complementary landmark: must be top level

Rule ID Landmark 19
Definition The complementary landmark must be a top-level landmark.
Purpose
  • complementary landmarks provide a way to identify sections of a page that may not be considered the main content, but that provide important supporting or related information to the main content.
  • Top-level landmarks are the easiest to find and navigate to using assistive technologies.
Mappings
  • HTML4 Legacy Techniques (Recommended)
  • HTML5 and ARIA Techniques (Required)
WCAG Success Criteria

1.3.1 Info and Relationships (Level A, Primary Success Criterion)

Rule Category Landmarks
Scope Element
Target Resources complementary landmark
  • aside
Techniques
  • Use an aside element to define a complementary landmark.
  • If the aside element technique is not being used, a role="complementary" attribute on the container element of the supporting content can be used to define a complementary landmark.
  • When creating the landmark structure on the page, ensure that the complementary landmark is a top-level landmark (i.e., it is not contained within any other landmarks).
Informational Links