Why Managing Accessible Names Is Important

Accessible names are essential for ensuring that assistive technologies, such as screen readers, can accurately describe and announce the purpose of elements on a webpage. These names tell users what an element is and what it does. For example, a button labelled “Submit” lets someone using a screen reader know that the element will send a form.

An accessible name can come from several sources, including visible text, the aria-label attribute, or the title attribute. However, when multiple accessible names are applied to the same element — such as having both a visible label and a title or aria-label — screen readers may announce all of them, causing unnecessary repetition and confusion.

For example:

<button title="Submit" aria-label="Submit">Submit</button>

A screen reader might announce this as:

“Submit, Submit button”

This redundancy can be distracting and reduce clarity for users who rely on auditory feedback to navigate.

The issue isn’t with the title attribute itself; it can be helpful in certain contexts, such as when providing additional information about icons or abbreviations. The problem arises when the title attribute duplicates the accessible name that’s already conveyed through visible text or ARIA labels.

To ensure clarity, each interactive element should have one clear and consistent accessible name. If the name is already present (for example, through a visible label or aria-label), the title attribute becomes redundant and should be removed.

Who Is Affected

Duplicate or conflicting accessible names can cause difficulties for

• users of screen readers, who may hear repeated or confusing announcements such as “Submit, Submit button”
• users with cognitive disabilities, who can be distracted or confused by redundant spoken information
• keyboard-only users who rely on clear and concise audio feedback to identify controls while navigating
• users of voice control software, where duplicate names may cause ambiguity when issuing voice commands

Why Removing Title Attributes Helps

The title attribute was historically used to provide extra information or tooltips, but it’s not consistently supported by all browsers and assistive technologies. Many modern accessibility standards now recommend avoiding it, especially when other accessible names exist.

By removing unnecessary title attributes, your site:

• Prevents redundant screen reader announcements
• Reduces user confusion
• Improves overall accessibility and clarity
• Aligns with WCAG best practices for accessible naming

Checking for Title Attributes in Your Site

You can manually verify if elements have duplicate accessible names by inspecting your webpage’s code:

1. Right-click on an element and select Inspect (or use Developer Tools).
2. Check if the element contains both a title attribute and an aria-label or visible label.
   Example:<a href="#" title="Learn more" aria-label="Learn more">Learn more</a>
3. If both are present, the title attribute is redundant and can be safely removed.

If you find this across many elements, removing them manually might be time-consuming; that’s where the plugin helps.

Using the Accessibility Toolkit to Fix This Automatically

The Accessibility Toolkit plugin offers an easy, code-free solution to manage accessible names on your WordPress site.

When you enable the Accessible Names feature, the plugin automatically detects elements that already have accessible names (like aria-label or visible text) and removes unnecessary title attributes.

To get started:

1. Navigate to the Accessibility options in your WordPress dashboard.
2. Enable the checkbox for Accessible Names.
3. Click Save settings at the bottom of the page.

Once enabled, the plugin will handle these optimisations sitewide — no need to manually edit code.

Before removing the title attributes

After removing the title attribute

Why It’s Important for Accessibility and SEO

Properly managed accessible names help ensure:

• Screen readers provide clear and accurate announcements.
• Assistive technology users navigate without redundancy.
• Search engines better understand your content structure.
• User experience improves for everyone, including those using voice control systems.

By keeping accessible names clean and meaningful, your website becomes more inclusive, easier to navigate, and aligned with accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.1.

Best Practices

• Use ARIA labels or visible text for defining accessible names, and avoid relying on title attributes.
• Remove duplicate labels or attributes to reduce confusion.
• Regularly test your site with screen readers (like NVDA or VoiceOver).
• Ensure all interactive elements have unique, descriptive names.

By managing accessible names effectively and letting the Accessibility Toolkit handle unnecessary title attributes, you ensure that your website communicates clearly with all users and assistive technologies, creating a cleaner, more inclusive digital experience.