Run an Accessibility Audit

Find and fix accessibility issues so everyone can use your website.

Accessibility isn’t just about legal compliance—it’s about not excluding 15-20% of your potential audience. Screen reader users, keyboard-only navigators, people with low vision, and those with motor impairments all need your site to work for them.

This guide covers: How to audit your site for accessibility issues, prioritize fixes, and maintain compliance over time.

Quick Accessibility Check (15 minutes)

If you just want to know if you have obvious problems:

1. Install WAVE browser extension (free)
2. Visit your homepage and click the WAVE icon
3. Look for red flags (errors) – these need fixing
4. Repeat on your most important pages (contact, product, checkout)

Most common issues WAVE finds:

• Missing alt text: Images without descriptions
• Low contrast: Text that’s hard to read
• Missing form labels: Form fields without proper labels
• Empty links: Links with no text (icon-only)

The Keyboard Test (5 minutes)

Put your mouse away and try to use your site with only a keyboard:

1. Press Tab to move between interactive elements
2. Can you see where you are? (There should be a visible focus indicator)
3. Can you reach all buttons, links, and form fields?
4. Can you open menus and close modals with keyboard?
5. Press Enter or Space to activate buttons

If you get stuck or can’t see where focus is, you have keyboard accessibility issues.

Fixing Common Issues

Missing Alt Text

Every meaningful image needs alt text describing what it shows.

WordPress: Edit image in Media Library → fill in “Alt Text” field

Good alt text examples:

• Product photo: “Blue running shoe, side view”
• Team photo: “Three team members in office meeting”
• Decorative image: Leave alt text empty (not “decorative”)

Low Color Contrast

Text must be readable against its background. Minimum ratios:

• Normal text: 4.5:1 contrast ratio
• Large text (18px+): 3:1 contrast ratio

Check with: WebAIM Contrast Checker

Common fix: Darken gray text. #767676 is often the lightest gray that passes on white backgrounds.

Missing Form Labels

Every form field needs a label that’s programmatically connected.

<!-- Wrong -->
<input type="email" placeholder="Email">

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

WordPress: Use a form plugin like Gravity Forms or WPForms—they handle labels correctly.

Keyboard Focus Visibility

Users need to see where keyboard focus is. Never remove focus outlines without replacing them.

/* Don't do this */
:focus { outline: none; }

/* Do this instead */
:focus { outline: 2px solid #0066cc; outline-offset: 2px; }

Full Audit Process (For Compliance)

If you need documented WCAG compliance (legal requirements, enterprise clients, government contracts):

Step 1: Automated Scan

Run both tools on all key pages:

• WAVE – Visual feedback, good for quick review
• axe DevTools – More technical, catches more issues

Export reports for documentation.

Step 2: Manual Testing

• Keyboard navigation: Tab through entire pages
• Screen reader: Test with VoiceOver (Mac) or NVDA (Windows, free)
• Zoom: Does the site work at 200% zoom?
• Motion: Can animations be paused or disabled?

Step 3: Create Remediation Plan

Prioritize by impact:

1. Critical: Users can’t complete key tasks (checkout, forms, navigation)
2. High: Content is inaccessible (missing alt text, no captions)
3. Medium: Usability issues (poor contrast, small tap targets)
4. Low: Best practice improvements

When to Hire an Expert

• You’ve received a legal demand letter
• You need a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template)
• Your site serves government or education sectors
• You’re launching a major redesign and want to build accessible from the start

What to expect: Professional audits cost ,000-15,000+ depending on site size and depth of testing.

Sources

• WAVE browser extension
• WebAIM Contrast Checker
• axe DevTools

Accessibility Audit Questions

Is my website required to be accessible?

In the US, public-facing websites may be subject to ADA requirements. Government and education sites have stricter requirements under Section 508.

What’s the minimum I need to do?

Fix WAVE errors, ensure keyboard navigation works, and add alt text to images. That handles the most common issues.

How often should I audit?

Run WAVE after any significant content or design changes. Full audits quarterly if you add content regularly.