Designers

2.4.5 Multiple Ways (Level AA)

There needs to be more than one way to find a web page within your website.

What you need to know

What you’re trying to achieve with this success criterion is to make it easier for people who visit your website to find what they’re looking for. Here are a few ways you can do that:

  1. Add a global search option.
  2. Add a sitemap linked to every page.
  3. Add a related pages section below content.

These bullets aren’t explicitly required, but we’ve included them as examples. Note: If a page is part of a process (such as a review cart page before you checkout), you don’t have to provide multiple ways to find it.

What you need to do

  • Make it as easy as possible to find pages on your website. If you add a search bar and sitemap, you’ve very likely satisfied this success criterion.
  • Incorporate breadcrumbs. Breadcrumbs are links that show you the path of where a particular page is within a website structure so you can easily know where you are. Think back to the story of Hansel and Gretel and how Hansel dropped pieces of bread so they could find their way home if they got lost. Website breadcrumbs help you find your way within a website.
  • Add a “related resources” section below content on your website. For example, we have links below to blogs and other related content.

Reference

Read the full explanation of success criterion 2.4.5 on W3.org.

Related Resource

Check out “Providing Multiple Ways of Finding Content” from the University of Washington for more information about this success criterion.