Website Accessibility Audit (WCAG 2.2 AA)

What the audit tests against

We audit against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 at level AA. WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C Recommendation; the latest version of the standard on the W3C site is dated 12 December 2024. It added nine success criteria to WCAG 2.1, six of them at levels A and AA, including:

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum): sticky headers and cookie banners must not cover the item a keyboard user has focused.
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements: anything done by dragging, such as a slider, needs a single-pointer alternative.
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum): buttons and links at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or with enough spacing.
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help: contact details or help links in the same place on each page.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry: do not make people type the same information twice in one process.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum): no log-in that relies on memorising or solving a puzzle without an alternative, so allow password managers and paste.

WCAG 2.2 also made 4.1.1 Parsing obsolete. Meeting 2.2 AA means you also meet 2.1 AA, which matters because several laws and standards still reference 2.1.

How we test

Automated tools are useful but catch only part of the problem. We use them first, then test by hand:

1. Automated scan with tools such as axe and WAVE across a sample of templates, to catch missing alt text, labels, contrast and ARIA errors.
2. Keyboard only: can every link, menu, form and modal be reached and used with Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space and arrow keys? Is the focus indicator visible?
3. Screen reader: NVDA with Firefox or Chrome on Windows, and VoiceOver on iPhone, to check headings, landmarks, form errors and dynamic content are announced.
4. Zoom and reflow: 200% text resize and 400% zoom at 1280 pixels wide, checking nothing is cut off or needs scrolling in two directions.
5. Colour and contrast: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text and interface components.
6. Journeys: we complete your key tasks end to end, such as sending an enquiry, booking or buying.

The WebAIM Million 2026 report found an average of 56.1 detectable errors per home page, with low contrast text on 83.9% of pages, missing alt text on 53.1% and missing form labels on 51%. Those are what automated tools find. Keyboard traps and confusing focus order only show up in manual testing.

What you get

• A summary in plain English: how close you are to WCAG 2.2 AA and the biggest barriers.
• An issue list with the WCAG criterion, page and element, a screenshot, who is affected and a recommended fix.
• A severity rating, so the problems that block people from completing a task come first.
• A draft accessibility statement you can publish once fixes are done.
• Effort estimates, so you can decide whether to fix in-house, with us, or with your developer.

We do not recommend accessibility overlay widgets as a fix. They do not repair the underlying code and can interfere with the assistive technology people already use.

Fixing what we find

Most issues on WordPress and similar sites are fixable without a rebuild: contrast tweaks, form labels, alt text, focus styles, heading order, accessible names for icon buttons, and keyboard support in menus and sliders. That work sits under our website accessibility fixes service at £45 an hour + VAT, and we retest after.

If the audit shows the theme or page builder is the root cause and a rebuild is more sensible, our sister company builds new sites to WCAG 2.2 AA from the start: see accessible web design. If you sell to consumers in the EU, read our page on the European Accessibility Act as well.

Cost

Audits are quoted upfront, based on the number of distinct page templates and journeys rather than the total page count. A brochure site with a contact form is a small job; an ecommerce site with account areas, filters and checkout takes longer. Fixes after the audit are £45 an hour + VAT, or can use the monthly hours on our Business or Complete plans.

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