ARIA landmark
ARIA landmarks are HTML5 semantic elements (`<header>`, `<nav>`, `<main>`, `<aside>`, `<footer>`, `<form>`) and their `role=` equivalents that map to navigable page regions for screen-reader users.
Detailed explanation
Screen readers expose a "landmarks" navigation mode that lets users jump directly between regions of a page — header, navigation, main content, sidebar, footer — without traversing every interactive element. Proper landmark structure makes a page navigable in seconds rather than minutes.
HTML5 native elements (`<header>`, `<main>`, `<nav>`, etc.) implicitly map to ARIA landmark roles. Where native elements are unavailable or insufficient, explicit `role="banner"`, `role="navigation"`, `role="main"`, etc. work the same way. Pages should have exactly one `<main>`, exactly one `<header>` at the top level, and exactly one `<footer>`.
How this applies to Shopify stores
Themes that wrap everything in `<div>` lose the landmark structure entirely. AccessComply rewrites theme layouts to use `<header>`, `<nav>`, `<main>`, and `<footer>` correctly, with optional `aria-label` to disambiguate multiple navigations on the same page.
What merchants should check next
Treat this term as a practical audit prompt, not just a definition. Check the storefront pages where the concept shows up in real customer journeys: product discovery, add-to-cart, cart drawer, checkout handoff, account login, and support contact flows. If the issue affects code, verify the rendered HTML and computed browser output after the theme change. If it affects copy or media, keep the merchant-facing wording accurate and easy to maintain.
Primary source: w3.org