This is practical accessibility guidance for first-pass triage. It is not legal advice, a formal audit, WCAG certification, or a conformance guarantee.

What this means

A form field has placeholder text but no persistent label detected.

Why it matters

Placeholders disappear while typing and may be poorly announced or remembered.

How to fix it

  • Add a persistent visible label.
  • Keep placeholder text for examples only, not the field name.
  • Connect labels programmatically with for/id or aria-labelledby.

What automated checks can detect

A checker can detect controls with placeholder text and no common label association.

What still needs manual review

Review whether users can understand the field after typing, on error, and with assistive technology.

Automation cannot fully evaluate custom form components or error recovery.

Related tools and guides