Every website needs to be accessible — it's your responsibility to the people who use it. But what does that actually mean? What should you really be checking when you conduct a web accessibility audit?
Let's get into it.
Full Keyboard Accessibility — No Mouse Required
Everything must work with the Tab key alone. Menus, forms, buttons, expanding content, closing modals — if you can't reach it via keyboard, it simply isn't accessible.
What to check:
- Navigating between elements with TAB and SHIFT+TAB
- Operating menus, forms, buttons, and closing pop-up windows
- A clear, visible focus indicator throughout the entire journey
Links
Nearly every website has inaccessible links — especially links that contain only an icon or image. It's essential to audit these carefully so nothing slips through.
What to check:
- Every link must be activatable using the ENTER key
- Every link must have descriptive text that explains its purpose.
- If a link contains an image, the image must have a descriptive ALT attribute.
Buttons
Similar to links, buttons share many of the same accessibility pitfalls.
What to check:
- The button's purpose must be clear — via a VALUE attribute, visible text inside the button, or an Aria-label attribute.
- Confirm that every button is reachable via keyboard navigation.
- Best practice is to use only semantic HTML elements.
- If you're not using a native HTML button element (for example, using a DIV as a button), you must add TABINDEX=0 to every such element.
- Make sure every button can be activated using ENTER.
- Screen readers must announce whether a button remains in a pressed state.
Heading Hierarchy and Proper Content Structure
A blind user cannot understand the structure of a page without properly ordered headings in the code. Content must be organized logically, with a single <h1> per page and a consistent hierarchical heading sequence.
What to check:
- There is exactly one <h1> per page
- Headings are nested in logical order (h2, h3…)
- Headings are not used purely for visual styling
-
Example of a correct heading hierarchy:
H1
- H2
- H2
--H3
--H3
---H4
- H2
Forms — Labels, Instructions, and Error Messages
Forms are the easiest place to get things wrong — especially error messages. On inaccessible websites, error messages won't be announced to a blind user the moment they appear, so they won't know why the form failed to submit, or may even think it went through successfully.
What to check:
- Every field has a properly associated (<label>) element
- Clear instructions are provided (e.g., "Please enter a 10-digit phone number")
- Errors are presented accessibly, with a clear description of what went wrong and how to fix it
- Error messages are announced by screen reader software.
Images and Alt Text (ALT)
Without a text description, an image is completely invisible to a blind user.
What to check:
- Every image has an alt attribute that reflects the image's meaning
- An empty alt attribute (alt="") should only be used for purely decorative elements
- No file names in alt text (e.g., "image123.jpg")
- If the image is purely decorative — use an empty ALT attribute
- If the image is clickable, it must have a descriptive alt text
Color Contrast
The contrast between text and background must be sufficient — no matter how beautiful the design is.
What to check:
- Text-to-background contrast ratio (at least 4.5:1 for normal text)
- Contrast in focus, hover, and form error states
- Contrast on important icons and buttons
- If colors don't meet the standard and you don't want to change them, consider adding a mechanism that lets users switch color themes on demand
Screen Reader Accessibility
Testing with NVDA or VoiceOver (not just automated tools) is the most effective way to find accessibility issues for blind users. Using a screen reader also reveals exactly how blind users experience your site..
What to check:
- Correct reading of headings, menus, links, and forms
- Language direction attributes ( (dir="rtl" where appropriate)
- Logical and accurate reading order
Roles and ARIA
Dropping in a <div> and styling it isn't enough. Browsers and assistive technologies must also understand what each element does.
What to check:
- Use of semantic HTML elements (main, nav, button, form...)
- Correct use of aria-label, aria-expanded and similar attributes'
- Avoiding incorrect or unnecessary use of ARIA
- If you're not confident with ARIA rules, do a quick search or consult an AI assistant
Mobile and Cross-Context Testing
What's accessible on desktop doesn't always work well on mobile.
What to check:
- Mobile operation with a screen reader
- Zoom up to 200% without layout breaking
- Smooth navigation between fields and interactive components
Accessibility Statement
Website owners are legally exposed to lawsuits if their site lacks an accessibility statement.
What to check:
- Users and customers must be informed via the accessibility statement whenever the level of accessibility changes — both digitally and physically
- When updating the accessibility statement, always include the date the change was made.
Documents and Files
Every file uploaded to your website must be made accessible according to the software used to create or edit it. (pdf, word, excel, power point, etc.) Verify that each file is uploaded in an accessible format, or request an accessible version.
Third-Party Components
Third-party components are not always accessible — and in many cases, you need to explicitly request an accessible version.
What to check:
- Confirm with the vendor that you are receiving an accessible version.
- If a third-party service (any provider injecting its own code into your site) is critical to delivering your product or service to customers, and that service is not accessible — do not use it.
Wrapping Up
Accessibility testing isn't just a technical checklist — it's a question of user experience, inclusion, and equal access. An accessible website allows everyone — without exception — to receive service, understand content, and feel included.
An organization that tests for accessibility regularly isn't just ticking compliance boxes — it's genuinely seeing the people on the other side of the screen.
If you manage a website or develop one — now is the time to audit it. Not just because the law requires it.
If you'd like professional guidance through the process — we're here to help.