Website Accessibility Checker Tool Online

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Scan any webpage for WCAG 2.2 accessibility issues — alt text, heading structure, form labels, landmarks, language, zoom restrictions, and more. Get actionable fixes with WCAG criterion references.

Enter a URL to check accessibility:

How the Accessibility Checker Works

This tool performs an automated WCAG 2.2 audit on any webpage's HTML:

  1. Enter a URL — the tool fetches the page HTML and analyzes the markup for accessibility issues.
  2. WCAG checks — it tests 15+ WCAG success criteria across all four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
  3. Issue categorization — each issue is tagged with its WCAG criterion number, severity (error/warning/info), and POUR principle.
  4. POUR principle breakdown — see how many issues fall under each WCAG principle for a structured view of your accessibility posture.
  5. Passes listed — the tool also shows what your page does right, not just what's wrong.

Why Web Accessibility Matters

Accessibility isn't optional — it's a legal requirement and a competitive advantage:

  • Legal compliance — ADA (US), EAA (EU, from 2025), AODA (Canada), and similar laws require websites to be accessible. Lawsuits for inaccessible websites have increased 300% in recent years.
  • Audience reach — 16% of the world's population lives with a disability. Inaccessible websites exclude potential customers and users.
  • SEO benefits — many accessibility practices directly improve SEO: alt text, heading structure, semantic HTML, page titles, and proper link text are ranking signals.
  • User experience — accessible design benefits everyone: captions help in noisy environments, keyboard navigation helps power users, clear structure helps all readers.
  • AI search — AI engines parse semantic HTML and ARIA landmarks to understand content structure. Accessible sites are more extractable for GEO.

Pair this with the Image SEO Checker, Heading Checker, and Meta Tag Checker for a complete audit. For color-specific WCAG compliance, the Color Contrast Checker calculates exact contrast ratios and auto-suggests accessible alternatives. Also check mobile-friendliness — many accessibility issues (small tap targets, no viewport meta) directly overlap with mobile usability problems.

The Four WCAG Principles (POUR)

WCAG organizes accessibility requirements under four principles:

  • Perceivable — content must be presentable in ways users can perceive. This covers alt text for images, captions for video, sufficient color contrast, and text alternatives.
  • Operable — interface must be operable by everyone. This covers keyboard navigation, skip links, page titles, sufficient time limits, and avoiding seizure-inducing content.
  • Understandable — content and interface must be understandable. This covers language declarations, consistent navigation, form labels, and error handling.
  • Robust — content must work with current and future technologies. This covers valid HTML, proper ARIA usage, and compatible markup.

For deeper technical SEO fixes, check your schema markup, security headers, and overall SEO.

Accessibility Checker: FAQ

What does this accessibility checker test?
This tool scans a webpage's HTML for common WCAG 2.2 accessibility issues across all four principles: Perceivable (images, structure, zoom), Operable (navigation, links, keyboard), Understandable (language, labels), and Robust (markup validity, ARIA). It checks 15+ specific WCAG criteria including missing alt text, heading hierarchy, form labels, skip links, lang attribute, duplicate IDs, empty links, viewport zoom restrictions, and landmark elements.
What is WCAG?
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard for web accessibility, published by the W3C. The current version is WCAG 2.2. It defines success criteria organized under four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). Compliance is measured at three levels: A (minimum), AA (standard target), and AAA (enhanced).
What is the difference between WCAG Level A and AA?
Level A is the bare minimum — things like alt text on images and page titles. Level AA is what most laws require — it adds requirements like sufficient color contrast, text resizing, and consistent navigation. Level AAA is the highest level but is not typically required as it's extremely difficult to achieve site-wide.
Is this tool enough for full WCAG compliance?
No automated tool can verify full WCAG compliance — some criteria require human judgment (like whether alt text is actually descriptive, or whether content makes sense). This tool catches the most common and impactful automated checks. For complete compliance, combine automated testing with manual review and user testing.
Why is web accessibility important?
About 16% of the global population has a disability. Accessibility ensures your website works for everyone, including people using screen readers, keyboard navigation, or assistive technology. It's also a legal requirement in many countries (ADA in the US, EAA in the EU, AODA in Canada) and improves SEO since search engines reward accessible sites.
What is a skip navigation link?
A skip navigation link is a hidden link at the top of the page that appears when focused via keyboard. It lets keyboard and screen reader users jump directly to the main content, bypassing the navigation menu. It's required by WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) and is the first thing keyboard users interact with.
Why does the lang attribute matter?
The lang attribute on the <html> element tells screen readers which language to use for pronunciation. Without it, a screen reader might try to read French text with English pronunciation rules, making it unintelligible. It's also used by translation tools and search engines.
What are ARIA landmarks?
ARIA landmarks are HTML5 elements or ARIA roles that define regions of a page: <main> (primary content), <nav> (navigation), <header> (banner), <footer> (contentinfo), <aside> (complementary). Screen readers use landmarks to let users quickly jump between page sections.
Is this accessibility checker free?
Yes. Completely free, no signup, no limits. Enter any URL and get an instant WCAG accessibility audit.
Does this tool store the URLs I check?
No. The tool fetches the page, analyzes the HTML, and returns the result. We do not store URLs or data.

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