WCAG 2.4.6: Headings and Labels
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What's it about?
Headings must clearly describe the content or purpose of the section that follows. The same applies to labels on form fields. They must make clear what users are expected to enter.
Headings provide structure and help users orient themselves on a webpage. They need to clearly describe the content or purpose of what comes next.
Labels belong to interactive elements, for example, form fields, toggles, or dropdowns, and must clearly state what input is expected from the user.
How to
Depending on your situation, you can implement one of the following options to meet the criterion. For a deeper dive, please refer to the linked WCAG techniques.
Meaningful headings
Every heading must summarize the content of the following section briefly but clearly. Under a heading like “Blog articles,” you should indeed find blog articles and not customer reviews.
Personal opinion: Cryptic headings such as “Super interesting stuff” can be confusing and should be described more clearly. Unless “Super interesting stuff” is part of the brand’s voice and makes sense in the context of the website.
Technique(s):
Clear labels
Input fields need meaningful labels so users understand what they are supposed to do or enter.
Example: An input field for the first name should also have the label “First name.”
For groups (such as checkboxes or radio groups), the label of the individual elements is sometimes not enough. In that case, the <fieldset> in the HTML should be given a <legend> that sufficiently describes the purpose of the input group.
Example: two checkboxes: “Email” and “SMS.” Only through the overarching label (<legend>) “How would you like to be notified?” does it become clear what is actually being asked.
Technique(s):
Notes
Hint: Correct language
Labels and headings should match the language of the website. On a German website, they should therefore be in German. Foreign-language content can impair understanding.
According to the WCAG, this is not a direct error, but many auditors will still rate it negatively if labels of controls and input fields are in a different language.
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