Website Accessibility Audit Checklist

16 items · Technical · Hard difficulty · 2 hours

A practical WCAG 2.1 AA audit checklist for developers and teams.

• Run an automated WCAG 2.1 AA scan

  Use tools like axe, WAVE, or Lighthouse to catch common, high-impact issues quickly.

• Verify color contrast ratios

  Ensure normal text ≥4.5:1 and large text ≥3:1; check UI states like focus and hover.

• Test keyboard navigation across the site

  Tab through interactive elements in a logical order and confirm all controls are reachable.

• Confirm visible focus indicators

  Make sure focus outlines are distinct and meet contrast requirements for all interactive elements.

• Check and use semantic HTML landmarks

  Use header, nav, main, footer and correct heading levels instead of generic divs.

• Validate form labels and error messages

  Associate <label> with inputs, provide clear instructions, and expose errors to assistive tech.

• Ensure descriptive alt text for images

  Provide meaningful alt text or empty alt (alt="") for decorative images.

• Add and test a skip navigation link

  Provide a keyboard-accessible skip link to jump to main content and ensure it's visible on focus.

• Test with screen readers

  Manually verify important pages with common screen readers on major platforms.

• Test with NVDA on Windows

  Check navigation, announcements, forms, and ARIA with NVDA and a keyboard.

• Test with VoiceOver on macOS and iOS

  Verify touch and rotor behavior on iOS and VoiceOver reading order on macOS.

• Check heading structure and document outline

  Use a single H1, logical H2–H6 order, and headings that describe content sections.

• Verify link text clearly communicates purpose

  Ensure links make sense out of context; avoid vague text like 'click here'.

• Confirm multimedia accessibility (captions/transcripts)

  Provide captions for video and transcripts for audio; ensure player controls are keyboard-accessible.

• Review dynamic content and focus management

  Ensure focus moves to updated content and use ARIA live regions for announcements.

• Document issues, severity, and remediation steps

  Create a prioritized report with screenshots, affected URLs, and suggested code fixes.

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