Make At Least One Help Mechanism Consistently Findable

Disabilities Affected: Cognitive, Hearing, Mobility, Visual

Success Criterion: 3.2.6

Level: A

If help mechanisms like contact information, self-help options (FAQs, support docs), or a fully automated contact mechanism (chatbot) are provided, then information on at least one of these mechanisms must be included on each page, or reachable directly from an easily findable link included on each page. The location of this information or link must be consistent across all pages.

Why It Matters

Users needing help shouldn’t have to hunt for contact information or support resources. Providing easy and consistent access to help on every page ensures users can find assistance quickly when they encounter difficulties.

Fixing the Issue

Choose at least one help mechanism (e.g., contact phone number, link to a contact form, link to an FAQ/Help section, link to initiate a chat). Make this information or a link to it available on every page of the website. Place it in a consistent location, typically the page header or footer. Ensure the link text is clear (e.g., “Help”, “Contact Us”, “Support”).

Good Code Example

Consistent “Help” link in the page footer:

Markup

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html lang="en">
<head><title>Example Page</title></head>
<body>
  <header>...</header>
  <main>...</main>
  <footer>
    <nav aria-label="Footer Links">
      <ul>
        <li><a href="/privacy">Privacy Policy</a></li>
        <li><a href="/terms">Terms of Service</a></li>
        <li><a href="/help">Help / FAQ</a></li>
        <li><a href="/contact">Contact Us</a></li>
      </ul>
    </nav>
    <p>&copy; 2025 Example Corp.</p>
  </footer>
</body>
</html>

Bad Code Example

Help information is only available on a single “Contact” page and not linked consistently:

Markup

<footer> <a href="/contact">Contact Us</a> <footer> <a href="/support-info">Support Info</a> </footer></footer>

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