Consistent identification

Elements that do the same thing across your website should be labelled the same way each time - a search box always called "Search", a contact link always called "Contact". This check asks you to review your pages for consistency, because recognising that two differently labelled elements do the same job requires human judgement.

Why this matters

Visitors learn your site as they use it: once they have seen the search box labelled "Search", they expect the same label everywhere. If the same function is called "Search" here, "Find" there, and "Look up" elsewhere, they cannot be sure whether they have found the same feature or a different one. This is hardest on people with cognitive disabilities, who rely on repetition, and on users, who hear labels rather than seeing matching icons and styling.

This is success criterion 3.2.4 (Consistent Identification), a requirement, so it is part of the conformance target most organisations aim for.

How to fix it

This is a manual review. Across your pages:

List elements that repeat with the same function: search boxes, contact links, login buttons, "download" and "read more" links, and icon buttons such as a question mark or magnifying glass.
Compare their labels - the visible text, plus the of any icons and images - across pages and within each page.
Standardise any that differ, including the alt text of repeated icons: a question-mark icon that means "More information" should say so every time.
When your labelling checks out, the finding.

How Silktide tests this

Raise one review prompt per page. Deciding that two elements perform the same function requires understanding your site's purpose, which no automated test can judge, so Silktide prompts you to review rather than guessing.
The prompt does not mean inconsistencies were found; it records that the comparison is yours to make.

Troubleshooting

Why does this appear on every page?

Because same-function elements cannot be identified automatically, the check errs on the side of asking. Approving a page records that you have reviewed it.

Do all labels have to be identical?

Consistency, not uniformity, is the requirement. "Continue" and "Next" on different steps of one process are fine if used predictably; what fails is the same function carrying unrelated names at random.