How to Fix the 10 Most Common Accessibility Issues on Your Website
According to the WebAIM Million study, 96.3% of home pages have detectable WCAG failures. The good news? Most of these failures fall into a handful of common categories that are straightforward to fix. Here are the 10 most common accessibility issues and exactly how to resolve them.
1. Missing Image Alt Text
Images without alt attributes are invisible to screen reader users. Every meaningful image needs descriptive alt text, and decorative images should have empty alt="" attributes.
2. Insufficient Color Contrast
Text that doesn't have enough contrast against its background is hard to read for users with low vision, color blindness, or even those in bright sunlight.
3. Missing Form Labels
Form inputs without associated labels make it impossible for screen reader users to know what information to enter. Placeholder text is NOT a substitute for labels.
4. Missing Document Language
Without a lang attribute on the <html> element, screen readers don't know what language to use for pronunciation, causing garbled speech for users.
5. Empty Links and Buttons
Links and buttons that contain only an icon or image with no text alternative leave screen reader users unable to determine their purpose.
6. Missing or Improper Heading Structure
Headings that skip levels (H1 to H3), use headings purely for visual styling, or lack an H1 make it difficult for screen reader users to navigate and understand page structure.
7. No Keyboard Focus Indicator
Users who navigate with keyboards need to see which element is currently focused. Removing the browser's default focus outline with outline: none makes this impossible.
8. Missing Skip Navigation Link
Without a skip link, keyboard users must tab through the entire navigation menu on every page before reaching the main content.
9. Auto-playing Media
Audio or video that plays automatically can be disorienting, especially for screen reader users who can't hear their assistive technology over the media.
10. Missing ARIA Landmarks
Without proper landmark regions (header, nav, main, footer), screen reader users can't quickly jump to different sections of the page.
Next Steps
Run a scan on your website using our free WCAG Checker to see which of these issues affect your site. The tool will identify the exact elements that need fixing and provide specific guidance for each issue. Start with critical and serious issues, then work through moderate and minor ones.