Links and media · Lesson 2 of 8 · 7 minutes

Links and media: Descriptive link text

A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.

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Your objectives

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1
Build descriptive link text
Build this first target: <a> (href="/web/") containing “Explore Web foundations”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="/web/">Explore Web foundations</a>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.
2
Extend the descriptive link text example
Extend your file to include: <a> (href="/web/") containing “Explore Web foundations”; <a> (href="/unix/") containing “Practice the UNIX terminal”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="/web/">Explore Web foundations</a>
<a href="/unix/">Practice the UNIX terminal</a>
```
Common mistake to avoid: Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.
3
Verify the complete descriptive link text pattern
Finish the pattern with: <a> (href="/web/") containing “Explore Web foundations”; <a> (href="/unix/") containing “Practice the UNIX terminal”; <p> containing “Choose the track that fits your next task.”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="/web/">Explore Web foundations</a>
<a href="/unix/">Practice the UNIX terminal</a>
<p>Choose the track that fits your next task.</p>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.

Understand the pattern

A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.

Misconceptions to reject

A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.
Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.

The preview is a sanitized subset, not a full browser compatibility test.

Worked example and expected result

<a href="/web/">Explore Web foundations</a>
<a href="/unix/">Practice the UNIX terminal</a>
<p>Choose the track that fits your next task.</p>

A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.

Try a variation

Adapt the final example to a different project name while retaining its structure and relationships. A different context still needs a real browser and accessibility check.

Explain it

Which statement correctly explains descriptive link text?A link should communicate its destination without requiring the reader to guess from nearby sentences.A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.

Apply it elsewhere

You reuse descriptive link text in a different project. What must still be verified?Nothing; passing a single exercise guarantees every future use.Only whether the source code has the same number of lines.The meaning, relationships, and accessible names in the new document.

Keep the momentum.

Complete the lab, then explain and apply the pattern.

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