Accessible name

The name a button, link or field has in the accessibility tree, from its text, label or aria-label. An icon-only button with no name is invisible to agents.

Why it matters

Unnamed buttons are the most common problem we find: in our study of 255 online stores, 58% had buttons or links with no name an agent can read, most often icon-only cart, search and menu buttons. An agent can't press what it can't identify. Naming them is usually quick work for a web developer, and it helps screen reader users too.

More terms in finding the way

• Accessibility tree The structured view of a page that screen readers and many browser agents use: its headings, links, buttons and form fields, with their names.
• Landmarks Labels for the main regions of a page, such as header, navigation, main content and footer, that let agents skip straight to what they need.
• Overlay Anything that covers the page, such as a cookie banner, newsletter pop-up or chat window.
• WCAG The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, the standard for making sites usable by people with disabilities.

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