What is a WCAG conformance report?

A plain-language guide to the document that shows, with evidence, how accessible a website is.

The short answer

A WCAG conformance report is the record of an accessibility evaluation. It states which standard and level were tested (for example, WCAG 2.2 AA), and for each success criterion whether the site passes, fails, is not present, or needs human review — with the evidence to back it up.

What a good report contains

A score and a verdict — where the site stands overall.
Per-criterion results — pass, fail, not present, or needs review, for every success criterion.
How each was tested — machine, AI, or human review, so you can judge the confidence.
Prioritized findings — the top issues to fix first, with evidence and a suggested fix.
A signature and date — so the report is an auditable record, not a one-off screenshot.

Passes, fails, and 'needs review'

A clean report is not the same as a conformant site. Automated tools only check part of WCAG, so an honest report separates what the machine decided from what still needs a person. That honesty is exactly what makes a report defensible — it shows you investigated rather than assumed. Read about audits.

Common questions

Does a good score mean my site is compliant?

Not on its own. An automated score covers only part of WCAG. A signed conformance report that includes independent human review (launching soon) is stronger evidence — but even that is a professional opinion, not a legal guarantee.

What does 'needs human review' mean?

Some criteria cannot be decided by a machine — for example, whether alt text is accurate, or whether content is genuinely understandable. Those need a person to judge them, which is why our report separates 'machine', 'AI', and 'human' results.

Who asks for a conformance report?

Auditors, ombudsmen, procurement teams, funders, and grant assessors — anyone who needs verifiable evidence rather than a self-declared claim.