Alt Text : How to Conduct a Website Accessibility Audit for Compliance

Digital accessibility lawsuits against businesses with accessibility widgets surged 62% last year, catching thousands of companies off guard. The problem runs deeper than legal compliance. 

More than 1 in 4 adults in the United States live with some type of disability, yet countless websites remain digital barriers instead of gateways to information and services.

While building accessible websites sounds straightforward, conducting thorough audits reveals a complex web of technical standards, user experience considerations, and compliance requirements that trip up even seasoned developers. 

The good news? A systematic audit approach can transform this overwhelming task into a manageable process that protects your business while opening doors to millions of potential users. 

This guide breaks down the complete audit methodology, from automated scanning tools to manual testing procedures, giving you the roadmap to build genuinely inclusive digital experiences.

Quick Snapshots

• Digital accessibility lawsuits against businesses with widgets jumped 62% last year. Courts consistently reference WCAG 2.1 AA standards as reasonable accommodation benchmarks. Proactive compliance costs significantly less than reactive legal defense.
• Combine automated scans (catch 30% of issues), manual testing (uncover remaining 70%), and real user feedback for comprehensive coverage. Each method reveals different accessibility barriers that others miss completely.
• Test keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, color contrast, form functionality, and mobile accessibility. Focus on user journeys rather than individual page elements to identify real-world usability problems.
• Accessible websites perform better in search rankings and load faster.

What is Website Accessibility?

Website accessibility compliance refers to the adherence to legal and technical standards designed to ensure that websites are usable by people with disabilities. 

This includes making websites navigable, readable, and interactive for individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive impairments.

In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act serve as key legal frameworks that require digital content to be accessible.

Compliance typically involves meeting guidelines such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which outline specific criteria for web design, like providing text alternatives for images, ensuring keyboard navigability, and offering clear and consistent navigation. 

Meeting these standards helps businesses avoid legal risks and ensures that their websites are inclusive for a broader audience.

Now, let’s learn about the various web accessibility audit methods. 

Types of Website Accessibility Audits

Website accessibility audits fall into three distinct categories, each serving different purposes and revealing unique insights about your site's usability barriers.

1. Automated Audits

Automated scanning tools handle the heavy lifting of technical compliance checks. These programs crawl through your website code, flagging missing alt text, color contrast violations, and structural markup errors within minutes. Tools like axe-core, WAVE, and Lighthouse catch common accessibility issues automatically.

The speed advantage comes with limitations. Automated tools excel at spotting technical violations but miss context-dependent problems. 

They cannot determine if your alt text actually describes images meaningfully or whether your site navigation makes logical sense to someone using assistive technology.

2. Manual Testing

Manual audits involve human reviewers systematically testing your website using assistive technologies like screen readers, voice recognition software, and keyboard-only navigation. This approach uncovers the remaining accessibility barriers that automated tools miss.

Manual testing takes significantly longer but reveals real-world usability problems. A human tester might discover that your dropdown menus work perfectly with a mouse but become impossible to navigate using only keyboard commands. These insights prove invaluable for creating genuinely accessible experiences.

3. User Testing with Disabled Individuals

The gold standard involves actual users with disabilities testing your website and providing direct feedback. This approach reveals gaps that neither automated tools nor manual testing can identify completely.

Real users highlight practical challenges that technical audits overlook. They might point out that your perfectly compliant form takes twice as long to complete using screen-reading software, or that your color choices create fatigue during extended browsing sessions. 

Their perspectives transform compliance-focused thinking into user-centered design decisions that benefit everyone.

Finally, let’s learn how to run a full web accessibility audit.

How to Run a Complete Website Accessibility Audit

Alt Text : How to Run a Complete Website Accessibility Audit

Running a thorough accessibility audit requires systematic planning and methodical execution. The process combines automated scanning, manual testing, and strategic sampling to uncover barriers that prevent users with disabilities from accessing your content.

Step 1: Define Your Audit Scope

Start by mapping your website's critical user journeys. Identify the pages and functions that matter most to your business goals and user needs. A typical audit should cover your homepage, main navigation paths, key landing pages, contact forms, checkout processes, and search functionality.

Document your current accessibility goals and compliance targets. Decide whether you're aiming for WCAG 2.1 AA compliance, addressing specific user complaints, or preparing for a planned redesign. Clear objectives guide your testing priorities and help measure progress effectively.

Create a representative page sample that includes different content types, interactive elements, and template variations. Testing every single page proves impractical for large sites, but your sample should capture the full range of user experiences your website offers.

Step 2: Run Automated Accessibility Scans

Deploy automated testing tools across your selected pages. Popular options include axe DevTools, WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluator, and Lighthouse accessibility audits. Each tool catches different types of violations, so running multiple scanners provides more comprehensive coverage.

Document every violation these tools identify, including error descriptions, affected elements, and suggested fixes. Pay special attention to recurring patterns that indicate systemic problems across your site architecture.

Remember that automated tools catch only technical violations. They cannot evaluate whether your alt text accurately describes images, whether your content flows logically, or whether interactive elements provide clear feedback to users.

Step 3: Conduct Manual Testing

Manual testing reveals problems that automated scans miss. Start with keyboard-only navigation by unplugging your mouse and attempting to complete key user tasks using only Tab, Enter, Arrow keys, and other keyboard commands.

Test your website with screen-reading software like NVDA (free), JAWS, or the built-in screen readers on iOS and Android devices. Navigate through your content as a blind user would, paying attention to heading structures, form labels, and link descriptions.

Check color contrast manually using tools like WebAIM's Contrast Checker. Test your content with different browser zoom levels up to 200% to ensure text remains readable and functional elements stay accessible.

Step 4: Evaluate User Experience Flows

Walk through critical user journeys from start to finish using assistive technologies. Can users successfully register for accounts, complete purchases, submit contact forms, and access support resources using only keyboard navigation or screen readers?

Pay attention to error handling and feedback mechanisms. When forms fail validation, do error messages clearly explain problems and guide users toward solutions? Can users easily identify and correct mistakes without starting over?

Test time-sensitive content and interactions. Ensure users have adequate time to complete tasks and provide clear options to extend time limits when necessary.

Step 5: Document and Prioritize the Issues

Organize your findings by severity and impact. Critical issues completely block access to essential functions. Major problems create significant barriers, but workarounds exist. Minor issues cause inconvenience without preventing task completion.

Create detailed documentation for each identified barrier. Include screenshots, code examples, specific WCAG guideline violations, and recommended fixes. Clear documentation speeds remediation and helps prevent similar problems in future development.

Develop a remediation timeline that addresses critical issues first, followed by major barriers, and finally minor improvements. Consider the technical complexity and resource requirements for each fix when setting realistic deadlines.

Step 6: Plan Ongoing Monitoring

Accessibility audits represent snapshots in time rather than permanent solutions. Establish regular audit schedules that account for content updates, feature releases, and design changes that might introduce new barriers.

Integrate accessibility checks into your development workflow. Configure automated testing tools to run during continuous integration processes, catching violations before they reach production.

Consider establishing feedback channels that allow users with disabilities to report accessibility problems directly. Real user input provides invaluable insights that technical audits might overlook.

A compliant website signals that your business values inclusion and respects every user's right to digital access. This positive impression also protects your organization from costly litigation while opening doors to millions of potential customers.

Design a Fully Compliant Website With Beetle Beetle

At Beetle Beetle, we design and develop fully accessible websites that meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards from the ground up. Our team builds compliant digital experiences using Webflow's powerful platform, ensuring your site works flawlessly for all users while protecting your business from accessibility lawsuits. 

We handle everything from initial accessibility audits to complete website redesigns that prioritize inclusive user experiences. Contact us today to design an accessible, legally compliant digital asset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How long does a complete accessibility audit take? 

A: A thorough audit typically takes 2-4 weeks, depending on your website size and complexity. Automated scans complete within hours, but manual testing and documentation require additional time to ensure comprehensive coverage.

Q: What does WCAG AA compliance actually cost to implement? 

A: Remediation costs vary widely based on your current accessibility gaps. Simple fixes like adding alt text might cost hundreds, while complex restructuring can reach tens of thousands. Prevention during initial design proves far more cost-effective than retrofitting.

Q: Can accessibility widgets replace a proper audit? 

A: No. Accessibility widgets provide limited functionality and may actually increase lawsuit risk. Courts increasingly view overlay tools as inadequate solutions that fail to address underlying accessibility barriers in website code and design.

Q: Which pages should I prioritize during an audit? 

A: Focus on high-traffic pages and critical user journeys first. Homepage, contact forms, checkout processes, search functionality, and primary navigation paths typically warrant immediate attention before secondary content areas.

Q: How often should I conduct accessibility audits? 

A: Schedule comprehensive audits annually, with lighter reviews after major updates or design changes. Integrate automated accessibility checks into your development workflow to catch issues before they reach live users.