A field has no lasting label

Why does it matter?

Placeholder text vanishes as soon as people start typing and is often too faint to read. Some forms go further and replace a field's label with the error message, so people fixing the error no longer know what the field was for.

Who it affects: Keyboard and screen reader users filling in forms, people with low vision who rely on clear hover and focus styles, people distracted or made unwell by motion, and anyone who finds their way around a site by its menus and help links.

What does Lumtera flag?

Found by Lumtera Pro's form tests (the Forms card of Lumtera → Checks → Page checks, "Test form"). For review: a field that loses the label screen readers find once the errors appear, and a field named only by its placeholder text. Fields with the same problem are grouped. Nothing is sent: a safety guard stops any email, form entry or order while the test runs.

Check ID form-error-label-lost, as shown in review mode and saved results.

How do I fix it in WordPress?

Give every field a visible label that stays on screen: a <label> element, not only placeholder text, and keep it when an error appears (show the error next to it instead). Most form plugins have a label setting per field; turn off "placeholder only" or "hide label" options.

Example

<input type="email" placeholder="Email">

<label for="email">Email</label>
<input id="email" type="email">

How do I check the fix?

1. Run the page check again from Lumtera Pro's Page checks screen. The finding disappears once the page passes.
2. Submit the form with the required fields empty, using only the keyboard and then a screen reader: the errors should be announced, focus should move to them, and each message should say what to fix. Hover over and Tab to links and buttons to see that they stay readable, and compare the menus on a few pages.