Imagine you're using a website or a web application without a mouse. Maybe you're tabbing through links with your keyboard, or using a screen reader to navigate the page. Every time you land on a new page, you have to press Tab over and over to get past the header, the navigation menu, banners, and other repeated elements just to reach the main content you actually came for. It can feel slow and exhausting, especially on pages with long menus or a lot of buttons at the top.
This is where skip link comes in.
What is a Skip Link?
A skip link is a small link placed at the very top of your page that gives users a shortcut straight to the main content. Instead of tabbing through every menu item or banner, they can press the skip link once and jump directly to what matters most. It's barely noticeable for most users, but for anyone navigating with a keyboard or screen reader, it instantly makes your app faster, smoother, and more usable.
Here's what a basic skip link looks like in HTML:
<a href="#main-content" class="skip-link">Skip to content</a>
<main id="main-content">
<!-- main content -->
</main>
The idea is simple: when a user tabs to the link and presses Enter, their focus jumps straight to the main content. No need to move through all the navigation links or banners at the top, they get to the important part of your page immediately.
Before and After Adding a Skip Link
To really understand why skip links matter, imagine navigating a page with a keyboard:
Before: You press Tab to move through the page, but you have to go through every single item in the header, navigation menu, banners, and buttons before reaching the main content. On complex pages, that can be a lot of keystrokes, which feels slow and frustrating.
After: The first Tab highlights the skip link. Pressing Enter jumps straight to the main content - all the repetitive navigation is skipped. Keyboard users can now reach what they actually want in one or two keystrokes, making the page feel much faster and smoother to navigate.
If they don't press Enter, and instead press Tab again, the focus simply moves to the next element in the normal tab order — usually the header, menu, or navigation links. So the skip link never breaks the normal navigation flow, it just gives users a faster way to skip repetitive content if they want to.
Reusable Skip Link Component in React
In a React app, you can turn the skip link into a small reusable component. This way, you can add it to any page without repeating code:
export function SkipLink() {
return (
<a href="#main-content" className="skip-link">
Skip to content
</a>
);
}
Then, in your layout or page component, place it at the very top so it's the first focusable element:
<div>
<SkipLink />
<Header />
<Nav />
<main id="main-content">{children}</main>
</div>
By doing this, keyboard users or screen reader users can press Tab and immediately reach the main content without having to navigate through your entire header or navigation menu.
Skip Link Best Practices for Your App
Even though skip links are incredibly useful, you usually don't want them constantly visible because most users don't need to see them. If they were always on the page, they could clutter the design or confuse people who navigate with a mouse. The trick is to hide the skip link visually by default and only show it when it's actually needed, which is, when someone tabs to it using the keyboard.
Here's a simple CSS style that does exactly that:
.skip-link {
position: absolute;
top: -40px;
left: 0;
background: white;
color: black;
padding: 8px 16px;
border: 1px solid #000;
z-index: 1000;
text-decoration: none;
}
.skip-link:focus {
top: 0;
}
The make your skip link as effective as possible, keep in mind the following practices:
- Place it first in the DOM: The skip link should come before the header and navigation so it's the first thing a keyboard user encounters.
- Keep the text clear and simple: Something like 'Skip to content' works best - it's short, descriptive, and easy to understand.
- Use visible focus styles: Don't hide the focus outline globally since users need to see which element is focused when tabbing.
- Use on longer pages or pages with repeated content: Skip links are most helpful when users would otherwise have to tab through many links or banners before reaching the main content.
By following these tips, your skip link will make navigation faster and more predictable for keyboard and screen reader users, while staying out of the way for everyone else.
Conclusion
Skip links are small, but they make a big difference. A tiny React component can make your app much easier to navigate for keyboard and screen reader users.
Even if your app already has accessible forms and keyboard-friendly components, a skip link is one of those quick, high-impact improvements that users notice immediately. Adding one is easy, doesn't break the layout, and makes your app more inclusive.
You can find the code for the examples in this post on my Github: https://github.com/mitevskasara/skip-link-demo
If you want to learn more about making your application keyboard-friendly, check out my previous post on keyboard navigation in React.
Summary
Skip links are small but powerful accessibility features that let keyboard and screen reader users jump straight to the main content, skipping repetitive headers, menus, and banners. In React, you can easily add a reusable skip link component at the top of your page and style it to stay hidden by default, appearing only when focused. Implementing skip links improves navigation speed, usability, and inclusivity, making your app more user-friendly for everyone without affecting the layout or experience for mouse users.