2.4.2
Web pages have titles that describe topic or purpose.
Always.
Find the page title by using the browser's inspection tool, the Lang bookmarklet or by hovering over the browser tab.
Check the page title:
- exists (is not empty)
- at least describes the content of the page
- provides context (although WCAG does not strictly require this)
- is unique among all pages on that website or service - it might not be a fail if the purpose is clear to the user, for example a result page that has different outcomes for each user
If there are frames or iframes, check their page titles are meaningful as well. You can use the Unframe iFrames bookmarklet to open all the iframes in a new window or tab and then check their title from there. The existence of the frame element's title attribute is covered under 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.
The homepage title does not need to describe the content. It can be the name of the website, organisation, service or something that tells the user which site they're on. The URL of the homepage is acceptable but not best practice.
- The page title should describe the content of the page as well as the name of the website or service - duplicating the
h1is a good idea - Unique information should be front-loaded - the title should first say what the page is about, then what the broader website or service is
- Any link that leads to a page should be the same or similar in name to the title of the page it lands on - see 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) for more guidance
- Page titles should not include typographical embellishments like ~~~ or +++
Use judgement over whether a title is appropriate for every screen.