--- title: "Is the page title descriptive enough?" date: "2024-08-16T07:24:34+00:00" summary: "Discover how to create descriptive HTML page titles for improved accessibility and user navigation." image: type: "page" url: "/web-governance/page-title-descriptive-enough" id: "f135d669-c668-4a35-968e-902faae91733" --- Table of contents will be added **Collection: 2.4.2 Page Titled** Introduction ------------ This document provides information about the Acquia Web Governance accessibility check: * Is the page title descriptive enough? What ---- The title of an HTML page should clearly describe the content or functionality of the page. The page title is defined in the HTML code using the `` element. This title usually appears as the name of the open browser tab. This should not be confused with the first `<h1>` heading on the page, which is typically displayed within the content. Why --- Page titles are crucial for navigation and accessibility. For users with visual impairments who use screen readers, a clear title helps them quickly understand what each page is about. For those with cognitive disabilities, descriptive titles make it easier to find the correct page. Additionally, users with multiple tabs open in their browsers can easily identify and switch between pages based on their titles, which improves overall efficiency and gives a better user experience. Who --- ### Affected users This check affects the following users who have: * Visual impairments: Who access the site contents with a screen reader or screen magnification software. * Cognitive impairments: Who benefit from clear instructions and descriptive page titles. ### User story ![A man shown from the shoulders up. He is wearing a suit and the background is blurred.](https://acquia.widen.net/content/vsdzg9w6ck/web/Mon_AccessibilityHelpCenter-UserStory-ManInSuit.png?v=907b76d5-ef58-45e7-950a-a05bc90ff037) Michael, 45 years old, is the Director of Operations at a global tech company. He is an avid runner who participates in marathons and enjoys early morning jogs. He lives with his spouse and two teenage children, and he values family game nights. _“In my line of work, I have got a ton of browser tabs open at any given time. It is just part of managing all the different projects and tasks. The thing is, if those tabs do not have clear, descriptive names, it can become a real headache._ _Last week I had a situation where an urgent server issue popped up, and I needed to quickly access a specific tab with system status updates. Because a lot of my tabs were named things like 'Untitled' or just had vague titles, I wasted minutes trying to figure out which one I needed. In a high-pressure moment like that, those minutes can make a big difference.”_ Examples -------- This section gives some examples of the issue. ### Example: Non-descriptive title In this example, the user has multiple tabs open in their browser, each tab displays different websites. Many of these tabs have generic titles, such as “Untitled Page”, which makes it difficult to quickly locate the right tab. This issue arises because the titles of these webpages are not descriptive, resulting in confusion when the user tries to find a specific page. <title>Untitled ![A browser application has nine tabs open at the same time. Four of those tabs show pages with the title "Untitled" or "Untitled Page".](https://acquia.widen.net/content/vn2o2kub9u/web/Mon_AccessibilityHelpCenter-242-Toolbar9TabsOpen.png?v=4ad1276d-965c-4884-9f36-a3c570094e7a) ### Example: Title element describing page content In this example, the `` element of the page contains the text "Business News". This is effective because it clearly informs users about the type of information available on that page. <title>Business News ![A browser tab is open. The name of the tab in the browser toolbar is showing as "Business News".](https://acquia.widen.net/content/9h6nek4bb0/web/Mon_tab_title_desc_example.png?v=ef36f9a3-6915-490e-a6a2-eabe5d5edce3) How --- This section provides information on how to identify and review the issue. #### How to identify it The Acquia Web Governance platform highlights the first `` element on the page that contains text.  ### How to review it Asses the text of the title element to ensure that it accurately describes the content of the page. The highlighted HTML snippet can look something like: <title>Business News Ask yourself the following question: Is the text within the `` element descriptive of the page's content or functionality? * If the answer is yes, you can mark this issue as **Reviewed**. * If the answer is no, you must update the page title to make it descriptive of the content. This can require a change in the HTML code, but in many cases, there is a field in your CMS where you can edit the page title. Once you have revised the title to accurately reflect the content, you can mark the page as **Reviewed.** Note On many pages, the title includes both a description of the page's content and information about the website or organization it belongs to. For example, "Accessibility Guide - Acquia." It is perfectly acceptable for the title to contain information about the organization in addition to a description of the specific page. For more information, visit [How to review an accessibility issue](/web-governance/how-review-accessibility-issue "How to review an accessibility issue"). See the **ACT rules** section below for a link to a complete technical explanation of this check. * Additional resources -------------------- ### WCAG success criteria [2.4.2 Page Titled](https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/page-titled.html) ### ACT rules Related accessibility conformance testing rules: [HTML page title is descriptive](https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/act/rules/c4a8a4/)