Accessibility · Lesson 5 of 8 · 7 minutes

Accessibility: Visible focus

A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.

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Your objectives

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1
Build visible focus
Build this first target: <a> (href="#content", class="skip-link") containing “Skip to content”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="#content" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.
2
Extend the visible focus example
Extend your file to include: <a> (href="#content", class="skip-link") containing “Skip to content”; <main> (id="content"); <h1> inside <main> containing “Keyboard practice”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="#content" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a><main id="content"><h1>Keyboard practice</h1></main>
```
Common mistake to avoid: Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.
3
Verify the complete visible focus pattern
Finish the pattern with: <a> (href="#content", class="skip-link") containing “Skip to content”; <main> (id="content", tabindex="-1"); <h1> inside <main> containing “Keyboard practice”; <button> inside <main> (type="button") containing “Continue”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<a href="#content" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a><main id="content" tabindex="-1"><h1>Keyboard practice</h1><button type="button">Continue</button></main>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.

Understand the pattern

A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.

Misconceptions to reject

A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.
Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.

The preview is a sanitized subset, not a full browser compatibility test.

Worked example and expected result

<a href="#content" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a><main id="content" tabindex="-1"><h1>Keyboard practice</h1><button type="button">Continue</button></main>

A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.

Try a variation

Adapt the final example to a different project name while retaining its structure and relationships. A different context still needs a real browser and accessibility check.

Explain it

Which statement correctly explains visible focus?A keyboard target needs an obvious focus indicator. Do not remove outlines without an equally visible replacement.A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.

Apply it elsewhere

You reuse visible focus in a different project. What must still be verified?Nothing; passing a single exercise guarantees every future use.Only whether the source code has the same number of lines.The meaning, relationships, and accessible names in the new document.

Keep the momentum.

Complete the lab, then explain and apply the pattern.

Next: Accessibility: Status announcements Try an incident drill

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MDN: HTML structure