pageoneresults - 8:31 pm on Jan 19, 2009 (gmt 0)

H50: Using structural elements to group links
[w3.org...]

The objective of this technique is to demonstrate how to group links into logical sets. When links are grouped into logical sets (for example, in a navigation bar or main menu that appears on every page in a site) they should be marked up as a unit.

Marked up as a Unit? Expect to see that term quite a bit moving forward as semantics become more mainstream. The term Section is also going to be seen quite a bit.

When it comes to a "group of links" there are three methods to use; <ul>, <ol>, <map>. You utilize CSS to present the visual and then HTML to present the semantics properly.

Are all of your navigational links surrounded by a list element? Even those in your footers? Do you have links that are just sitting in a <div></div> with no semantic meaning?

Disclaimer: The WCAG utilize examples that I don't agree with in some instances. If you see something over there that doesn't look right, it probably isn't! Although when it comes to Accessibility, they tend to lean towards old school markup when it can be achieved using new school markup. I guess they have some leeway if using a Transitional DOCTYPE.

P.S. You are welcome to ask questions. In fact, I'd like to ask one about these elements. When would you use <ol> instead of <ul> in navigational elements? Is there a hard rule to follow?