Having an accessible website is more than just compliance; it’s about creating an inclusive space. Learning how to test website accessibility is the first step toward identifying barriers that prevent users from navigating and interacting with your web content effectively. If you want to reach and search all possible customers, your website should be accessible.
Testing website accessibility requires a combination of automated tools and manual testing to catch all potential issues. Automated tools facilitate rapid testing with scans to detect common issues, while manual testing ensures that all accessibility barriers affecting real users are adequately identified and addressed.
This article will walk you through the why, what, and how of accessibility testing, along with recommended tools and best practices.
Why You Should Test Website Accessibility
Legal Compliance & Industry Standards
Ensuring website accessibility is a best practice and a legal requirement in many regions. Organizations must comply with various accessibility laws and guidelines to avoid legal repercussions and provide equitable access to all users.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that businesses and organizations ensure their digital content is accessible to people with disabilities. Our ADA Compliance Checklist for Websites thoroughly breaks down what is required to meet these standards.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is the global benchmark for digital accessibility. These guidelines outline the best practices for making web content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. The latest update, WCAG 2.2, includes new success criteria to improve accessibility for people with cognitive and mobility impairments. Learn more about these updates and how to test against them in our guide: WCAG 2.2 Explained & How to Test for It.
For U.S. federal agencies and organizations working with the government, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act establishes requirements for accessible digital content and IT systems. Compliance with these regulations ensures that government websites and digital tools are accessible to all users, including employees and the public. You can review the complete compliance checklist: Section 508 Compliance Checklist.
By adhering to these legal and industry standards, businesses can reduce legal risks, expand their audience reach, and create a more inclusive digital experience.
Business Benefits of Accessibility Testing
Beyond meeting legal requirements, accessibility testing and implementing fixes for identified problems enhances the overall user experience, making websites easier for everyone to navigate, read, and engage with. A well-structured, accessible site ensures that all users, including those with permanent, situational, or temporary disabilities, can efficiently interact with content.
The easier your website is to use, the larger audience you’ll be able to reach, which will lead toward more people taking the actions you want them to take on your website, whether that’s buying a product, submitting a form, or reading more articles.
Automated Tools to Test Website Accessibility
Automated accessibility testing tools are essential for quickly identifying accessibility barriers and providing a foundation for remediation. These tools scan web pages for WCAG violations, highlight potential issues, and offer insights into how to fix them.
Recommended Automated Accessibility Testing Tools
Here are our favorite automated testing tools for speeding up or augmenting your manual testing:
Accessibility Checker
Accessibility Checker is our WordPress plugin that scans pages and posts for accessibility issues. The scanner runs directly within the WordPress admin and shows reports where you are building pages and editing content to help site owners quickly identify and fix accessibility barriers. Accessibility Checker has both free and paid options.
WAVE
WAVE is a free online tool that analyzes web pages for accessibility errors, offering visual feedback and suggestions for remediation. It is available via the WAVE website or a browser extension. We love using WAVE especially for non-WordPress websites or on websites we don’t have admin access to.
Both Accessibility Checker and WAVE can work together to give you a comprehensive view of automated Accessibility Issues. Read a detailed comparison of Accessibility Checker and WAVE.
HeadingsMap (browser extension)
HeadingsMap is an extension that provides a structured outline of a web page’s headings, helping users and testers verify proper heading hierarchy for improved navigation. This is a great browser extension for quickly determining if you’ve used headings correctly to create a correct content outline, which is good for accessibility and search engine optimization.
Landmark Navigation (browser extension)
The Landmark Navigation browser extension helps testers evaluate HTML landmarks on a webpage to see if the correct landmarks are present and if they have unique names. You can also use it to identify content that is not included in a landmark region. HTML Landmarks ensure users relying on screen readers can efficiently move through and understand key content sections.
Test Website Accessibility Manually
While automated tools help detect accessibility barriers, they cannot replace manual testing. Some accessibility problems, such as poor keyboard navigation, incorrect alternative text, or confusing screen reader experiences, cannot be identified without a human looking at a page.
Automated tools are best used as part of a broader accessibility strategy that includes manual testing to catch issues that require human judgment. Human judgment happens through manual accessibility testing.
Examples of Manual Accessibility Testing
Manual testing ensures accessibility features work as intended and provides insights that automated tools may miss. Examples of manual accessibility testing include:
Keyboard Navigation Testing: Navigate the website using only a keyboard to ensure all interactive elements can be accessed via the Tab key. Focus indicators (outlines around each element as you tab to them) should be clearly visible. This is important for users who cannot use a mouse due to mobility impairments.
Screen Reader Testing: Use screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver to verify content is read logically and that buttons, links, and form labels are announced properly. This ensures that visually impaired users can fully interact with the website.
Headings & Landmarks: Use the browser extensions listed above to confirm proper heading nesting and ARIA landmarks are correct. Proper structure helps users relying on assistive technology understand the content hierarchy and navigate efficiently.
Forms & Error Messages: Verify that form fields have appropriate labels and error and success messages are accessible to screen readers.
Contrast & Color Testing: Check that text contrast meets WCAG guidelines and that color alone is not used to convey meaning. This is essential for users with color blindness or low vision who may struggle to distinguish content.
Learn How to Manually Test a Website for Accessibility
Manual testing is essential for a complete accessibility review and should be performed regularly. If you want to learn more about how to manually test a website for accessibility, we have written a thorough guide on how to manually test website accessibility.
Additional resources for how to manually test a website include:
- Amber’s accessibility testing and remediation livestreams.
- WordPress Accessibility Meetup recordings.
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Best Practices for Ongoing Accessibility Testing
Incorporating accessibility testing into your development or content creation workflow ensures that accessibility is not an afterthought. Your teams should test accessibility throughout the design and development process to prevent issues from becoming deeply embedded in the website.
You should conduct regular accessibility audits, ideally quarterly or before launching new content. These audits help you catch potential problems early and ensure ongoing compliance with accessibility standards. Installing Accessibility Checker on your WordPress website makes this easy and automated!
Training developers, designers, and content creators on accessibility best practices is key to maintaining an accessible website. When your team is educated on common accessibility pitfalls, they can build more inclusive experiences from the start.
Making accessibility testing a continuous process helps prevent major compliance failures and ensures an inclusive user experience.
Sound like too much work? We can help!
Testing website accessibility is an ongoing process, but it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the right tools and strategies, you can work through your site step by step to make meaningful improvements.
If you need expert guidance or a comprehensive audit, Equalize Digital is here to help. We offer accessibility audits, remediation plans, and ongoing support to ensure your website meets WCAG and legal requirements. If you purchase a small business plan of Accessibility Checker, you can attend open office hours to ask accessibility testing and remediation questions.
Get in touch with us today to learn how we can help make your website fully accessible!
