Skip Links

Problem

Keyboard and screen reader users must tab through dozens of navigation links on every page load before reaching the main content. This wastes time and creates frustration, especially on content-heavy sites where users just want to read an article or complete a task.

Solution

Provide hidden links that let keyboard users jump directly to main content, bypassing navigation. This saves time for screen reader users who would otherwise hear the same nav links on every page.

Example

This demonstrates providing hidden links that allow keyboard and screen reader users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content, dramatically improving accessibility.

<!-- Skip link - hidden until focused -->
<a href="#main-content" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a>

<!-- Navigation that can be bypassed -->
<nav>...</nav>

<!-- Main content target with matching ID -->
<main id="main-content">
  <h1>Page Content</h1>
</main>

<style>
/* Hide skip link off-screen by default */
.skip-link {
  position: absolute;
  left: -9999px;
}
/* Show skip link when keyboard user tabs to it */
.skip-link:focus {
  left: 0;
}
</style>

Benefits

• Dramatically improves keyboard and screen reader user experience.
• Saves time by allowing users to bypass repetitive navigation.
• Simple to implement with minimal code.
• Meets WCAG accessibility requirements for skip navigation.

Tradeoffs

• Must be the first focusable element on the page to be effective.
• Requires proper styling to be visible on focus without breaking layout.
• May need multiple skip links for complex layouts with multiple navigation areas.
• Can be confusing if the target element isn’t properly labeled or positioned.