November 12, 2026
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An accessible website is one that people can use whether they see the screen, use a mouse, or neither. That includes people with permanent disabilities, and also someone with a broken wrist, a cracked phone screen or bright sunlight on their laptop. Accessibility is increasingly a legal expectation in many countries, and most of the work also improves SEO and conversions. This checklist covers the fixes that matter most.
The checklist
1. Text alternatives for images
Every meaningful image needs alt text that describes what it shows. Decorative images should have empty alt text so screen readers skip them.
2. Colour contrast
Light grey text on white fails for a large share of readers. Body text should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 against its background. Check your brand colours with a contrast checker.
3. Headings in order
Use one H1 per page, then H2 for sections and H3 for sub-sections. Choose heading levels for structure, not for size. Screen reader users navigate by headings.
4. Keyboard navigation
Put the mouse aside and press Tab. You should be able to reach every link, button, menu and form field, see clearly where you are, and never get stuck.
5. Visible focus
Do not remove the outline that shows which element is selected. If the default looks out of place, restyle it. Never hide it.
6. Descriptive links and buttons
"Click here" and "Read more" mean nothing out of context. Use text that says where the link goes.
7. Labelled forms
Every field needs a visible label, not only placeholder text that disappears when you type. Error messages should say what is wrong and how to fix it.
8. Menus that work without a mouse
Dropdown and mobile menus must open and close from the keyboard and announce their state.
9. Captions and transcripts
Videos need captions. Audio needs a transcript.
10. No surprise motion
Avoid autoplaying video with sound and auto-advancing sliders. Respect the visitor's reduced-motion setting for animations.
11. Text that can be resized
Zoom the browser to 200 percent. Content should reflow without being cut off or overlapping.
12. Touch targets
Buttons and links on mobile should be large enough, and far enough apart, to tap without hitting the wrong one.
13. A skip link
A "skip to content" link lets keyboard users jump past the menu on every page.
14. Page language and titles
Set the site language correctly and give every page a unique, descriptive title.
How to test
- Run an automated check with WAVE or Lighthouse in Chrome. These catch missing alt text, contrast failures and unlabelled fields.
- Do the keyboard test on your main pages and forms.
- Try a screen reader on the home page and one form. VoiceOver on Mac and iPhone and NVDA on Windows are free.
Automated tools find only part of the problems. The keyboard test finds most of the rest.
Mistakes page builders make easy
- Using a heading element because the text looks big.
- Building buttons from plain containers, which keyboards cannot reach.
- Putting text over images without enough contrast.
- Icon-only buttons with no label.
- Popups that trap or lose keyboard focus.
A builder does not make a site accessible or inaccessible. How it is used does.
A note on overlay widgets
Plugins that promise instant compliance by adding a toolbar do not fix the underlying code, and accessibility specialists widely advise against relying on them. Fixing the site itself is the dependable route.
Need an accessibility pass?
Most sites can be brought to a good standard without a rebuild. We include accessibility fixes in our website redesign and bug fixing work. Book a free call and we will review your main pages. This article is practical guidance, not legal advice.
