WCAG 2.2 Fix Guide

How to Fix Missing Page Title WCAG 2.2

Every HTML page must have a <title> element inside <head> that describes the page's topic or purpose. A missing or empty title fails WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.2.

WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.2 (Level A) axe-core: document-title

Why this matters

Screen reader users hear the page title first when a page loads — it's how they know where they are. Browser tabs show the title. Search engines use it as the main headline in search results. A missing title is both an accessibility failure and an SEO problem.

Code examples

✗ Incorrect — fails WCAG
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <!-- No title element -->
</head>
✓ Correct — passes WCAG
<head>
  <meta charset="UTF-8">
  <title>Contact Us — WebPossum Accessibility Scanner</title>
</head>

How to fix it — step by step

  1. 1
    Add a <title> element inside <head> on every HTML page
  2. 2
    Make the title descriptive and unique for each page
  3. 3
    Format: Page Name — Site Name (e.g. 'Contact Us — WebPossum')
  4. 4
    Keep titles under 60 characters so they don't get truncated in search results
  5. 5
    For WordPress: use an SEO plugin like Yoast to manage titles automatically
  6. 6
    Don't use the same title on every page — each page needs a unique title
Reference: WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.2 (Level A)

Test it for free

Use WebPossum to automatically detect this violation and every other WCAG 2.2 issue on your site. Free, instant, no signup required.