When users get stuck, they need help quickly and without searching. If help options move around from page to page, users must repeatedly relearn where to look, adding friction at the moment they are already struggling.
For people with cognitive disabilities, low vision, memory limitations, or who experience cognitive fatigue, inconsistent placement of help can be enough to cause task abandonment. WCAG addresses this by requiring that help mechanisms appear consistently when they are repeated across pages.
WCAG Success Criterion
3.2.6 Consistent Help (Level A)
If a web page contains any help mechanisms, and those mechanisms are repeated on multiple web pages within a set of web pages, they occur in the same relative order each time they are repeated, unless a change is initiated by the user.
This is a Level A requirement, meaning failure can block basic task completion for some users.
What WCAG Means by a “Set of Web Pages”
A set of web pages is a group of related pages that share a common purpose, structure, or flow.
Examples include:
- Steps in a multi-page form or checkout
- Pages within an account or dashboard area
- Pages that share the same template or navigation
A site may contain multiple sets of web pages. Consistency is required within each set, not across unrelated sections.
What WCAG Means by “Help”
This criterion applies only to specific help mechanisms, including:
- Human contact details (phone number, email, hours)
- Human contact mechanisms (contact form, chat, messaging system)
- Self-help options (FAQ, Help Center, “How Do I” pages)
- Fully automated help (chatbots)
Help may appear directly on the page or via a direct link to another page.
This criterion does not apply to:
- Inline instructional text
- Field-level hints
- Validation messages
- Spell checkers or contextual form help
What “Consistent” Means in Practice
Consistency refers to the relative order of content, not just where it appears visually. Assistive technologies follow the DOM (HTML source) order, not the visual layout created by CSS.
Concrete example
Visually, a chat button might appear in the bottom-right corner of the screen.
But for a screen reader user, that button may be announced near the top of the page if it appears early in the HTML.
If the chat appears early in the DOM on one page and late on another, users encounter help in a different place each time, even if it looks consistent visually. That inconsistency makes help harder, not easier, to find.
Plain-Language Requirement
If your site includes help options on more than one page:
- Users must find help in the same place each time
- The order of help relative to other content must stay the same
- Users should not have to re-learn where help is located
WCAG does not require you to provide help. It requires consistency only when help exists.
What This Criterion Does Not Require
- You are not required to offer human support
- You are not required to include help on every page
- You are not required to place help in a specific location
- You are not required to include help in standalone documents
This criterion applies to sets of related web pages.
Standalone documents such as PDFs are typically out of scope unless they are part of a multi-page web experience.
Common Real-World Failures
- Placing contact details in the header on some pages and the footer on others
- Showing a chat widget only on certain task pages
- Moving help links into different menus across pages
- Reordering help relative to navigation or main content
- Injecting help late via JavaScript on some pages but not others
- Breaking consistency through A/B tests or personalisation
User-Initiated Changes (Allowed)
Help placement may change when the user intentionally changes the layout, such as:
- Zooming the page
- Rotating the device
- Changing viewport size or orientation
Navigating between pages is not considered a user-initiated change for this criterion.
How This Fits into WCAG’s “Predictable” Principle
Consistent Help is part of Guideline 3.2: Predictable.
- 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation applies to navigation mechanisms
- 3.2.4 Consistent Identification applies to repeated functionality
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help applies only to help mechanisms
The goal is the same across all three: Reduce surprise when users are already under cognitive strain.
How to Test
- Identify all help mechanisms on the site
- Check whether each appears on more than one page
- Verify its position relative to other content
- Compare DOM order across pages
- Test with:
- Keyboard navigation
- Screen reader reading order
- A consistent viewport or breakpoint
If help exists but appears in different relative positions, the criterion is not met.
Rule Description
When help mechanisms are provided across multiple pages, they must be located consistently so users can reliably find assistance when they need it.
Wrapping Up
Consistent Help reduces effort at the moment users are most vulnerable: when they are stuck. WCAG 3.2.6 does not demand more support; it demands predictable access to the support that already exists. At Level A, this removes a basic but critical barrier to completing tasks.
