Sitecheck Website checks and monitoring
← Back to glossary

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)

Sitecheck Team

A set of HTML attributes that define ways to make web content more accessible to people using assistive technologies.

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) is a specification from the W3C that adds semantic meaning to HTML elements through attributes like role, aria-label, aria-hidden, and aria-live. These attributes are read by screen readers and other assistive technologies to convey context that isn't implied by the HTML alone.

Why it matters: Without ARIA, dynamic UI components like modals, carousels, and live notifications are invisible or confusing to screen reader users. Incorrect ARIA use can make things worse than using no ARIA at all — the rule is "no ARIA is better than bad ARIA."

Quick tips:

  • Use native HTML elements first (e.g., <button> instead of <div role="button">).
  • Add aria-label to icon-only buttons so they have a descriptive name.
  • Use aria-live="polite" for status updates that don't interrupt the user.

See also: WCAG, alt text (image accessibility).