use-title-attributes-correctly.md

How-to: Use TITLE attributes

Short answer: Don't use them, except in special circumstances.

HTML title attributes are often perceived as an accessibility (and SEO) bonus, but the opposite is true. For screen reader users the content included inside of the title attribute is typically unncessary, redundant, and possibly not even used. Conversely, content being put in the title attribute is being hidden from the (probable) majority of your users. If information is being hidden from the majority of your users, then it's probably not necessary.

There are a few times when using a title attribute is appropriate:

• For <frame> and <iframe> elements
• For providing a label when a text label would be redundant

Rule of Thumb: Serve all users equal content.

Further reading

• Steve Faulkner has an in-depth post on "Using the HTML title attribute" (Jan 15th, 2013)
• RNIB Blog: TITLE attributes (May 16th, 2007)

Here's another resource from the Paciello group that shows screen reader support for title attributes: http://www.paciellogroup.com/resources/articles/WE05/forms.html

you people make me sick. 👍

@ckundo - I love that chart but it seems the data (and choice of other screen readers?) might be too out of date. Might be cool to re-run that test against WebAIM's survey results for primary screen readers.

rather than redundant or unnecessary, according to this article, the title attribute is generally not read by default (except in forms and i/frame) unless they change the setting. Admittedly the article a little old, but from what I've been told by those with some experience of screen readers, it still holds true.

http://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/webaccessibility/wacblog/Lists/Posts/Post.aspx?id=38

@Arty-chan agreed. Screen readers that I've used entirely ignore the title attribute (out of the box anyway).