How to fix landmark main is top level on BigCommerce

Steps for BigCommerce

1. In your BigCommerce Admin, go to Storefront → My Themes → click 'Advanced' → Edit Theme Files (for Stencil themes).
2. Open 'templates/layout/base.html' — this is the master HTML shell.
3. Search for `<main` or `role="main"`.
4. Check if it is wrapped by a `<header>` or other landmark-tagged element. If so, move the `<main>` opening tag to sit directly after the closing `</header>` tag at the top-level of `<body>`.
5. Ensure the closing `</main>` tag appears before the opening `<footer>` tag.
6. Push changes, clear the CDN cache, and validate with an axe browser extension.

What is landmark main is top level?

Every webpage should have exactly one "main" landmark — the HTML `<main>` tag or any element with `role="main"` — that tells assistive technologies like screen readers "this is where the primary content begins." The WCAG rule `landmark-main-is-top-level` fires when that `<main>` landmark is accidentally placed inside another landmark element (such as `<header>`, `<nav>`, `<section>`, `<aside>`, or `<footer>`) instead of being a direct child of `<body>`. Think of landmarks like a building's floor plan: the "main hall" should open directly off the entrance, not be hidden inside a closet inside a side room.

Screen-reader users rely on landmark navigation to jump straight to the main content, skipping repetitive menus and headers — a fundamental assistive-technology workflow. When `<main>` is buried inside another landmark, screen readers mis-report the page structure, the "skip to content" shortcut may stop working, and keyboard-only users are forced to tab through every navigation item on every page. This directly harms the browsing experience for customers with disabilities and exposes your store to legal risk under laws tied to WCAG 2.1 compliance (ADA in the US, EN 301 549 in the EU, AODA in Canada, and equivalents worldwide). Fixing it is also a positive signal for Google's accessibility-aware ranking considerations and demonstrates a technically well-structured page to crawlers.

See the complete Landmark main is top level guide for every platform and the full background.