text in paragraphs, lists, tables, cards, and repeated link groups.
- Read links with nearby context and inspect accessible names where icon-only or visually hidden text is used.
- Ask whether a user can identify the destination or action without guessing, especially when several links share the same text.
Evidence to record
Record the link, its permitted context, and the competing or unclear destination a user would have to infer.
Scope and exceptions
A link may rely on its sentence, list item, or table-cell context as allowed by the criterion. Link-purpose-in-context is less strict than the Level AAA link-only criterion.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.