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A plain-language guide to checking how accessible a website really is — and what a trustworthy result looks like.
An accessibility audit is a structured check of how well a website works for people with disabilities. It measures the site against WCAG (the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and tells you what passes, what fails, and what needs a closer look.
No single method catches everything. A credible audit combines both:
| Method | What it is | What it catches | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Automated | Software assesses the page against rules | Clear, technical issues (~30–50%) | Cannot judge meaning or context |
| AI-assisted | AI helps check what automation cannot decide | Some visual and media issues | Not proof — a person still confirms |
| Manual | A person tests with keyboard and screen reader | The rest — usability in real use | Takes time and expertise |
A credible audit follows a method (WCAG-EM): define the scope, explore the site, choose a representative sample of pages, evaluate them against WCAG, and report the outcome with evidence. The result should say, for each success criterion, whether it passes, fails, is not present, or cannot be decided automatically.
A good report leads with the top issues to fix first — ranked by user impact — with the affected element, the WCAG reference, and a suggested fix. It should also be honest about its limits: an automated score is a starting point, not a certificate of conformance. Read about conformance reports.
No. Automated tools catch roughly 30–50% of issues. A credible audit also needs manual testing and, for some criteria, human judgement — which is why we combine automated assessing, AI-assisted review, and independent human review.
A single-page automated assessment usually finishes in under a minute. A whole-site assessment takes longer. A full independent audit with human review is scheduled per page.
No. You can run a free assessment with just your web address and get a plain-language report. Developers and auditors can go deeper with the evidence and WCAG references.