Industry Benchmark: How accessible are New Zealand's council websites?
Joseph Wynn
··5 min read
Industry Benchmark
Our Industry Benchmark series takes a sample of websites from an industry, either globally or within a specific region, and evaluates their web accessibility score. This time we turned to local government in New Zealand and tested the websites of 26 city, district, and regional councils. Council websites make a good subject because they serve everyone in their community, and as local government organisations they are encouraged to meet the New Zealand Government Web Accessibility Standard (WAS 1.2), which is built on WCAG 2.2.
The Household Disability Survey (HDS) found that 1 in 6 New Zealanders are disabled, which is far more people than most of us would guess. Not every disability changes how someone uses a website, but for residents who rely on assistive technology like screen readers, an inaccessible council website can stand between them and paying their rates, reporting a problem or applying for a consent.
The results for this report broke two of our records at once: Palmerston North City Council became the first website we’ve ever tested to score a perfect 100, and at the other end of the table we saw single-digit scores for the first time, with three councils scoring below 10.
26
Sites scanned
66Poor
Average accessibility score
92%
Sites with at least one critical issue
23 of 26
Sites failed the colour contrastPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users. audit
How we test
To generate this report, we collected a list of New Zealand council websites by hand and added each site into A11y Pulse. We used the site crawl feature to find up to 100 pages per site, then A11y Pulse scanned every page and generated an accessibility score for each one. The overall accessibility score for a website is calculated as the average score of all its pages, so a council needs accessible pages across its whole site rather than a single polished home page in order to score well.
On top of the automated testing, we also used A11y Pulse to guide us through manual testing on the sites that had the best and worst scores. This testing was a combination of keyboard navigation and screen reader use. The screen reader software we used was VoiceOver on Mac in both Firefox and Safari. Manual testing is used purely to provide additional insights and does not affect the accessibility scores.
Accessibility score by site
The most surprising part of these results for us was that 11 councils received a “Poor” score rating. In New Zealand, local government organisations are not legally required to meet WAS 1.2, however if any of the issues found by A11y Pulse actually prevented users from accessing council services, they could face legal challenges under the Human Rights Act 1993 or the Bill of Rights Act 1990.
Click or tap on any row to expand a council’s full results, including every issue A11y Pulse found.
Toggle details
Rank
Site
Issues found
Accessibility score
1
Palmerston North City Councilpncc.govt.nz
4
100Good
Pages scanned96
Total Issues4
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious0
Moderate4
Minor0
Pages by score
Page scores: 96 good, 0 needs improvement, 0 poor
Issue details
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
scope attribute should be used correctlyThe scope attribute helps screen reader users navigate tables efficiently by identifying whether headers apply to rows or columns. Incorrect scope values make table navigation harder and less efficient, while correct usage significantly improves the table browsing experience.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.19 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.55 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.50 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.42 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.49 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.78 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.20 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmarkBanner landmarks must be top-level to effectively designate the header portion of the page. Nested banner landmarks fail to provide the structural information screen reader users need to navigate efficiently through the page layout.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one banner landmarkMultiple banner landmarks force screen reader users to sort through duplicate options to find header information. Each page should have only one banner landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation to the header without overwhelming users with unnecessary choices.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA progressbar nodes must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot determine what a role="progressbar" element is tracking without an accessible name. The name tells users what process or task is progressing.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.93 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.48 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe contentinfo landmark must be at the top level to help screen reader users quickly navigate to footer information. When nested inside another landmark, it becomes harder to find, defeating its purpose of providing quick access to content information.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.88 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Users should be able to zoom and scale the text up to 500%The user-scalable="no" and restrictive maximum-scale parameters prevent people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who rely on browser zoom to enlarge text are blocked from accessing content at a readable size, violating their need to scale pages up to 5x zoom.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.99 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.64 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.35 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.64 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.48 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Delayed refresh under 20 hours must not be usedAutomatic page refreshes using <meta> elements are unexpected and disorienting. They move keyboard focus back to the top of the page, frustrating users who were interacting with content elsewhere. Users need control over when refreshes occur, and server-side redirects should be used instead of problematic client-side refreshes.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.59 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.12 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.17 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<svg> elements with an img role must have alternative textSVG images need text alternatives so their information can be accessed through any sensory modality - visual, auditory, or tactile. Text alternatives enable screen readers to convert visual information into speech or braille, support future translation into sign language, and ensure content is accessible regardless of a user's sensory abilities.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Scrollable region must have keyboard accessScrollable regions must contain focusable elements or be focusable themselves to enable keyboard navigation. Without keyboard access, users cannot scroll to view content that extends beyond the visible area, making that content completely inaccessible to keyboard-only users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.75 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.22 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
The skip-link target should exist and be focusableSkip links allow keyboard users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content. Without skip links, users must tab through potentially hundreds of navigation links on every page, which is time-consuming and can cause physical pain for users with motor limitations.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elementsElements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA input fields must have an accessible nameARIA input fields with roles like combobox, listbox, searchbox, slider, spinbutton, and textbox must have accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what information these fields expect or their purpose in the form.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tableProper table markup with header associations allows screen reader users to navigate from cell to cell while hearing the corresponding headers announced. This is especially crucial in large tables where cells contain similar data. Without accessible table structure, screen reader users cannot understand what data each cell represents.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA dialog and alertdialog nodes should have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot identify the purpose of role="dialog" or role="alertdialog" elements without an accessible name. This leaves users confused about what dialog they've encountered and what it contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.18 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignoredElements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.25 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.97 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.92 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.91 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.92 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.28 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.22 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.18 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elementsElements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.88 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.14 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.90 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
[role="img"] elements must have alternative textScreen readers cannot convert visual images with role="img" into text without an accessible alternative. All users with visual disabilities, from complete blindness to low vision and color blindness, require text alternatives to access the information that images convey.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements should not have tabindex greater than zeroUsing tabindex values greater than 0 creates unexpected tab orders that disorient users. It makes elements appear to be skipped when users tab past them, requires setting tabindex on every element to maintain order, and forces all tabindex items to be visited before any normal elements, breaking natural navigation flow.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.34 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.26 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Main landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe main landmark must be at the top level and not nested inside other landmarks. This ensures screen reader users can quickly navigate to the primary content without searching through complex hierarchy, making page navigation simpler and more predictable.14 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one main landmarkMultiple main landmarks confuse screen reader users about where the primary content is located. Each page should have only one main landmark so users can quickly and predictably navigate to the primary content area.14 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
The skip-link target should exist and be focusableSkip links allow keyboard users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content. Without skip links, users must tab through potentially hundreds of navigation links on every page, which is time-consuming and can cause physical pain for users with motor limitations.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.26 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.50 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.50 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.50 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.19 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Scrollable region must have keyboard accessScrollable regions must contain focusable elements or be focusable themselves to enable keyboard navigation. Without keyboard access, users cannot scroll to view content that extends beyond the visible area, making that content completely inaccessible to keyboard-only users.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA input fields must have an accessible nameARIA input fields with roles like combobox, listbox, searchbox, slider, spinbutton, and textbox must have accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what information these fields expect or their purpose in the form.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.100 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one banner landmarkMultiple banner landmarks force screen reader users to sort through duplicate options to find header information. Each page should have only one banner landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation to the header without overwhelming users with unnecessary choices.100 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.80 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmarkBanner landmarks must be top-level to effectively designate the header portion of the page. Nested banner landmarks fail to provide the structural information screen reader users need to navigate efficiently through the page layout.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.43 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
[role="img"] elements must have alternative textScreen readers cannot convert visual images with role="img" into text without an accessible alternative. All users with visual disabilities, from complete blindness to low vision and color blindness, require text alternatives to access the information that images convey.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elementsElements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements should not have tabindex greater than zeroUsing tabindex values greater than 0 creates unexpected tab orders that disorient users. It makes elements appear to be skipped when users tab past them, requires setting tabindex on every element to maintain order, and forces all tabindex items to be visited before any normal elements, breaking natural navigation flow.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.65 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
The skip-link target should exist and be focusableSkip links allow keyboard users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content. Without skip links, users must tab through potentially hundreds of navigation links on every page, which is time-consuming and can cause physical pain for users with motor limitations.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Buttons must have discernible textScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements should not have tabindex greater than zeroUsing tabindex values greater than 0 creates unexpected tab orders that disorient users. It makes elements appear to be skipped when users tab past them, requires setting tabindex on every element to maintain order, and forces all tabindex items to be visited before any normal elements, breaking natural navigation flow.82 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.9 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigationThe page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA dialog and alertdialog nodes should have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot identify the purpose of role="dialog" or role="alertdialog" elements without an accessible name. This leaves users confused about what dialog they've encountered and what it contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Scrollable region must have keyboard accessScrollable regions must contain focusable elements or be focusable themselves to enable keyboard navigation. Without keyboard access, users cannot scroll to view content that extends beyond the visible area, making that content completely inaccessible to keyboard-only users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.84 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.81 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.31 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.82 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA roles used must conform to valid valuesInvalid ARIA role values prevent assistive technologies from understanding and communicating the element's purpose to users. Without valid roles, screen readers cannot provide information about the element's features, properties, or how users should interact with it.101 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid namesMisspelled or non-existent ARIA attributes cannot perform their intended accessibility function. Assistive technologies rely on correctly spelled, current ARIA attributes to convey proper user interface behaviors and structural information to people with disabilities.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Buttons must have discernible textScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.89 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
[role="img"] elements must have alternative textScreen readers cannot convert visual images with role="img" into text without an accessible alternative. All users with visual disabilities, from complete blindness to low vision and color blindness, require text alternatives to access the information that images convey.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA dialog and alertdialog nodes should have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot identify the purpose of role="dialog" or role="alertdialog" elements without an accessible name. This leaves users confused about what dialog they've encountered and what it contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA input fields must have an accessible nameARIA input fields with roles like combobox, listbox, searchbox, slider, spinbutton, and textbox must have accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what information these fields expect or their purpose in the form.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.29 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Main landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe main landmark must be at the top level and not nested inside other landmarks. This ensures screen reader users can quickly navigate to the primary content without searching through complex hierarchy, making page navigation simpler and more predictable.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one main landmarkMultiple main landmarks confuse screen reader users about where the primary content is located. Each page should have only one main landmark so users can quickly and predictably navigate to the primary content area.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.97 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA roles used must conform to valid valuesInvalid ARIA role values prevent assistive technologies from understanding and communicating the element's purpose to users. Without valid roles, screen readers cannot provide information about the element's features, properties, or how users should interact with it.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.19 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
autocomplete attribute must be used correctlyMissing or incorrect autocomplete values make forms inaccessible to screen reader users. Screen readers cannot provide adequate information about form fields without proper autocomplete attributes, preventing users from understanding what information is required and how to complete forms correctly.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
accesskey attribute value should be uniqueDuplicate accesskey values create unpredictable keyboard shortcuts that confuse users who rely on keyboard navigation. Each accesskey must be unique and not conflict with browser or screen reader shortcuts. Keyboard users with vision impairments depend on these shortcuts to navigate efficiently without using a mouse.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe contentinfo landmark must be at the top level to help screen reader users quickly navigate to footer information. When nested inside another landmark, it becomes harder to find, defeating its purpose of providing quick access to content information.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one contentinfo landmarkMultiple contentinfo landmarks force screen reader users to sort through extra options to find footer information. Each page should have only one content info landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation without overwhelming users with duplicate structural markers.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.70 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmarkBanner landmarks must be top-level to effectively designate the header portion of the page. Nested banner landmarks fail to provide the structural information screen reader users need to navigate efficiently through the page layout.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
ARIA role should be appropriate for the elementInvalid ARIA role and HTML element combinations can break accessibility for entire sections of your application. When roles are used incorrectly, assistive technologies may report confusing or nonsensical information to users, making it impossible for them to understand and interact with the interface properly.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Buttons must have discernible textScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.55 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributesUsing prohibited ARIA attributes prevents important information from reaching assistive technology users. It also causes assistive technologies to behave inconsistently as they attempt to compensate for the error.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tableProper table markup with header associations allows screen reader users to navigate from cell to cell while hearing the corresponding headers announced. This is especially crucial in large tables where cells contain similar data. Without accessible table structure, screen reader users cannot understand what data each cell represents.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.96 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.89 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Contentinfo landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe contentinfo landmark must be at the top level to help screen reader users quickly navigate to footer information. When nested inside another landmark, it becomes harder to find, defeating its purpose of providing quick access to content information.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Banner landmark should not be contained in another landmarkBanner landmarks must be top-level to effectively designate the header portion of the page. Nested banner landmarks fail to provide the structural information screen reader users need to navigate efficiently through the page layout.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Main landmark should not be contained in another landmarkThe main landmark must be at the top level and not nested inside other landmarks. This ensures screen reader users can quickly navigate to the primary content without searching through complex hierarchy, making page navigation simpler and more predictable.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should not have more than one contentinfo landmarkMultiple contentinfo landmarks force screen reader users to sort through extra options to find footer information. Each page should have only one content info landmark to enable quick, predictable navigation without overwhelming users with duplicate structural markers.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.93 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignoredElements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.44 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.95 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<svg> elements with an img role must have alternative textSVG images need text alternatives so their information can be accessed through any sensory modality - visual, auditory, or tactile. Text alternatives enable screen readers to convert visual information into speech or braille, support future translation into sign language, and ensure content is accessible regardless of a user's sensory abilities.13 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.13 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.14 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Scrollable region must have keyboard accessScrollable regions must contain focusable elements or be focusable themselves to enable keyboard navigation. Without keyboard access, users cannot scroll to view content that extends beyond the visible area, making that content completely inaccessible to keyboard-only users.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA dialog and alertdialog nodes should have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot identify the purpose of role="dialog" or role="alertdialog" elements without an accessible name. This leaves users confused about what dialog they've encountered and what it contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.77 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.84 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.15 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.92 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid namesMisspelled or non-existent ARIA attributes cannot perform their intended accessibility function. Assistive technologies rely on correctly spelled, current ARIA attributes to convey proper user interface behaviors and structural information to people with disabilities.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigationThe page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.94 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.74 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.61 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Buttons must have discernible textScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elementsElements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.73 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.79 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.17 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must only use permitted ARIA attributesUsing prohibited ARIA attributes prevents important information from reaching assistive technology users. It also causes assistive technologies to behave inconsistently as they attempt to compensate for the error.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Scrollable region must have keyboard accessScrollable regions must contain focusable elements or be focusable themselves to enable keyboard navigation. Without keyboard access, users cannot scroll to view content that extends beyond the visible area, making that content completely inaccessible to keyboard-only users.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigationThe page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.87 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.79 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignoredElements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Buttons must have discernible textScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of buttons without an accessible name. Without a name, users don't know what action the button will perform when activated.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must be contained by particular parentsARIA roles with missing required parent elements cannot function as intended for assistive technology users. Parent-child relationships convey essential hierarchy and context, like showing where an item sits within a tree structure. Without proper parents, this critical relationship information is lost.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.5 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<li> elements must be contained in a <ul> or <ol>Lists require proper semantic hierarchy with ul or ol parent elements and li child elements. This structure allows screen readers to announce when users enter a list, how many items it contains, and which item they're currently on, providing essential context for understanding the content.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Documents must have <title> element to aid in navigationThe page title is the first thing screen reader users hear when loading a page. Without a descriptive, unique title, users must read through the entire page to understand its contents and purpose, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<html> element must have a lang attributeScreen readers need language information to switch between pronunciation libraries. Without a specified language, screen readers default to the user's preferred language, resulting in incorrect pronunciation that sounds like a strange accent and makes content difficult or impossible to understand.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.87 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.72 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.78 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Page should contain a level-one headingScreen reader users use keyboard shortcuts to jump directly to the first h1, expecting to land at the main content. Without an h1 or with a misplaced one, users must listen to more of the page to understand its structure, wasting valuable time on every page visit.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.86 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.6 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.74 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Form elements must have labelsForm labels are essential for screen reader users to understand what information each field requires. Without proper labels, screen readers cannot identify input expectations, fields don't receive focus when announced, and users with motor impairments lose the benefit of larger clickable areas that labels provide.74 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
ARIA attributes must conform to valid namesMisspelled or non-existent ARIA attributes cannot perform their intended accessibility function. Assistive technologies rely on correctly spelled, current ARIA attributes to convey proper user interface behaviors and structural information to people with disabilities.4 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Select element must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot understand what information a select element requires without a proper label. Labels are essential for identifying form fields even when the purpose seems visually obvious, ensuring all users can complete forms successfully.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.42 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.78 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.83 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements should not have tabindex greater than zeroUsing tabindex values greater than 0 creates unexpected tab orders that disorient users. It makes elements appear to be skipped when users tab past them, requires setting tabindex on every element to maintain order, and forces all tabindex items to be visited before any normal elements, breaking natural navigation flow.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA input fields must have an accessible nameARIA input fields with roles like combobox, listbox, searchbox, slider, spinbutton, and textbox must have accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what information these fields expect or their purpose in the form.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Form elements should have a visible labelThe title and aria-describedby attributes provide supplementary hints, not labels. Screen readers treat these as advisory information rather than true labels, which prevents them from properly conveying the form element's purpose. Form fields need proper labels that can be programmatically determined.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Table cell headers attributes must refer to other <th> elements in the same tableProper table markup with header associations allows screen reader users to navigate from cell to cell while hearing the corresponding headers announced. This is especially crucial in large tables where cells contain similar data. Without accessible table structure, screen reader users cannot understand what data each cell represents.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must be distinguishable without relying on colorPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot visually distinguish links from surrounding text without sufficient color contrast (3:1 ratio minimum). When link colors are too similar to regular text, users with visual impairments cannot identify which text is clickable.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.84 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Zooming and scaling must not be disabledSetting user-scalable="no" or maximum-scale less than 2 prevents people with low vision from zooming to read content. Users who enlarge text in their browsers are blocked from making content readable, violating accessibility guidelines that require supporting at least 200% zoom.76 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.19 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
The skip-link target should exist and be focusableSkip links allow keyboard users to bypass repetitive navigation and jump directly to main content. Without skip links, users must tab through potentially hundreds of navigation links on every page, which is time-consuming and can cause physical pain for users with motor limitations.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignoredElements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.74 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
ARIA attributes must conform to valid valuesARIA attributes must contain correctly spelled values that match the attribute's expected options. Invalid values prevent the accessibility feature from working, making content inaccessible to assistive technology users who depend on these attributes for navigation and interaction.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Certain ARIA roles must contain particular childrenARIA roles missing required child elements cannot perform their intended accessibility functions. Children provide essential context, like how a treeitem relates to its parent container and siblings. Without proper children, assistive technologies cannot convey this structural information to users.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements must only use supported ARIA attributesUsing ARIA attributes in roles where they're not allowed can disable accessibility for entire sections of your application. Invalid attribute-role combinations create conflicts that cause assistive technologies to report incorrect or nonsensical information about your interface.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Active <area> elements must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into words without alt text. When image maps lack alternative text, screen readers typically announce unhelpful filenames instead, leaving users unable to understand the image's purpose or content.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
Elements should not have tabindex greater than zeroUsing tabindex values greater than 0 creates unexpected tab orders that disorient users. It makes elements appear to be skipped when users tab past them, requires setting tabindex on every element to maintain order, and forces all tabindex items to be visited before any normal elements, breaking natural navigation flow.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.99 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.92 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
<ul> and <ol> must only directly contain <li>, <script> or <template> elementsLists must contain only li elements as direct children (besides non-content elements like script or style). When other content elements appear within ul or ol tags, screen readers cannot properly inform users they're listening to list items, breaking the expected list navigation experience.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA hidden element must not be focusable or contain focusable elementsElements with aria-hidden="true" are removed from the accessibility API but remain keyboard-focusable, creating confusion about their visibility state. When users tab to these hidden elements, screen readers stay silent, leaving users unaware of what they've focused on or why nothing is being announced.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA input fields must have an accessible nameARIA input fields with roles like combobox, listbox, searchbox, slider, spinbutton, and textbox must have accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what information these fields expect or their purpose in the form.3 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.7 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA toggle fields must have an accessible nameToggle controls like checkbox, menu, menuitemcheckbox, menuitemradio, radio, radiogroup, and switch require accessible names. Without names, screen reader users cannot identify what option they're toggling or selecting.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
Interactive controls must not be nestedNested interactive elements create empty tab stops where screen readers remain silent. When users tab to a focusable element inside another interactive control, they receive no information about its name, role, or state, creating a confusing and broken navigation experience.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.99 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.98 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Alternative text of images should not be repeated as textDuplicating alternative text adjacent to an image or link forces screen readers to announce the same information twice. This redundancy is unnecessary and confusing, especially when image buttons repeat their labels in nearby text.8 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Elements marked as presentational should be consistently ignoredElements with role="none" or role="presentation" should be removed from the accessibility tree. Adding global ARIA attributes or making these elements focusable prevents their removal, leaving them accessible to screen readers when they should be ignored, creating unexpected and confusing behavior.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
Table header text should not be emptyTable headers must contain visible text that describes the purpose of each row or column. Without descriptive header text, both sighted users and screen reader users cannot understand what data the column or row contains.1 page affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
The top three councils were Palmerston North City Council, Whangarei District Council and Waipā District Council. Palmerston North was the clear standout, scoring a perfect 100 with every one of its 96 scanned pages reaching the good threshold, and Whangarei followed close behind on 96. We performed extra manual testing on these three sites - read on to see our findings.
Palmerston North City Council
pncc.govt.nz
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Score100Good
Pages scanned96
Issues found4
Pages by score
Page scores: 96 good, 0 needs improvement, 0 poor
Our manual testing showed that Palmy council mostly deserves its perfect score. We would have liked to see a dedicated landmark for the navigation menu, but other than that we did not find any issues. Keyboard and VoiceOver navigation was easy, the design is uncluttered, and there is an overall high attention to detail.
Whangarei District Council
wdc.govt.nz
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Score96Good
Pages scanned90
Issues found43
Pages by score
Page scores: 83 good, 2 needs improvement, 5 poor
Whangarei District Council's website appears to be built on the same platform as Palmerston North's website, so it's no surprise that it scored highly. It had the same lack of navigation landmark, but was otherwise very pleasant to navigate. Points were deducted from their overall score for content- and theme-related issues such as missing alt text and insufficient colour contrast.
Manual testing showed that Waipā District Council's website also earned its score, with easy navigation and good page structure. Similar to Whangarei District Council, points were deducted for content-related issues such as confusing alt text. Points were also deducted for pages that did not make sufficient use of landmarks, although we did not find that this made the pages hard to read.
The lowest-scoring sites
Just like we did for the podium websites, we also performed manual testing on the three lowest-scoring sites, which belong to Waimakariri, Timaru and Napier. Their results sit in a completely different league to everyone else, with hundreds of serious and critical issues across most of their pages. This is actually the first time we’d ever seen websites with single-digit scores. Let’s dive in and talk about what our manual testing uncovered.
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Waimakariri District Council
waimakariri.govt.nz
8Poor
Pages scanned88
Total Issues812
Critical Issues196
Severity breakdown
Critical196
Serious197
Moderate327
Minor92
Pages by score
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 88 poor
Waimakariri District Council's score is so low due to the sheer volume of issues that A11y Pulse found across their website. Most of their issues appear to be structural, e.g. element attributes or DOM hierarchy that make navigation confusing. Overall their website was perfectly navigable with both a keyboard and screen reader, but the accessibility issues were common enough that some users may struggle to find what they are looking for.
Timaru District Council's website was extremely confusing and difficult to use. The first thing we noticed was that we needed to tab through 12 items before finding a skip link. However, instead of a standard 'skip to content' link, we found 5 separate skip links: skip to primary navigation, which placed focus in a hidden menu; skip to secondary navigation, which did not work; skip to search, which did not work; skip to content, which actually skipped to the search form; and finally skip to Tim the Chatbot, which also did not work. Two menus had an identical 'navigation' landmark. Worst of all, the links to important forms such as reporting infrastructure issues or applying for building consent are completely inaccessible to keyboard and screen reader users. This could potentially raise issues under the Human Rights Act 1993.
Napier City Council is on the cusp of doing many things right, but instead their website presents a very frustrating experience. While it is technically possible to navigate the entire website by keyboard or screen reader, expanding submenus in the navigation resets the focus, requiring the user to tab through all of the previous items again. Their site is littered with carousels which periodically announce their content, making screen reader use confusing.
The table below shows the 10 most common issues that A11y Pulse found across all the councils we tested. Incorrect heading structure was the most widespread problem by a distance, appearing on all 26 websites, followed by insufficient colour contrast on 23 of them and missing or misused page landmarks on 22. As in previous benchmarks, the majority of the most common issues come down to poor content structure and colour contrast.
1Heading levels should only increase by oneHeadings convey page structure for screen reader users the same way text size does for sighted users. Properly ordered headings (h1 through h6) allow screen reader users to quickly navigate and understand content structure, saving significant time and frustration while also improving search engine optimization.
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2Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholdsPeople with low vision or color blindness cannot read text that lacks sufficient contrast with its background. With nearly three times more people having low vision than total blindness, and 8% of men and 0.4% of women having color deficiencies, adequate contrast is essential for making text readable to millions of users.
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3All page content should be contained by landmarksContent should be organized within high-level landmark regions like <header>, <navigation>, <main>, and <footer>. Content outside these sections is difficult to find and its purpose may be unclear, making navigation inefficient for screen reader users who rely on landmarks to understand page structure.
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4Frames must have an accessible nameScreen reader users rely on frame titles to understand frame content without exploring each one. Without descriptive, unique titles, users receive unhelpful information like "frame," "JavaScript," or URLs, making navigation through frames difficult and confusing.
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5Links must have discernible textKeyboard users and screen reader users can only interact with links that have accessible names and can receive focus. Without proper names, users don't know where links lead. Without keyboard focus, users who cannot use a mouse cannot activate the links at all.
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6Interactive elements must have a visible focus indicatorSighted keyboard users rely on a visible focus indicator to know where they are on the page. When focus styles are missing, too subtle, or have insufficient contrast against the surrounding colors, users cannot tell which element will respond when they press Enter or Space, making keyboard navigation slow and error-prone. This especially affects people with motor impairments who cannot use a mouse and people with low vision who need clear, high-contrast indicators.
20 / 26
7Images must have alternative textScreen readers cannot translate images into text without alt attributes. Alternative text is essential for blind users and beneficial for users with low vision or color blindness, providing the same information that sighted users get from viewing the image.
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8Landmarks should have a unique role or role/label/title (i.e. accessible name) combinationEach landmark on a page must have either a unique role or a unique accessible name. Duplicate landmarks confuse screen reader users about which section they're navigating to, making it difficult to efficiently move through the page structure.
17 / 26
9Headings should not be emptyScreen readers announce headings to help users navigate page structure. Empty headings confuse users and prevent them from understanding the page's organization. Headings should only be used to convey structure, not for visual styling, and must contain accessible text that screen readers can announce.
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10Document should have one main landmarkEvery page should have exactly one main landmark that identifies the primary content. Without a main landmark, screen reader users must navigate through all content linearly to find what they're looking for, making page navigation difficult and time-consuming.
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Our conclusion
Accessibility across New Zealand council websites is uneven, with a small group doing well, a large middle that is close but not quite there, and a tail of sites that are failing the basics. The amount of low-hanging fruit is what stands out most, because problems like heading structure and colour contrast are among the most well understood and most fixable issues in web accessibility, and yet they are everywhere in this data. The manual testing we performed on these websites highlighted that accessibility issues do have a serious impact on users’ ability to access the content they need. In the case of Timaru, these issues seem to actually prevent access to critical resources.
The encouraging part is that the councils at the top of the table show how achievable a good score is, and Palmerston North in particular proves that a large council website can score full marks when accessibility is taken seriously.
