Accessibility Wiki

Page must offer a way to skip to content

Rule bypass-blocks · Document, language & navigation · impact serious · Static + live

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Why it matters

Keyboard and screen-reader users need a way past the repeated header/nav on every page. Landmarks, headings, or a skip link all satisfy this. Skip links are judged by accessible name (an aria-label’d icon link counts) in common site languages, and a landmark structure (banner/nav plus main) counts as a bypass mechanism (ARIA11).

How to fix

Add a

landmark (and ideally a "Skip to content" link) and use headings to structure the page.

Example

✕ Fails
<body><nav>…</nav><div>Content</div></body>
✓ Passes
<body><a href="#main">Skip to content</a><nav>…</nav><main id="main">Content</main></body>

Example

✕ Fails
<body><a href="#c"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16"></svg></a><nav>Menu</nav><div id="c">Content</div></body>
✓ Passes
<body><a href="#c" aria-label="Zum Inhalt springen"><svg viewBox="0 0 16 16"></svg></a><nav>Menu</nav><div id="c">Content</div></body>

Skip links are judged by accessible name (aria-label counts) and recognised in common non-English phrasings.

WCAG success criteria

2.4.1 Bypass Blocks — Level A

Provide a way (skip link, landmarks, headings) to bypass repeated blocks like navigation.

Understanding 2.4.1

Standards

This rule contributes to the following standards:

WCAG A EN 301 549 Section 508 Trusted Tester

Standard Criteria
Section 508 1194.22(o)
EN 301 549 9.2.4.1
Trusted Tester v5 9.a

References