Semantic HTML for Accessibility

Semantic HTML for Accessibility

Use semantic HTML elements to convey document structure, meaning, and navigation landmarks to assistive technology

When to Use

• Building any user-facing web page or component
• Replacing <div> and <span> soup with meaningful elements
• Structuring page landmarks for screen reader navigation
• Ensuring heading hierarchy is logical and complete
• Reviewing existing markup for accessibility improvements

Instructions

1. Use landmark elements to define page regions. Screen readers expose landmarks as a navigation menu, letting users jump directly to the section they need.

<header>Site branding and primary navigation</header>
<nav aria-label="Main">Primary navigation links</nav>
<main>Primary page content — exactly one per page</main>
<aside>Complementary content (sidebar, related links)</aside>
<footer>Site footer, legal links, copyright</footer>

• Use exactly one <main> per page.
• Use aria-label to distinguish multiple <nav> elements (e.g., "Main", "Footer", "Breadcrumb").
• Do not nest landmarks unnecessarily — <nav> inside <header> is fine, <main> inside <main> is not.

2. Use headings (<h1>-<h6>) to create a logical outline. Headings are the primary way screen reader users scan a page. Follow a strict hierarchy — do not skip levels.

<h1>Product Catalog</h1>
<h2>Electronics</h2>
<h3>Laptops</h3>
<h3>Phones</h3>
<h2>Clothing</h2>
<h3>Men's</h3>
<h3>Women's</h3>

• One <h1> per page (the page title).
• Do not use headings for visual styling — use CSS classes instead.
• Do not skip from <h2> to <h4> — screen readers announce heading levels.

3. Use <button> for actions and <a> for navigation. Buttons trigger in-page actions (submit, toggle, open modal). Links navigate to a URL. Do not use <div onclick> for either.

// Correct — button for action
<button onClick={handleSave}>Save Changes</button>

// Correct — link for navigation
<a href="/settings">Go to Settings</a>

// Wrong — div pretending to be interactive
<div onClick={handleSave} className="btn">Save Changes</div>

4. Use <ul>, <ol>, and <dl> for lists. Screen readers announce "list, 5 items" — giving users context about the content structure. Navigation menus should be <ul> inside <nav>.

5. Use <table> for tabular data, never for layout. Include <thead>, <th scope="col">, and <th scope="row"> so screen readers can associate data cells with headers.

<table>
  <caption>
    Quarterly Sales
  </caption>
  <thead>
    <tr>
      <th scope="col">Region</th>
      <th scope="col">Q1</th>
      <th scope="col">Q2</th>
    </tr>
  </thead>
  <tbody>
    <tr>
      <th scope="row">North</th>
      <td>$1.2M</td>
      <td>$1.4M</td>
    </tr>
  </tbody>
</table>

6. Use <form>, <fieldset>, and <legend> for form structure. Group related inputs with <fieldset> and provide a group label with <legend>.

7. Use <article> for self-contained content that makes sense independently (blog posts, comments, product cards). Use <section> for thematic grouping within a page — always pair <section> with a heading.

8. Use <time> for dates and durations to provide machine-readable time data.

<time datetime="2026-04-07">April 7, 2026</time>

9. Use <details> and <summary> for expandable content instead of custom JavaScript accordions. They are natively accessible with keyboard and screen reader support.

<details>
  <summary>Order details</summary>
  <p>Order #12345 — shipped on April 5, 2026.</p>
</details>

10. Validate your HTML structure. Run the W3C validator and check the document outline. A well-structured document should make sense when read as a heading-only outline.

Details

Why semantic HTML matters: Assistive technology (screen readers, switch controls, voice navigation) relies on the HTML element type to determine how to present and interact with content. A <button> is announced as "button" and activated with Enter/Space. A <div> with an onClick is announced as "group" — the user has no idea it is interactive.

Implicit ARIA roles: Semantic elements carry implicit ARIA roles — <nav> is role="navigation", <main> is role="main", <button> is role="button". Using semantic HTML means you rarely need to add ARIA attributes manually.

Common anti-patterns:

• <div class="header"> instead of <header>
• Using <h3> because it looks the right size (use CSS for sizing)
• <a href="#" onclick={fn}> — if it does not navigate, use <button>
• <br> for spacing instead of CSS margin/padding
• <b> and <i> for styling — use <strong> and <em> for semantic emphasis, CSS for visual styling

Testing: Use the browser's accessibility tree inspector (Chrome DevTools > Accessibility tab) to see how your markup is exposed to assistive technology. The rendered accessibility tree should mirror the visual hierarchy.

Source

https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Learn/Accessibility/HTML

Process

1. Read the instructions and examples in this document.
2. Apply the patterns to your implementation, adapting to your specific context.
3. Verify your implementation against the details and edge cases listed above.

Harness Integration

• Type: knowledge — this skill is a reference document, not a procedural workflow.
• No tools or state — consumed as context by other skills and agents.

Success Criteria

• The patterns described in this document are applied correctly in the implementation.
• Edge cases and anti-patterns listed in this document are avoided.