diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/compose_form.jsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/compose_form.jsx
index a646a7efae..2cc1f7915a 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/compose_form.jsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/compose_form.jsx
@@ -248,7 +248,15 @@ class ComposeForm extends ImmutablePureComponent {
     const { intl, onPaste, onDrop, autoFocus, withoutNavigation, maxChars, isSubmitting } = this.props;
 
     return (
-      <form className='compose-form' onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}>
+      <form
+        className='compose-form'
+        role='region'
+        aria-label={intl.formatMessage({
+          id: 'tabs_bar.publish',
+          defaultMessage: 'New Post'
+        })}
+        onSubmit={this.handleSubmit}
+      >
         <ReplyIndicator />
         {!withoutNavigation && <NavigationBar />}
         <Warning />
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/search.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/search.tsx
index c2855e8cb5..9c7baf5021 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/search.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/components/search.tsx
@@ -547,11 +547,15 @@ export const Search: React.FC<{
   const searchOptionsHeading = useId();
 
   return (
-    <form ref={formRef} className={classNames('search', { active: expanded })}>
+    <form
+      role='search'
+      ref={formRef}
+      className={classNames('search', { active: expanded })}
+    >
       <input
         ref={searchInputRef}
         className='search__input'
-        type='text'
+        type='search'
         placeholder={intl.formatMessage(
           signedIn ? messages.placeholderSignedIn : messages.placeholder,
         )}
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/index.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/index.tsx
index 0439606ac2..eb44691997 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/index.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/compose/index.tsx
@@ -87,12 +87,11 @@ const Compose: React.FC<{ multiColumn: boolean }> = ({ multiColumn }) => {
 
   if (multiColumn) {
     return (
-      <div
-        className='drawer'
-        role='region'
-        aria-label={intl.formatMessage(navbarMessages.publish)}
-      >
-        <nav className='drawer__header'>
+      <div className='drawer'>
+        <nav
+          className='drawer__header'
+          aria-label={intl.formatMessage(navbarMessages.advancedUiQuickLinks)}
+        >
           <Link
             to='/getting-started'
             className='drawer__tab'
@@ -163,7 +162,11 @@ const Compose: React.FC<{ multiColumn: boolean }> = ({ multiColumn }) => {
 
         <Search singleColumn={false} />
 
-        <div className='drawer__pager'>
+        <div
+          className='drawer__pager'
+          role='region'
+          aria-label={intl.formatMessage(navbarMessages.publish)}
+        >
           <div className='drawer__inner'>
             <ComposeFormContainer />
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/getting_started/index.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/getting_started/index.tsx
index 84c786fa06..5497b2de89 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/getting_started/index.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/getting_started/index.tsx
@@ -4,14 +4,16 @@ import { Helmet } from '@unhead/react/helmet';
 
 import { Column } from 'mastodon/components/column';
 
-import { NavigationPanel } from '../navigation_panel';
+import { NavigationPanel, messages } from '../navigation_panel';
 import { LinkFooter } from '../ui/components/link_footer';
 
 const GettingStarted: React.FC = () => {
   const intl = useIntl();
   return (
     <Column>
-      <NavigationPanel multiColumn />
+      <nav aria-label={intl.formatMessage(messages.main)}>
+        <NavigationPanel multiColumn />
+      </nav>
 
       <LinkFooter context='multi-column' />
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/navigation_panel/index.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/navigation_panel/index.tsx
index 3d038c22dd..9ac2ee461e 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/navigation_panel/index.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/navigation_panel/index.tsx
@@ -60,7 +60,7 @@ import { MoreLink } from './components/more_link';
 import { SignInBanner } from './components/sign_in_banner';
 import { Trends } from './components/trends';
 
-const messages = defineMessages({
+export const messages = defineMessages({
   home: { id: 'tabs_bar.home', defaultMessage: 'Home' },
   notifications: {
     id: 'tabs_bar.notifications',
@@ -72,6 +72,12 @@ const messages = defineMessages({
     id: 'column.firehose_singular',
     defaultMessage: 'Live feed',
   },
+  main: {
+    id: 'navigation_bar.main',
+    defaultMessage: 'Main',
+    description:
+      'Label for the main navigation; should not contain the word "navigation".',
+  },
   direct: { id: 'navigation_bar.direct', defaultMessage: 'Private mentions' },
   favourites: { id: 'navigation_bar.favourites', defaultMessage: 'Favorites' },
   bookmarks: { id: 'navigation_bar.bookmarks', defaultMessage: 'Bookmarks' },
@@ -419,6 +425,7 @@ export const NavigationPanel: React.FC<{ multiColumn?: boolean }> = ({
 };
 
 export const CollapsibleNavigationPanel: React.FC = () => {
+  const intl = useIntl();
   const open = useAppSelector((state) => state.navigation.open);
   const dispatch = useAppDispatch();
   const openable = useBreakpoint('openable');
@@ -527,7 +534,8 @@ export const CollapsibleNavigationPanel: React.FC = () => {
   const showOverlay = openable && open;
 
   return (
-    <div
+    <nav
+      aria-label={intl.formatMessage(messages.main)}
       className={classNames(
         'columns-area__panels__pane columns-area__panels__pane--start columns-area__panels__pane--navigational',
         { 'columns-area__panels__pane--overlay': showOverlay },
@@ -541,6 +549,6 @@ export const CollapsibleNavigationPanel: React.FC = () => {
       >
         <NavigationPanel />
       </animated.div>
-    </div>
+    </nav>
   );
 };
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/columns_area.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/columns_area.tsx
index 6861410367..ae735e196f 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/columns_area.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/columns_area.tsx
@@ -108,12 +108,12 @@ export const ColumnsArea = forwardRef<
           </div>
         </div>
 
-        <div className='columns-area__panels__main'>
+        <main className='columns-area__panels__main'>
           <div className='tabs-bar__wrapper'>
             <TabsBarPortal />
           </div>
           <div className='columns-area columns-area--mobile'>{children}</div>
-        </div>
+        </main>
 
         <CollapsibleNavigationPanel />
       </div>
@@ -121,7 +121,7 @@ export const ColumnsArea = forwardRef<
   }
 
   return (
-    <div
+    <main
       className={classNames('columns-area', { unscrollable: isModalOpen })}
       ref={ref}
       tabIndex={isModalOpen ? undefined : 0}
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export const ColumnsArea = forwardRef<
           cloneElement(child, { multiColumn: true }),
         )}
       </ColumnIndexContext.Provider>
-    </div>
+    </main>
   );
 });
 
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/navigation_bar.tsx b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/navigation_bar.tsx
index ec45e395b2..c3f9373966 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/navigation_bar.tsx
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/features/ui/components/navigation_bar.tsx
@@ -31,6 +31,10 @@ export const messages = defineMessages({
     defaultMessage: 'Notifications',
   },
   menu: { id: 'tabs_bar.menu', defaultMessage: 'Menu' },
+  advancedUiQuickLinks: {
+    id: 'tabs_bar.quick_links',
+    defaultMessage: 'Quick links',
+  },
 });
 
 const IconLabelButton: React.FC<{
diff --git a/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json b/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
index 057b235576..df12731eda 100644
--- a/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
+++ b/app/javascript/mastodon/locales/en.json
@@ -908,6 +908,7 @@
   "navigation_bar.live_feed_local": "Live feed (local)",
   "navigation_bar.live_feed_public": "Live feed (public)",
   "navigation_bar.logout": "Logout",
+  "navigation_bar.main": "Main",
   "navigation_bar.moderation": "Moderation",
   "navigation_bar.more": "More",
   "navigation_bar.mutes": "Muted users",
@@ -1305,6 +1306,7 @@
   "tabs_bar.menu": "Menu",
   "tabs_bar.notifications": "Notifications",
   "tabs_bar.publish": "New Post",
+  "tabs_bar.quick_links": "Quick links",
   "tabs_bar.search": "Search",
   "tag.remove": "Remove",
   "terms_of_service.effective_as_of": "Effective as of {date}",
diff --git a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/admin.scss b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/admin.scss
index 887f14360a..0abcefaa4b 100644
--- a/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/admin.scss
+++ b/app/javascript/styles/mastodon/admin.scss
@@ -411,7 +411,7 @@ $content-width: 840px;
         display: flex;
       }
 
-      & > ul {
+      & > nav > ul {
         display: none;
 
         &.visible {
diff --git a/app/views/layouts/admin.html.haml b/app/views/layouts/admin.html.haml
index 039ca88f7e..4bb05b892a 100644
--- a/app/views/layouts/admin.html.haml
+++ b/app/views/layouts/admin.html.haml
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 - content_for :content do
   %a.navigation-skip-link{ href: '#content' }= t('admin.skip_to_content')
   .admin-wrapper
-    %nav.sidebar-wrapper
+    %header.sidebar-wrapper
       .sidebar-wrapper__inner
         .sidebar
           = link_to root_path do
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@
               = material_symbol 'menu'
               = material_symbol 'close'
 
-          = render_navigation
+          %nav
+            = render_navigation
 
     %main.content-wrapper#content
       .content
diff --git a/spec/system/unlogged_spec.rb b/spec/system/unlogged_spec.rb
index 26d1bd4542..90db5fb40e 100644
--- a/spec/system/unlogged_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/system/unlogged_spec.rb
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ RSpec.describe 'UnloggedBrowsing', :js, :streaming do
   it 'loads the home page' do
     expect(subject).to have_css('div.app-holder')
 
-    expect(subject).to have_css('div.columns-area__panels__main')
+    expect(subject).to have_css('main.columns-area__panels__main')
   end
 end