How to check if your website is accessible.

What is web accessibility?

Web accessibility means people can use your website regardless of disability, including people who are blind and use screen readers, people with low vision or colour blindness, people who navigate by keyboard only, and people with cognitive or motor impairments. The international standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and most laws point to WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at level AA.

Is website accessibility a legal requirement?

Increasingly, yes. In the US, website accessibility lawsuits under the ADA run into the thousands each year. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act has applied to many consumer-facing digital products and services since June 2025. The UK Equality Act requires reasonable adjustments, and public-sector sites have specific regulations. Requirements depend on your location, sector and size, so check what applies to you.

A beginner's WCAG checklist

Images and media

• Every meaningful image has alt text that describes its content or purpose.
• Decorative images have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
• Videos have captions, and audio has a transcript.

Colour and text

• Body text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, and large text at least 3:1.
• Colour isn't the only way information is shown. For example, error fields have a message, not just a red border.
• Text can be zoomed to 200% without breaking the layout.

Structure

• Each page has one H1, and headings follow a logical order without skipping levels.
• The page language is set (for example lang="en").
• Link text makes sense on its own. Avoid "click here" and "read more" without context.

Forms and interaction

• Every form field has a visible label linked to it. Placeholder text isn't a label. See fixing form labels.
• Everything can be reached and used with the keyboard alone, using Tab, Enter and Space.
• A visible focus outline shows where you are on the page.
• Buttons and icons have accessible names.
• Error messages explain what went wrong and how to fix it.

How to test your website for accessibility

1. Run an automated accessibility checker. It catches missing alt text, low contrast, missing labels and structural issues across many pages quickly.
2. Unplug your mouse and try to complete your most important task, such as a purchase or enquiry, using only the keyboard.
3. Turn on a screen reader (VoiceOver on Mac or iPhone, NVDA on Windows, TalkBack on Android) and listen to your homepage.
4. Zoom the browser to 200% and check nothing overlaps or disappears.

Automated tools typically detect only a portion of WCAG issues, so treat them as the first pass, not a certificate of compliance. Beware of "accessibility overlay" widgets that promise instant compliance: they don't fix the underlying code and are frequently named in lawsuits.

Does accessibility help SEO?

Yes. Many accessibility fixes are also SEO fixes: descriptive alt text helps image search, clear heading structure helps search engines and AI tools understand your content, and meaningful link text improves internal linking signals.

Frequently asked questions

Written by Sudharma at Pagelyt.