In our previous articles, we discussed web accessibility in broad terms: what it is, why it matters, and what value it brings to users.
When we sat down to write this article, we realized we were covering the same ground all over again. So if you're looking for a general overview of what web accessibility means, we'd love to point you to our article Web Accessibility – What Does It Actually Mean?.
So what are we tackling here? We're taking this article in a different direction — and honestly, a much more interesting one: we're pulling back the curtain on what happens when a website comes to us for an accessibility audit. What do we actually do? What do we check?
A website that comes in for accessibility work is, by definition, not yet accessible. The question our clients are most curious about is: where exactly does it fall short? Where are the gaps, and what do we do to fix them?
If you've visited our blog before, you probably already guessed — we're about to dive straight into a wealth of real-world examples.
Images First
The most common accessibility issue we encounter is with images on the website.
The most well-known example — one you may already be familiar with — is alt text. ALT tags must accompany every single image, describing its content for users who are blind or have low vision.
But that's a well-trodden topic, so let's go a step further. Here's one that often gets overlooked: clickable images.
If you have an image that users can click on, the ALT text (the alternative text describing the image) must help the user understand what they're clicking on — not just what's in the picture. Describing the image as "a mother holding her child's hand" or "children playing in a garden" isn't enough on its own. That "mother holding her child's hand" image might link to a boys' clothing collection on a fashion site, and that "children playing in a garden" illustration might lead to an artificial grass collection.
How is a visually impaired user supposed to know what they're clicking? Exactly — through the ALT tag. This is a manual check we perform on every website that contains clickable images.
Worth noting: the same principle applies to icons and links. If you have a clickable icon or a link without a clear description of what it does or where it leads, it creates a significant barrier for blind users.
Hero Banners and Homepage Sliders
Many websites feature a rotating image carousel near the top of the page, with text overlaid on each slide — something like "50% off kids' summer clothing" and similar promotions.
Common sense might suggest we simply describe the banner image in the ALT tag. But the real question we have to ask is — does that actually help our users understand the page?
When a banner includes text overlaid on the image, the situation is different: you must replicate that text verbatim in the ALT tag.
Always think about how you can help users with disabilities understand, navigate, and get the most out of your website — just as a non-disabled user would.
An important distinction: unlike standard ALT tags, here you are not summarizing or paraphrasing. You're not trying to capture the gist of the message. You are copying the exact text displayed on the banner image, word for word, into the ALT tag.
Effective Keyboard Navigation
It's surprisingly easy to test whether every part of a website can be reached using only a keyboard. All you need to do is press the TAB key and move from one element to the next.
That's exactly what we do: when a website comes to us for an accessibility audit, we navigate it using the Tab key, and we also check whether pressing Enter on every clickable element works correctly and allows us to continue navigating through internal pages.
For example: if there's a main navigation menu with a dropdown sub-menu, we must be able to reach that sub-menu using the keyboard alone.
Another great example is the accordion component: accordions are widely used across websites. They allow users to click an icon to expand and reveal additional content. If we reach an accordion, press Enter, but cannot activate the button that opens it — that's an accessibility issue that needs to be resolved.
Bottom line: if we can't reach a specific element, continue navigating, or retrieve information using the keyboard — there's a problem, and it needs a technical fix.
Pop-Up Windows
Got a pop-up on your site? There's a good chance it has an accessibility issue — and it's a component we always check when auditing a website.
The accessibility problem with pop-ups occurs the moment the modal opens. What should happen is that keyboard focus automatically moves into the pop-up window.
In many cases, keyboard focus stays on the background page instead, leaving keyboard-dependent users effectively "trapped" inside the pop-up — unable to interact with its content (since they can't click the buttons inside it) and sometimes unable to close it at all (if the Escape key doesn't dismiss it).
From an accessibility standpoint, the moment a pop-up opens, we don't treat it as a small overlay floating on top of the page — we treat it as an entirely new web page. Accordingly, keyboard focus must be inside the pop-up, not outside it.
And That's Exactly What We Do
For every website that comes to us for an accessibility audit, our team at USER A digs deep — searching, testing, and examining every corner of the site. We configure all the required settings, and when a technical issue surfaces, we write custom code to address it.
Every case is unique. Every website is its own universe, with different features and components. Everything must be examined at the micro level.
If you're looking to make your website accessible, we'd love to tell you about our service. At a highly competitive price, you'll receive a full accessibility solution — including both manual and automated remediation, custom code tailored to your site's specific needs, and ongoing support throughout the year.
Sound interesting? Get in touch and one of our representatives will be happy to help.