Title tag should be populated

[LoftusGreig]

Why is this important?

The page title provides an overview of what content to expect within a given webpage. It also provides a current location on where someone is within a website. For screen reader users it is often the first line read out by the screen reader and helps orient the user on what to expect on the page. From a usability perspective, most browsers show the page title as the heading in tabs. This helps users easily work with multiple tabs open on a browser and also benefits users with limited short-term memory and reading disabilities.

Apart from this the page title is also used to inform search engines what to content to expect within the page. Search engines also display the the page title in search results and is used in sitemaps and linked articles.

Since this checkpoint affects usability and accessibility, it is recommended to still have page titles for web pages that are accessibile to users even if it is nto indented to be searchable for search engines.

How can I resolve this issue?

Ensure that web pages have a page title

What topics do this checkpoint affect?

• Accessibility (WCAG 2.1 Level A, 2.4.2)
• SEO
• Usability

Can you explain how this checkpoint works?

The checkpoint examines the a page and reports if the <title> tag is empty.

References

• Page Titled Understanding SC 2.4.2
• F25: Failure of Success Criterion 2.4.2 due to the title of a Web page not identifying the contents
• G88: Providing descriptive titles for Web pages
• G127: Identifying a Web page's relationship to a larger collection of Web pages