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Website Accessibility Audit

Website accessibility audit and remediation services. WCAG 2.1 AA compliance testing, screen reader validation, and actionable fixes for your existing website or web application.

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WCAG 2.1 Screen Readers axe DevTools Lighthouse ARIA Semantic HTML
WCAG 2.1
AA Standard
70%
Manual Testing
26%
US Adults with Disability

Most Websites Fail Basic Accessibility Tests

The WebAIM Million study scans the top 1,000,000 homepages every year. In 2025, 95.9% had detectable WCAG failures. The most common issues: low contrast text (81% of pages), missing alt text on images (54%), empty links (45%), missing form labels (44%). These are not edge cases. They are fundamental usability problems that affect the 26% of US adults who have a disability.

An accessibility audit finds these problems on your specific site and tells you exactly how to fix them. I combine automated scanning with manual testing using screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and color contrast analysis. Automated tools catch about 30% of accessibility issues. The other 70% require a human evaluating context, reading order, focus management, and interaction logic.

What the Audit Covers

Every audit evaluates your site against WCAG 2.1 AA, the most widely adopted accessibility standard. The evaluation covers four categories. Perceivable: can users see or hear all content? This includes alt text, color contrast, captions, and text alternatives for non-text content. Operable: can users navigate with keyboard, mouse, touch, and assistive technology? This includes focus indicators, keyboard traps, and navigation consistency.

Understandable: is content and navigation clear? This includes reading level, predictable behavior, error identification, and form instructions. Robust: does the site work with assistive technologies? This includes valid HTML, proper ARIA usage, and compatibility with screen readers like VoiceOver and NVDA.

The Legal Landscape

ADA lawsuits against websites have increased every year since 2018. Over 4,000 were filed in 2023 alone, targeting businesses from Fortune 500 companies to local restaurants. I cover the full legal landscape in my ADA website compliance guide. The Department of Justice updated its ADA guidance in 2024 to explicitly include web content, referencing WCAG 2.1 AA as the technical standard. While the legal requirements vary by business type, the trend is clear: web accessibility is becoming a legal expectation, not just a best practice.

Beyond legal risk, accessible websites reach a larger audience. The disability community has over $490 billion in disposable income. Accessibility improvements also tend to improve search rankings (Google rewards semantic HTML, proper headings, and alt text) and overall usability for all visitors.

Automated Tools Are Not Enough

Running Lighthouse or axe DevTools on your site is a good start, but those tools only catch about 30% of WCAG failures. They can verify that an image has an alt attribute, but they cannot tell you if the alt text actually describes the image. They can check that a form field has a label element, but they cannot tell you if the label makes sense to someone using a screen reader. They cannot test whether a complex dropdown menu is navigable with keyboard alone.

My audit process starts with automated scanning (axe DevTools, Lighthouse, WAVE) to catch the measurable issues, then moves to manual testing with real screen readers and keyboard-only navigation. I test every page template, every form, every interactive component, and every navigation path. The result is a complete picture of your site's accessibility, not just the subset that automated tools can detect.

From Audit to Remediation

The audit report includes every issue found, its WCAG criterion, its severity (critical, major, minor), the specific element affected, and exactly how to fix it. Issues are prioritized so your team (or I) can fix the most impactful problems first. Critical issues like keyboard traps and missing form labels come before minor issues like suboptimal heading hierarchy.

I offer remediation as a separate engagement after the audit. For WordPress sites, fixes often involve theme adjustments, plugin configuration, and content updates. For custom web applications, fixes involve code changes to components, ARIA attribute additions, and focus management improvements. Either way, every fix is retested against WCAG criteria before delivery. Accessibility is not a one-time fix. Ongoing website maintenance keeps your site compliant as content and plugins change. For ongoing compliance, I can integrate accessibility checks into your maintenance plan.

How It Works

1

Scan

Automated testing with axe DevTools and Lighthouse

2

Test

Manual screen reader, keyboard, and color contrast testing

3

Report

Prioritized findings with specific remediation steps

4

Fix

Implementation of fixes with retesting and verification

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a website accessibility audit? +
An accessibility audit evaluates your website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1 AA), the international standard for web accessibility. The audit identifies barriers that prevent people with disabilities from using your site: missing alt text, poor color contrast, keyboard navigation issues, screen reader incompatibilities, and form labeling problems. You get a prioritized report with specific fixes.
How much does an accessibility audit cost? +
Accessibility audits range from $2,000 to $8,000 depending on the size and complexity of the site. A 10-page business website audit starts around $2,000. Large sites with complex interactions, forms, and dynamic content range from $5,000 to $8,000. Remediation (fixing the issues found) is scoped separately based on the audit findings.
Is my website legally required to be accessible? +
In the US, the ADA applies to websites of businesses that serve the public. ADA lawsuits against websites have increased every year since 2018, with over 4,000 filed in 2023 alone. Even if you are not legally required, accessible websites reach a wider audience: 26% of US adults have a disability. Accessibility improvements also tend to improve SEO and overall usability for all users.
What does WCAG 2.1 AA compliance mean? +
WCAG 2.1 AA is the most widely adopted accessibility standard. It covers four principles: Perceivable (users can see or hear content), Operable (users can navigate with keyboard, mouse, or assistive technology), Understandable (content and navigation are clear), and Robust (content works with current and future assistive technologies). AA is the middle conformance level, required by most accessibility laws and policies.
How long does an accessibility audit take? +
1-2 weeks for the audit and report. I combine automated scanning with manual testing using screen readers (VoiceOver, NVDA), keyboard-only navigation, and color contrast analysis. Automated tools catch about 30% of accessibility issues. The other 70% require human evaluation of context, reading order, focus management, and interaction patterns.
Can you fix the accessibility issues you find? +
Yes. After the audit, I provide a remediation proposal with prioritized fixes, estimated effort, and timeline. Critical issues (keyboard traps, missing form labels, broken screen reader navigation) are fixed first. Moderate issues (color contrast, missing alt text, heading hierarchy) follow. I can also integrate accessibility checks into your ongoing maintenance plan.
Will accessibility changes break my website design? +
No. Most accessibility fixes are invisible to sighted users: adding alt text, fixing heading hierarchy, improving form labels, adding ARIA attributes, and adjusting focus indicators. Color contrast improvements are visible but generally improve readability for all users. I make changes that meet WCAG standards while preserving your visual design.

Related Services

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Based in Sacramento, CA

Serving clients nationwide.

Need to know if your site is accessible?

I will audit your website against WCAG 2.1 AA and give you a prioritized report with exactly what to fix.

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