HTML Accessibility
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HTML Accessibility
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HTML Accessibility
Write HTML with accessibility in mind. Provide the user a good way to navigate and interact with your site. Make your HTML code
as semantic as possible, so that the code is easy to understand for visitors
and screen readers.
Semantic HTML
Semantic HTML means using correct HTML elements for their correct purpose as
much as possible. Semantic elements are elements with a meaning; if you need a button, use the <button> element (and not a <div>).
Semantic
<button>Click Me</button>Try it Yourself »
Non-semantic
<div>Click Me</div>Try it Yourself »
Semantic HTML gives context to screen readers, which read the contents of a web page out loud.
With the button example in mind:
- buttons have more suitable styling by default
- a screen reader identifies it as a button
- focusable
- clickable
A button is also accessible for people relying on keyboard-only navigation;
it can be clickable with both mouse and keys, and it can be tabbed between
(using the tab key on the keyboard).
Examples of non-semantic elements: <div> and <span> - Tells nothing about its content.
Examples of semantic elements: <form>, <table>, and <article> - Clearly defines its content.
Headings Are Important
Headings are defined with the <h1> to <h6> tags:
Example
<h1>Heading 1</h1>
<h2>Heading 2</h2>
<h3>Heading 3</h3>
<h4>Heading 4</h4>
<h5>Heading 5</h5>
<h6>Heading 6</h6>Try it Yourself »
Search engines use the headings to index the structure and content of your web pages.
Users skim your pages by its headings. It is important to use headings to
show the document structure and the relationships between different sections.
<h1> headings should be used for main headings, followed by <h2> headings, then the less important <h3>, and so on.
Note: Use HTML headings for headings only. Don't use headings to make text
BIG or bold.
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Alternative Text
The alt attribute provides an alternate text for an image, if the user for
some reason cannot view it (because of slow connection, an error in the src
attribute, or if the user uses a screen reader).
The value of the alt attribute should describe the image:
Example
<img src="img_chania.jpg" alt="Flowers
in Chania">
Try it Yourself »
If a browser cannot find an image, it will display the value of the alt
attribute:
Example
<img src="wrongname.gif" alt="Flowers
in Chania">
Try it Yourself »
Declare the Language
Declaring a language is important for screen readers and search engines, and is declared with the lang
attribute. Use the following to show a web page in English:
<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<body>
...
</body>
</html>
Use Clear Language
Use clear language that is easy to understand, and try to avoid characters that
cannot be read clearly by a screen reader. For example:
- Keep sentences as short as possible.
- Avoid dashes. Instead of writing 1-3, write 1 to 3
- Avoid abbreviations. Instead of writing Feb, write February
- Avoid slang words
Write Good Links
A link should explain clearly what information the reader will get by clicking on that link.
Examples of good and bad links:
Good
Find out more about the HTML language
Read more about how to eat healthy
Buy tickets to Mars here
Try it Yourself »
Bad
Click here
Read more..
Buy tickets to Mars here
Try it Yourself »
Link Titles
The title attribute specifies extra information about an element.
The information is most often shown as a tooltip text when the mouse moves over the element.
Example
<a href="https://www.w3schools.com/html/" title="Go to W3Schools HTML
section">Visit our HTML Tutorial</a>Try it Yourself »
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