How to Do a Website Accessibility Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide

A website accessibility audit systematically evaluates your site against WCAG standards to identify barriers for users with disabilities. Here is how to do it, whether you are auditing yourself or preparing for a professional review.

What an Accessibility Audit Covers

A thorough audit evaluates your site against the four WCAG principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) at your target conformance level, typically Level AA.

Key areas include:

• Images and media: Alt text, captions, transcripts
• Forms: Labels, error handling, required field indicators
• Navigation: Keyboard access, skip links, focus management
• Color and contrast: Text contrast ratios, information not conveyed by color alone
• Headings and structure: Logical heading hierarchy, landmark regions
• Dynamic content: ARIA live regions, status messages
• Page-level requirements: Language attribute, page titles, viewport settings

Step 1: Automated Scanning

Start with an automated scan. This catches the low-hanging fruit quickly.

• Missing alt text on images
• Insufficient color contrast
• Empty links and buttons
• Missing form labels
• Missing page language
• Heading hierarchy issues
• Missing page titles

• Whether alt text is actually meaningful
• Logical reading order
• Whether custom widgets are screen-reader friendly
• Quality of focus management in single-page apps
• Whether ARIA is used correctly in context

Run the automated scan on your most important pages first: homepage, key landing pages, checkout/conversion pages, and any page handling form submissions.

Step 2: Keyboard Testing

This is the single most valuable manual test you can do. Navigate your entire site using only a keyboard.

1. Press Tab repeatedly to move through all interactive elements
2. Verify you can see where focus is at all times (visible focus indicator)
3. Press Enter or Space to activate buttons and links
4. Use arrow keys within menus, tabs, and other composite widgets
5. Press Escape to close modals and dropdowns
6. Verify you are never trapped (cannot tab away from an element)

• Custom dropdown menus that only work with a mouse
• Modal dialogs that do not trap focus inside themselves
• Skip navigation link missing or non-functional
• Focus disappearing behind fixed headers or overlapping elements
• Interactive elements that are not reachable via Tab

Step 3: Screen Reader Testing

Test with at least one screen reader. Free options:

• NVDA (Windows): free, open source, download from nvaccess.org
• VoiceOver (macOS/iOS): built into Apple devices, activate with Cmd+F5

• Navigate by headings (H key in NVDA): are headings logical and descriptive?
• Navigate by landmarks (D key in NVDA): are main, nav, and other landmarks defined?
• Tab through forms: are all fields labeled? Are error messages announced?
• Check images: is alt text read aloud? Is it meaningful?
• Check dynamic updates: are cart additions, form errors, and status changes announced?

You do not need to be an expert screen reader user. Even basic navigation reveals major issues.

Step 4: Visual and Content Review

Check these items manually:

• Color contrast: Use a contrast checker (WebAIM's contrast checker is free) for any text that looks low-contrast
• Text resizing: Zoom to 200% and 400%. Does content reflow without horizontal scrolling?
• Link text: Are links descriptive? ("Read our accessibility guide" vs. "click here")
• Error handling: Submit forms with errors. Are error messages clear and specific?
• Consistent navigation: Is the menu in the same location on every page?

Step 5: Document Findings and Prioritize

Organize your findings by severity:

1. Critical: Blocks access entirely (keyboard traps, missing form labels on login)
2. Serious: Major barriers (no alt text on functional images, insufficient contrast)
3. Moderate: Causes difficulty (heading hierarchy issues, missing landmarks)
4. Minor: Best practice issues (redundant ARIA, decorative images with non-empty alt)

Fix critical and serious issues first. These are what lawsuit plaintiffs and their automated scanning tools flag.

Step 6: Remediate and Re-Test

After fixing issues, run your automated scan again to verify. Then re-do keyboard and screen reader testing on the pages you changed.

Accessibility is ongoing. Schedule regular automated scans (monthly at minimum) and manual reviews after significant updates.

When to Hire a Professional

Consider a professional WCAG audit if:

• You are in a high-risk industry (healthcare, finance, government, education)
• You have received a demand letter or lawsuit
• Your site has complex interactive features (web applications, dashboards)
• You need a formal VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) for procurement

For most small to medium sites, starting with automated tools and basic manual testing addresses the majority of issues. Run a free scan with OnePageAudit to establish your baseline.

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• WCAG 2.2 Requirements
• Best Free Accessibility Checkers in 2026