This translation has not been editorially reviewed yet. The German version is authoritative. Deutsche Fassung
Accessibility
Why does every page need its own meaningful page title?
Every page needs its own page title, because in many places it stands in for the page: as the browser tab label, as the blue heading in a Google result, and as the first thing a screen reader announces when a page opens. A title like "Home" or "Untitled" says nothing in any of these places — visitors don't know where they've landed. WCAG criterion 2.4.2 requires a title that describes the topic or purpose of the page.
A good page title names the topic and the provider
The pattern "page topic – provider name" has proven itself, for example "Opening hours and directions – Berger Carpentry". Anyone with ten browser tabs open finds your page again by its tab text; anyone comparing search results decides whether to click based on the blue heading. For blind users, the title is even more important: the screen reader announces it first of all — it's the answer to the question "where am I right now". If every subpage carries the same title, they become indistinguishable in the tab, in history, and in bookmarks. Every page therefore deserves its own, telling title.
How the audit service checks page titles
The measurement checks three things: the title must be present, reach a minimum length, and must not be on the list of generic, meaningless titles — "Home" alone is not a title. If it's missing or meaningless, the criterion counts as violated. If a usable title is present, one question deliberately remains open: whether it truly describes the topic or purpose of the page can only be judged by a human — "News" is formally a title but says nothing about a price list. The report therefore marks this remainder as a manual check point instead of prematurely reporting "passed".
Examples
Same title on each page
<title>Beispiel GmbH</title><title>Öffnungszeiten und Anfahrt – Beispiel GmbH</title>First things first: The page title is the first thing a read-out program announces after loading, and the labeling of the tab.
- Open five subpages of your website in tabs and read only the tab labels — can you tell the pages apart?
- Give every page a title following the pattern "topic – company name", for example "Prices – Huber Painting".
- Replace generic titles like "Home", "Homepage", or "Welcome" with the page's actual topic.
- Put the distinguishing part first: the page topic first, then the company name — not the other way round.
