Semantic structure · Lesson 2 of 10 · 7 minutes

Semantic structure: Primary navigation

A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.

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Your objectives

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1
Build primary navigation
Build this first target: <nav> (aria-label="Primary"). Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<nav aria-label="Primary"></nav>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.
2
Extend the primary navigation example
Extend your file to include: <nav> (aria-label="Primary"); <a> inside <nav> (href="/web/") containing “Web course”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<nav aria-label="Primary"><a href="/web/">Web course</a></nav>
```
Common mistake to avoid: Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.
3
Verify the complete primary navigation pattern
Finish the pattern with: <nav> (aria-label="Primary"); <a> inside <nav> (href="/web/") containing “Web course”; <a> inside <nav> (href="/unix/") containing “UNIX course”. Inspect the structure before checking the lesson.
Hint & worked example
A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.
The requested elements, attributes, content, and hierarchy exist outside comments.
```
<nav aria-label="Primary"><a href="/web/">Web course</a><a href="/unix/">UNIX course</a></nav>
```
Common mistake to avoid: A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.

Understand the pattern

A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.

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

<nav aria-label="Primary"><a href="/web/">Web course</a><a href="/unix/">UNIX course</a></nav>

A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.

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 primary navigation?A nav landmark groups major navigation links; a label distinguishes it from another navigation region.A visual appearance alone guarantees the intended HTML meaning.Replacing semantic elements with generic divs automatically improves accessibility.

Apply it elsewhere

You reuse primary navigation 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: Semantic structure: Main landmark Try an incident drill

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MDN: HTML structure