- Success Criterion 3.2.3
- Conformance level AA
Skip Link Appearing in a Different Order on Different Pages
3.2.3 — Consistent Navigation
Scenario
Setting
An online spreadsheet's toolbar
What’s wrong
Skip links appearing in different sequence among the first focusables per page.
Example
<!-- Spreadsheet editor -->
<a href="#toolbar">Skip to toolbar</a>
<a href="#main-content">Skip to content</a>
<!-- Sharing settings page -->
<a href="#main-content">Skip to content</a>
<a href="#toolbar">Skip to toolbar</a> Why it matters
A keyboard user who learns that the first Tab skips to the toolbar on the editor gets skip to content first instead on the sharing settings page, breaking a habit they rely on.
How to test
Check the order of the first few focusable elements (including any skip link) on multiple pages: if the sequence varies page to page, it fails.
How to fix
Define the skip links once in a shared page template so their order can't diverge per page.
<!-- Same order at the top of every page -->
<a href="#toolbar">Skip to toolbar</a>
<a href="#main-content">Skip to content</a> Outcome
A keyboard user's first Tab press always lands on the same skip link, page after page.
Who is affected
Keyboard-only users who tab through skip links at the start of every page depend on the same order to navigate efficiently.
Learn more
- Understanding Understanding document (opens in a new tab)
Related scenarios
- Navigation Links Appearing in a Different Order on Each Page
- Header Menu Items Reshuffled Differently on Different Sections
- Footer Link Groups Ordered Differently Across Page Templates
- Search Box That Moves to a Different Spot on Every Page
- Breadcrumbs Present on Some Pages but Missing on Others
- Mobile Navigation Order That’s Inconsistent With Itself