Accessible Color Contrast Checker

How to Make Your Website WCAG Compliant (Easy Checklist)

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Your Simple, Human-Focused Guide to WCAG Compliance (Easy Checklist)

Making your website accessible isn’t just a compliance box to tick—it’s about making sure everyone can use and enjoy your content. When you make your site accessible, you’re creating a better experience for millions of people, which is great for your business, your brand reputation, and your bottom line.

This straightforward checklist focuses on the most common and impactful issues—WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 Level AA—so you can start your website accessibility audit right now.

The WCAG Level AA Compliance Checklist

WCAG is structured around four core principles (POUR): Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Here are the key actions you need to take for Level AA compliance, which is the international standard often required by law.

1. Perceivable: Can Users Access the Information?

This principle ensures all users can perceive the information, even if they can’t see, hear, or read it in the way it’s presented visually.

The Task (What to Check) Why It Matters (Human Impact)
Images & Non-Text Content (Alt Text): Provide descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all meaningful images, icons, and buttons. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt=""). Blind/Low Vision Users: Screen readers can read the image’s purpose aloud.
Color Contrast Test (Minimum 4.5:1): Ensure the color contrast ratio between all text and its background is at least 4.5:1. For large text (18pt or 14pt bold), the ratio is 3:1. Low Vision/Color Blind Users: Ensures text is readable and not lost in the background.
Use of Color: Never use color as the only way to convey information (e.g., don’t just use a red border to show an error; add text that says “Error”). Color Blind Users: Ensures they don’t miss critical information that is invisible to them.
Captions & Transcripts for Media: Provide synchronized captions for all pre-recorded video with audio. Provide a full text transcript or audio description for all pre-recorded video or audio-only content. Deaf/Hard of Hearing Users: Allows them to follow along with the audio/video content.
Resizable Text: Text should be able to be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality, and without needing horizontal scrolling. Low Vision Users: Allows them to zoom in on the page without breaking the layout.

2. Operable: Can Users Navigate and Interact?

This principle ensures users can operate the interface and navigation. This is where keyboard navigation is absolutely critical.

The Task (What to Check) Why It Matters (Human Impact)
Keyboard Accessibility (Tab Test): Ensure all website functionality can be accessed and operated using only the keyboard (using the Tab, Enter, and Space keys). Mobility Impaired Users: People who cannot use a mouse can still navigate the entire site.
Visible Focus: Ensure there is a highly visible focus indicator (a highlight, border, or ring) that appears when a user tabs to a link, button, or form field. Keyboard Users: Lets them clearly see where they are on the page.
Bypass Blocks (Skip Links): Add a “Skip to Main Content” link that is the very first focusable element on every page. Keyboard Users: Allows them to skip repetitive navigation menus on every page load.
Clear Link Purpose: Link text must be descriptive enough to tell the user its purpose, even out of context. Avoid generic text like “Click Here” or “Read More.” Screen Reader Users: Allows them to understand a link’s destination by navigating a list of all links.
Timing Adjustments: If content has a time limit (like a quiz or form session), provide a way for the user to turn off, adjust, or extend the limit. Users with Cognitive Disabilities: Gives them enough time to complete tasks without being rushed.

3. Understandable: Is the Content and Interface Clear?

This principle makes sure both the information and the operation of the user interface are clear and predictable.

The Task (What to Check) Why It Matters (Human Impact)
Headings Structure: Use HTML headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) in a logical, nested hierarchy to organize content (e.g., an <h3> should not immediately follow an <h1>). Screen Reader Users: Allows them to easily skim the page structure like a table of contents.
Form Labels & Instructions: All form input fields must have a descriptive, clearly associated label. Provide clear, helpful instructions on how to complete a form or fix an input error. All Users: Makes forms easier to complete. Screen Reader Users: Connects the text input field with its purpose.
Identify Input Purpose: Use the correct autocomplete attribute on common form fields (e.g., name, email, address) to help users with assistive technology and save time. Users with Cognitive Disabilities: Helps with input and recall.
Consistent Navigation: Navigation and repeated components (like the main menu, logo, and search bar) appear in the same relative position and order on every page. All Users: Provides a predictable and reliable user experience across the site.
Error Identification & Suggestion: When an input error is detected, the error is clearly described to the user in text, and suggestions for correction are provided where possible. All Users: Helps users fix mistakes quickly and avoid frustration.

4. Robust: Will it Work Everywhere?

This principle is about ensuring your content is developed using clean, standards-compliant code so that it can be reliably interpreted by a wide variety of user agents and assistive technologies, including newer ones.

The Task (What to Check) Why It Matters (Human Impact)
Valid and Clean Markup: Ensure your HTML is well-formed, complete, and does not contain major code errors. Assistive Technology Users: Ensures screen readers and other tools can correctly parse and interpret the page content.
Language of Page: Specify the default language of every page using the lang attribute in the <html> tag (e.g., <html lang="en">). Screen Reader Users: Tells the screen reader which pronunciation rules to use.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

This checklist is your starting line. While automated tools can check contrast and basic code errors, a full accessibility audit often requires manual review to ensure the human experience is truly accessible.

If your team is ready to go beyond the basics, or if you need a professional to conduct a comprehensive audit:

Free tool for Accessible Color Contrast Checker try it now

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