An accessible website review for busy teams

Start with barriers

Accessibility means people with different abilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and use a website. An automated scan can find patterns, but it cannot replace keyboard use, zoom checks, clear content, or testing with the actual journeys people need to complete.

A practical first pass

• Use the site with a keyboard: can you see focus, open menus, submit forms, and recover from errors?
• Zoom text and inspect narrow layouts for clipped content or hidden controls.
• Check headings, link labels, image alternatives, colour contrast, and error messages.
• Make sure every form field has a visible, associated label and a useful instruction.
• Check that motion is not the only way to understand a change and that reduced motion is respected.

Fix in the right order

1. Remove blockers

   Fix traps, unavailable controls, missing labels, and keyboard-inaccessible journeys first. These stop someone from completing a task.

2. Improve understanding

   Make headings, instructions, errors, link text, and status changes clear. Good content and good structure help everyone.

3. Create a habit

   Include an accessibility pass in design review, content publishing, and browser testing instead of leaving it as a final audit.

Scope the claim carefully

A checklist can reveal issues; it cannot certify that every visitor will have the same experience. For higher-risk work, include manual review and testing with people who use assistive technology.