Website Accessibility: What You Can Check Yourself

Ever thought about how many potential customers leave your website because of accessibility issues? It's not just a guess. A UK survey found that 69% of users with disabilities leave websites that aren't accessible.

For small and medium businesses, that's a significant missed opportunity--not to mention potential legal exposure.

Here's how to check your own site and fix the most common issues.

Understanding How People Actually Use Your Site

It's easy to assume your website works because it works for you. But that doesn't mean it works for everyone:

• Some people use keyboards instead of mice
• Others rely on screen readers that read text aloud
• Some use voice commands to navigate
• Many have visual impairments that affect how they see colors and text

The best insights come from watching real users interact with your site. But you can start with basic checks yourself.

Common Accessibility Problems (and Fixes)

1. Poor Color Contrast

Text should clearly stand out against its background. Light gray text on white backgrounds fails many users with low vision.

Fix: Use a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Tools like WebAIM's Contrast Checker can test this instantly.

2. Missing Alt Text on Images

Screen readers can't describe images without alt text. Users hear nothing--or worse, hear the filename.

Fix: Add descriptive alt text to every meaningful image. Decorative images can use empty alt="" to be skipped.

3. No Keyboard Navigation

Some users can't use a mouse. If interactive elements aren't keyboard-accessible, they're locked out.

Fix: Ensure all buttons, links, and forms can be reached and activated with Tab and Enter keys. Add visible focus indicators so users know where they are.

4. Missing Form Labels

Screen readers need labels to explain what each form field is for. Placeholder text isn't enough.

Fix: Every form field should have a proper label element associated with it.

5. Poor Heading Structure

Screen reader users navigate by headings. If your heading hierarchy is broken (H1, then H3, skipping H2), navigation becomes confusing.

Fix: Use headings in order: H1 for the main title, H2 for sections, H3 for subsections.

6. Auto-Playing Media

Videos or audio that play automatically can be disorienting and frustrating.

Fix: Let users choose when to play media. If auto-play is necessary, provide obvious controls to stop it.

Accessibility for Documents

PDFs and other documents also need to be accessible:

• Use real text, not scanned images of text
• Include proper heading structure
• Add alt text to images within documents
• Ensure tables are properly structured
• Use meaningful link text (not "click here")

Tools to Test Your Site

• WAVE -- Browser extension that highlights accessibility issues
• axe DevTools -- More technical, catches many automated issues
• Lighthouse -- Built into Chrome, includes accessibility audit
• WebAIM Contrast Checker -- Tests color contrast ratios

Note: Automated tools catch about 30% of issues. Manual testing and real user feedback find the rest.

Questions to Ask Your Web Team

• "When was our last accessibility audit?"
• "Can our site be navigated entirely by keyboard?"
• "Do all images have alt text?"
• "What's our color contrast ratio for body text?"
• "Are our PDFs and documents accessible?"

The Bottom Line

Accessibility isn't just about compliance--it's about reaching more customers and providing a better experience for everyone. Many accessibility improvements also help SEO and general usability.

Start with the quick tests above. Fix the obvious issues. Then consider a professional audit to catch what you missed.

The goal: anyone should be able to use your website, regardless of how they access it. That's good business.