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Accessibility
Why must a website stay calm when reached by keyboard?
A website must stay calm when reached by keyboard, because reaching an element is only a highlight — not yet a decision. Anyone jumping from element to element with the Tab key is looking around, like a customer walking along shelves in a shop. If a new page or window opens unprompted in the process, the visitor loses their orientation. WCAG criterion 3.2.1 forbids such surprises.
Reaching and triggering are two separate steps
With keyboard operation, a visible highlight — focus — moves to the next control element with every press of the Tab key. Only Enter triggers the highlighted element. This separation is vital for orientation for many people: blind visitors have every highlighted element read aloud first, before deciding. People with tremors sometimes land on elements accidentally. If the page already jumps when an element is highlighted — for example because a menu item loads its subpage the moment it's reached — these visitors can never get past it without changing pages. They're stuck as if in a revolving door that spins at every touch.
How the audit service measures behaviour on focus
The audit service operates your page in a real browser: it presses the Tab key, stop by stop, and logs every station the focus travels through. If the page's address changes during this journey — without Enter having been pressed — merely reaching the element has triggered a page change. The report treats that as a violation and names the address the measurement ended up on. If the journey passes through at least three stops with no such change, the criterion counts as passed. If the page offers fewer than three reachable stops, the measurement deliberately stays undecided, and the report marks the criterion as a manual check point.
- Press the Tab key repeatedly on your homepage and watch whether the page stays put.
- Pay special attention to dropdown menus and language switchers — that's where triggering on reach is built in most often.
- Ask your agency to tie every action to a real interaction: Enter, spacebar, or click — never to merely being reached.
- Test again with the Tab key after adding any new menu or search component.
FAQ
What does focus mean on a website?
Focus is the highlight that shows which control element is currently reached — usually recognisable by an outline. Focus moves from element to element with the Tab key, and Enter triggers the highlighted element. Screen readers read out exactly the focused element. Reaching and triggering are two separate steps here.
What is a context change under WCAG?
A context change is a large, surprising change to the surroundings: a new page loads, a new window opens, or focus jumps to a completely different spot. WCAG criterion 3.2.1 requires that merely reaching an element must not trigger such a change. Only a deliberate action, such as pressing Enter, may change the surroundings.
How do I test whether my website stays calm when reached by keyboard?
Open your homepage and repeatedly press the Tab key without touching any other keys. The highlight should move through the menu, links, and form fields while the page stays unchanged. If a new page loads or a window opens in the meantime, even though you haven't confirmed anything, that's a violation of criterion 3.2.1.