Accessibility Audit Checklist
1. General Compliance Check
✅ Conduct an automated WCAG 2.1 accessibility audit using tools like WAVE, Axe, or Google Lighthouse.
✅ Manually test key pages for usability with a screen reader (NVDA, VoiceOver, or JAWS).
✅ Ensure all content and functionality are accessible via keyboard navigation (no mouse).
2. Website Structure & Navigation
✅ Use clear, logical page structures (proper use of headings: H1, H2, H3, etc.).
✅ Provide a skip-to-content link to allow keyboard users to bypass navigation.
✅ Ensure consistent navigation across all pages.
✅ Verify that all interactive elements (buttons, links, forms) can be accessed and operated via keyboard.
✅ Confirm that all breadcrumbs, menus, and site search functions are accessible.
3. Text & Readability
✅ Use sufficient contrast between text and background (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).
✅ Ensure font sizes are adjustable without breaking design (relative units like em or %).
✅ Avoid justified text (it can create uneven spacing and be more challenging to read).
✅ Provide clear, simple language and avoid jargon where possible.
✅ Ensure links are descriptive (e.g., “Read our case study” instead of “Click here”).
4. Images & Multimedia
✅ Add alt text to all images (excluding purely decorative ones marked as alt="").
✅ Ensure infographics and charts have text descriptions for screen readers.
✅ Provide captions and transcripts for all videos and audio content.
✅ Ensure the user can pause, stop, or adjust auto-playing media.
5. Forms & Interactive Elements
✅ Use clear labels for all form fields (avoid placeholder text as a sole label).
✅ Provide error messages with suggestions (e.g., “Invalid email. Please enter a valid email format: example@email.com”).
✅ Ensure forms can be navigated via keyboard only.
✅ Implement ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes where needed for complex elements.
6. Mobile Accessibility
✅ Test for mobile responsiveness across different screen sizes.
✅ Ensure touch targets (buttons, links) are large enough (at least 44×44 pixels).
✅ Verify that mobile gestures (e.g., pinch-to-zoom) are not the only way to interact with content.
7. PDF & Document Accessibility
✅ Use proper heading structure in PDFs and Word documents.
✅ Ensure all PDFs are tagged and structured for screen readers.
✅ Avoid scanned images of text (use accurate text wherever possible).
8. Social Media & Marketing Content
✅ Add alt text to all images on social media posts.
✅ Provide subtitles and captions for video content.
✅ Use camel case for hashtags (#WebAccessibility instead of #webaccessibility).
✅ Avoid using emojis as replacements for words (screen readers struggle with them).
9. E-Commerce & Checkout Accessibility (If Applicable)
✅ Ensure all product images have descriptive alt text.
✅ Verify that checkout forms and buttons are fully accessible.
✅ Allow users to adjust text size without breaking the layout.
✅ Provide clear error messages and guidance on fixing form input mistakes.
Next Steps
🔹 Run an automated and manual audit on your site.
🔹 Create a remediation plan for fixing non-compliant elements.
🔹 Train your team on accessibility best practices.
