This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung →
Navigation and focus: visible, findable, in a sensible order
Users need to be able to orient themselves: every page needs a meaningful title, a way past repeated blocks, a sensible focus order, a focus that's always visible and never covered, and link text that's understandable on its own.
- Visible focus is the most commonly deliberately removed part of accessibility: many see the browser's default outline as ugly and switch it off. That makes the page unusable for keyboard users — you can no longer see where you are. A custom, styled focus indicator is explicitly allowed; removing it with no replacement isn't.
- "Focus not obscured" is new since WCAG 2.2, and it hits sticky header bars: when tabbing, the focused element slides under the fixed bar and becomes invisible, even though it has focus.
- Link text like "more" or "click here" is meaningless from within a screen reader's link list. The link text should say where it leads — even without the sentence before it.
FAQ
Why is "learn more" a bad link text?
Because screen readers offer a link list where every entry has to stand on its own. Twenty instances of "learn more" there aren't navigation — they're a list of identical entries.
Do we need a skip link to the content?
You need a way to skip repeated blocks. A skip link at the very top is the most common solution; correctly placed landmarks are another.
May we replace the browser's focus outline?
Replacing it, yes; removing it, no. Your own indicator must be clearly visible and meet the contrast value for controls.