Reference · Beginner
HTML landmark elements
Use header, nav, main, aside, and footer to expose meaningful page regions and reserve section and article for structured content.
- Author
- Editorial team
- Reviewer
- Publication review pending
- Review tier
- annual
Definition
Landmark elements identify major page regions. main contains the primary
content; nav groups important navigation; contextual header, aside, and
footer elements describe surrounding roles.
Syntax
<header>Site identity</header>
<nav aria-label="Primary">...</nav>
<main>
<h1>Page title</h1>
</main>
<footer>Policies and contact information</footer>Context
A page has one visible primary main region. Repeated navigation or
complementary regions need labels that make their purposes distinct. section
usually needs a heading; article should make sense as a self-contained
composition.
Common misuse
Do not wrap every container in section. Do not use header or footer
because of screen position alone. Generic containers remain appropriate when no
semantic role fits.