Success Criterion 2.4.2
Conformance level A

Error or 404 Page Titled Like an Ordinary Page

2.4.2 — Page Titled

Scenario

Setting

An insurance company's claims form

What’s wrong

Error/404 pages titled like normal pages.

Example

<title>Insurance Claims - Northfield Insurance</title>
<!-- served on the 404 page for a broken claim-form link -->

Why it matters

A claimant who mistypes a link sees a normal-looking title and doesn't realize the page failed to load.

How to test

Trigger a 404 or error page: if it's titled the same as a normal page instead of indicating an error, it fails.

How to fix

Give error and 404 states a distinct title so users and assistive tech both notice the failure.

<title>Page Not Found - Northfield Insurance Claims</title>

Outcome

A claimant immediately recognizes the broken link from the tab title and knows to go back.

Who is affected

Screen reader users get no signal from the title that something went wrong, since it reads like a normal successful page.

Learn more

Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)