The <meta> Element
As defined in the HTML Living Standard, the <meta> element represents metadata that describes the document. It is a void element and must be placed within the <head>.
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0">
<meta name="description" content="A guide to accessible HTML">Meta tags provide essential instructions to the browser and search engines about how to handle the page.
View HTML Living Standard: The meta elementAccessibility Impact: The Viewport Meta Tag
The viewport meta tag is one of the most critical for mobile accessibility.
WCAG Requirement: Reflow
Success Criterion 1.4.10 (Level AA): Reflow.
Content should be able to zoom up to 400% without requiring scrolling in two dimensions. By setting width=device-width and avoiding user-scalable=no, you ensure that users with low vision can zoom into the content comfortably.
Key Meta Tags for A11y & SEO
charset="UTF-8": Ensures that special characters (like accented letters or symbols) are rendered correctly, preventing "mojibake" which can make text unreadable for screen readers.name="description": Provides a summary of the page. This is often read by search engines and helps users decide if the page meets their needs before they even click.http-equiv="content-type": An older way of declaring charset, now superseded by the simplercharsetattribute.
A11y Tip: Avoid Disabling Zoom
Never use user-scalable=no or maximum-scale=1.0 in your viewport meta tag. This is a direct violation of accessibility best practices and prevents users from utilizing the browser's native zoom functionality.