ULEARN Accessibility Guide Link Does Not Contain Text

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User Experience

What You May Experience

Our expectation for what love should look like is often unrealistic, and perceived success does not necessarily lead to happiness. How does Jay Gatsby’s love for Daisy Buchanan relate to the American Dream? How does the significance of the “green light” tie into this idea?

What Students May Experience

Transcript

Why this Matters

Links without text create serious accessibility barriers for students. Screen reader users rely on descriptive link text to understand a link’s purpose and destination. When a link contains no text, a screen reader may simply announce it as “link,” providing no context and leaving the student uncertain about where it will take them.

Keyboard-only users face a similar issue: tabbing through a page, empty links disrupt navigation and make it harder to move efficiently through content. Students who do not use assistive technology can also be affected, as empty links appear confusing or broken and provide no useful information.

Empty links often occur when an instructor intended to remove a link that was no longer relevant. If students encounter these links, they may come across outdated or unnecessary content, which can create confusion and interfere with learning.

How to Fix It

Fix in Canvas: Empty links in Canvas typically occur when a link is edited incorrectly. To delete a link properly, select it and choose “Remove Link” instead of pressing the Backspace key. If an empty link is present but not visible in the RCE, switch to HTML view. Look for the </a> tag to locate the empty link, then select and delete it directly from the HTML.
Fix with DesignPLUS: Navigate to the sidebar's Accessibility and Usability tab and select the Link Checker. Locate the message that says "this link has no content" and either select the Pencil icon to add link text or choose Delete Link.
Fix in UDOIT: In the UDOIT interface, whenever you come across a "Link Does Not Contain Text" error, either type link text so the link is no longer empty or check the box to "Delete this link completely instead." Remember to "Save" your changes before moving on to the next issue.

Last Updated: Oct 24, 2025, 4:39 PM

Created with DesignPLUS

UDOIT Advantage

User Experience

What You May Experience

What Students May Experience

Audio Transcript

Why this Matters

How to Fix It