HTML Accessible Pagination with Current Page State

Not everyone uses a mouse to explore a website. Good HTML must also make sense through a keyboard or screen reader.

What You Need to Know

Pagination links should say which page they open, and the current page should be identified with aria-current=page. Previous and Next help people understand the sequence.

Try the Example

Take a look at the example. We’ll explain the important lines right below it.

<nav aria-label="Article pages">
    <a href="/articles?page=1">Previous</a>
    <a href="/articles?page=2" aria-current="page">2</a>
    <a href="/articles?page=3">Next</a>
</nav>

Let’s Read the Code

<nav>: Navigation elements identify groups of important links.
aria-label: Aria-label supplies an accessible name when a visible one is not available.
href: Href is the URL to a related resource or destination.

Read the named elements and attributes together. They explain how the browser connects this feature to the rest of the page.

What Happens in the Browser?

Try this with Tab and Shift+Tab. If you can, inspect the accessibility tree too; appearance alone does not tell the whole story.

What does assistive technology receive? The example includes aria-label, aria-current. These relationships can explain names, states, or descriptions when used correctly. They do not automatically move focus, listen for clicks, or create keyboard handling.

Your Turn

Use Tab and Shift+Tab to visit the controls, then read their labels aloud. Is the purpose of each one clear?

Common Beginner Mistakes

Judging the page only by how it looks, without checking its meaning and keyboard behavior.
ARIA changes what assistive technology is told; it does not automatically add keyboard controls, visual styling, or JavaScript behavior.

Key Takeaways

Pagination links should say which page they open, and the current page should be identified with aria-current=page.
<nav>: Navigation elements identify groups of important links.
A meaningful HTML element is usually a stronger starting point than adding an ARIA role to a generic div. Also check what happens using only the keyboard.