Industry Benchmark: Which New Zealand web agencies take accessibility seriously?
Joseph Wynn
··4 min read
Industry Benchmark
The Industry Benchmark series takes a sample of websites from an industry, either globally or within a specific region, and evaluates their web accessibility score. The aim of these posts is primarily to gather data on the state of accessibility across the web, but we also hope they can serve as a call to action for the websites that do not score well. This post is the first in the series, and it focuses on web agencies in New Zealand.
Methodology
The agencies that we tested for this benchmark were selected by hand. We tried to select agencies who have done work for large organisations, government agencies, and not-for-profits, since those are the types of clients who are likely to have accessibility requirements. We added each agency into A11y Pulse, and used the site crawl feature to find up to 100 extra pages for each site. A11y Pulse scanned the pages 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.
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.
27
Sites scanned
66
Average accessibility score
56%
Sites with at least one critical issue
26/27
Sites failed the heading orderHeadings 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. audit
Accessibility score by site
Of the 27 agencies we tested, only four received a “good” accessibility score of 90 or above. More surprising was the fact that nearly half of the agencies received a “poor” score of less than 70, with the worst-performing agency having over 240 critical accessibility issues on their website.
1SilverstripeScore: 96
2Somar DigitalScore: 93
3Fahrenheit DigitalScore: 92
4SquizScore: 92
5SignifyScore: 89
6Catch DesignScore: 88
7CucumberScore: 87
8DNAScore: 87
9NV InteractiveScore: 87
10Catalyst ITScore: 85
11SpringloadScore: 84
12AssurityScore: 79
13VocoScore: 75
14RUSHScore: 71
15OctaveScore: 71
16Terabyte InteractiveScore: 63
17WebstruxureScore: 58
18FrondeScore: 56
19SysdocScore: 54
20DesignworksScore: 48
21ToastScore: 42
22SatelliteScore: 34
23Equinox ITScore: 33
24Dynamo6Score: 30
25ThetaScore: 29
26Tangerine DesignScore: 27
27DatacomScore: 21
The podium
While no agency scored a perfect 100, the four that share the podium all scored above 90, which is reassuring to see. We performed extra manual testing on these four sites - read on to see our findings.
🥇
Silverstripe
silverstripe.com
Score96Good
Pages scanned66
Issues found27
Pages by score
Page scores:53 good, 13 needs improvement, 0 poor
Silverstripe came out on top with just 27 issues across all of their pages, and no critical issues. During our manual testing we were happy to see that they got the basics right, although we were disappointed that the skip link did not function on most pages. Dialogs on the 'Meet the team' page also did not capture focus correctly, which was frustrating as a keyboard user. Screen reader support was good, with sensible landmarks and labels.
🥈
Somar Digital
somar.co.nz
Score93Good
Pages scanned62
Issues found52
Pages by score
Page scores:43 good, 19 needs improvement, 0 poor
Manual testing showed that Somar Digital put accessibility first with clear focus state, good labelling, and well thought out interactive components. Their accessibility score was only let down by some colour contrast issues on small text, as well as one unlabelled form element which appears to be a genuine frontend bug. Screen reader support was good, although more content landmarks would have made pages easier to navigate.
🥉
Fahrenheit Digital
fahrenheit.co.nz
Score92Good
Pages scanned42
Issues found41
Pages by score
Page scores:32 good, 10 needs improvement, 0 poor
Fahrenheit Digital's website is a good case study for where automated accessibility testing can miss key issues. A11y Pulse caught some valid issues, like using <a> instead of <button>. It was only during manual testing that we found the site was virtually inaccessible to keyboard users due to a navigation with no tab index. Screen reader support was also poor, with convoluted markup causing simple text to be announced as nested groups and carousel content lacking meaningful labels.
🥉
Squiz
squiz.net
Score92Good
Pages scanned47
Issues found90
Pages by score
Page scores:36 good, 10 needs improvement, 1 poor
Squiz impressed us with an incredibly well-built site. Our manual testing found no obvious issues, which is reassuring given that Squiz tout their own commitment to accessibility. Their score was only let down by a large number of 'easy fix' issues such as non-hierarchical heading elements. Screen reader support was excellent and all pages were easy to navigate.
Detailed test results
The table below shows the detailed results for each site that we tested, including a list of all issues that were found by A11y Pulse. You can click or tap on any row to expand it.
One interesting insight in this data is how the top 10 sites all achieve a good accessibility score for most of their pages, while almost none of the pages from the remaining 17 sites reached the good score threshold. This sharp divide suggests that the agencies in the top 10 made at least some effort to write accessible code, while the others may not be aware of accessibility requirements at all.
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
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.3 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
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
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
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.9 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.3 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.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
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
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.17 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Aside should not be contained in another landmarkScreen reader users can skip over complementary content like <aside> elements when they appear at the top level. Embedding asides within other landmarks may disable this navigation feature, forcing users to wade through ancillary content they want to skip.13 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
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
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
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
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.5 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.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
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
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.28 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
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
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.38 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Aside should not be contained in another landmarkScreen reader users can skip over complementary content like <aside> elements when they appear at the top level. Embedding asides within other landmarks may disable this navigation feature, forcing users to wade through ancillary content they want to skip.24 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
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.11 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.11 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
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.6 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.74 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.60 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.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.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
6
Catch Designcatchdesign.co.nz
88
88Needs improvement
Page scores: 36 good, 6 needs improvement, 2 poor
Pages scanned44
Total Issues88
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious10
Moderate78
Minor0
Issue details
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.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.4 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.44 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.33 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
7
Cucumbercucumber.co.nz
56
87Needs improvement
Page scores: 19 good, 9 needs improvement, 1 poor
Pages scanned29
Total Issues56
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious11
Moderate44
Minor1
Issue details
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.9 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.2 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.29 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.15 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
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.5 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.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.51 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Aside should not be contained in another landmarkScreen reader users can skip over complementary content like <aside> elements when they appear at the top level. Embedding asides within other landmarks may disable this navigation feature, forcing users to wade through ancillary content they want to skip.51 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
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
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.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.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.60 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.51 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
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.19 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.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.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.2 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.81 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.100 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.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
11
Springloadspringload.co.nz
47
84Needs improvement
Page scores: 1 good, 36 needs improvement, 0 poor
Pages scanned37
Total Issues47
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious37
Moderate9
Minor1
Issue details
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.36 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.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.4 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
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
12
Assurityassurity.nz
45
79Needs improvement
Page scores: 0 good, 29 needs improvement, 4 poor
Pages scanned33
Total Issues45
Critical Issues5
Severity breakdown
Critical5
Serious40
Moderate0
Minor0
Issue details
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
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
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
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.33 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
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
13
Vocovoco.co.nz
295
75Needs improvement
Page scores: 1 good, 80 needs improvement, 0 poor
Pages scanned81
Total Issues295
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious54
Moderate241
Minor0
Issue details
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.54 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.81 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.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.79 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
14
RUSHrush.co.nz
224
71Needs improvement
Page scores: 0 good, 59 needs improvement, 3 poor
Pages scanned62
Total Issues224
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious65
Moderate159
Minor0
Issue details
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.62 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
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
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.61 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.61 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.37 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
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.74 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.13 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.74 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.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.28 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
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
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
16
Terabyte Interactiveterabyte.co.nz
260
63Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 80 poor
Pages scanned80
Total Issues260
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious163
Moderate96
Minor1
Issue details
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.80 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.80 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
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
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.80 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.16 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
17
Webstruxurewebstruxure.co.nz
285
58Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 66 poor
Pages scanned66
Total Issues285
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious135
Moderate148
Minor2
Issue details
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.66 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.66 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
Aside should not be contained in another landmarkScreen reader users can skip over complementary content like <aside> elements when they appear at the top level. Embedding asides within other landmarks may disable this navigation feature, forcing users to wade through ancillary content they want to skip.66 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.61 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.21 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.2 pages 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.19 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.17 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
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
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.64 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.64 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.14 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.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA commands must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of interactive elements with role="link", role="button", or role="menuitem" that lack an accessible name. Without a name, these controls are essentially invisible to assistive technology users.14 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.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
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
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
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.55 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.20 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.5 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.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
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
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
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
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
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.13 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
19
Sysdocsysdoc.com
490
54Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 95 poor
Pages scanned95
Total Issues490
Critical Issues2
Severity breakdown
Critical2
Serious192
Moderate296
Minor0
Issue details
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.2 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.95 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.95 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
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.95 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.95 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.94 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.12 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
20
Designworksdesignworks.com
62
48Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 11 poor
Pages scanned11
Total Issues62
Critical Issues0
Severity breakdown
Critical0
Serious28
Moderate28
Minor6
Issue details
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.11 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
<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.11 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.11 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.8 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
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
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
21
Toasttoast.co.nz
403
42Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 66 poor
Pages scanned66
Total Issues403
Critical Issues68
Severity breakdown
Critical68
Serious77
Moderate256
Minor2
Issue details
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.66 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
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.66 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
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
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.66 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.66 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
Aside should not be contained in another landmarkScreen reader users can skip over complementary content like <aside> elements when they appear at the top level. Embedding asides within other landmarks may disable this navigation feature, forcing users to wade through ancillary content they want to skip.66 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.27 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.31 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.2 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
22
Satellitesatellite.co.nz
576
34Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 94 poor
Pages scanned94
Total Issues576
Critical Issues41
Severity breakdown
Critical41
Serious324
Moderate126
Minor85
Issue details
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.31 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.10 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.94 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.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
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.24 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.9 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.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 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
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
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.17 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
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.81 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
23
Equinox ITequinox.co.nz
240
33Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 50 poor
Pages scanned50
Total Issues240
Critical Issues50
Severity breakdown
Critical50
Serious140
Moderate50
Minor0
Issue details
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
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.40 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.50 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.50 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.40 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.10 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
24
Dynamo6dynamo6.com
338
30Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 44 poor
Pages scanned44
Total Issues338
Critical Issues6
Severity breakdown
Critical6
Serious134
Moderate185
Minor13
Issue details
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.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.44 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.44 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.44 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
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.44 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.44 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.38 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.44 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.14 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.13 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Minor
25
Thetatheta.co.nz
503
29Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 0 needs improvement, 75 poor
Pages scanned75
Total Issues503
Critical Issues36
Severity breakdown
Critical36
Serious229
Moderate238
Minor0
Issue details
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.18 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.18 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.75 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.74 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.75 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Serious
ARIA commands must have an accessible nameScreen reader users cannot determine the purpose of interactive elements with role="link", role="button", or role="menuitem" that lack an accessible name. Without a name, these controls are essentially invisible to assistive technology users.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.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.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.74 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.68 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.50 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.40 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
26
Tangerine Designtangerine.co.nz
292
27Poor
Page scores: 0 good, 2 needs improvement, 41 poor
Pages scanned43
Total Issues292
Critical Issues37
Severity breakdown
Critical37
Serious111
Moderate144
Minor0
Issue details
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.37 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.43 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.26 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.41 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.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.43 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.32 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.43 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.26 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Moderate
27
Datacomdatacom.com
713
21Poor
Page scores: 3 good, 4 needs improvement, 88 poor
Pages scanned95
Total Issues713
Critical Issues247
Severity breakdown
Critical247
Serious145
Moderate222
Minor99
Issue details
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.73 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.62 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.64 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.25 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.12 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.11 pages affected by this issue.Impact level: Critical
<dt> and <dd> elements must be contained by a <dl>Definition list items must follow a specific hierarchy: dl as parent, with alternating dt (term) and dd (description) children. Without this proper structure, the list becomes invalid and screen readers cannot inform users they're listening to a list or convey the relationships between terms and their definitions.57 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.36 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.29 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.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.13 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
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.95 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.66 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.60 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
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.95 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
The lowest-scoring sites
Just like we did for the podium websites, we also performed manual testing on the three lowest-scoring sites. We thought the low scores were justified, although we were surprised to find that the worst-performing site was actually more usable than its score implied.
25
Theta
theta.co.nz
29Poor
Pages scanned75
Total Issues503
Critical Issues36
Severity breakdown
Critical36
Serious229
Moderate238
Minor0
During manual testing we noted that Theta's website was mostly accessible for keyboard users, but poor structure and lack of landmarks made screen reader use extremely difficult. Colour contrast was a consistent issue, with important information such as dates and titles being hard to read. While Theta does have a large number of accessibility issues, many of them would be reasonably easy to address and would go a long way to improving their site's usability.
26
Tangerine Design
tangerine.co.nz
27Poor
Pages scanned43
Total Issues292
Critical Issues37
Severity breakdown
Critical37
Serious111
Moderate144
Minor0
Tangerine Design got a few basics right such as a skip link and keyboard-accessible navigation, however there were some visual design choices that made other parts of their website completely inaccessible to keyboard users. Screen reader support was a mixed bag, with VoiceOver on Firefox reading every element as 'clickable' and VoiceOver on Safari being unable to read any of the content on the page. Tangerine's website needs some significant structural improvements to be accessible to all users.
27
Datacom
datacom.com
21Poor
Pages scanned95
Total Issues713
Critical Issues247
Severity breakdown
Critical247
Serious145
Moderate222
Minor99
It was not possible to navigate around Datacom's website with a keyboard or screen reader because their navigation uses <div> elements where <button> or <a> should have been used. The content that we were able to test with a screen reader was in poor shape: lack of landmarks made navigation difficult, and no alternative text on images made the reading experience extremely painful. While A11y Pulse did find many valid issues, the single biggest failing of Datacom's website was that nobody tested their navigation with assistive technologies before launch.
The most commonly failed audits
The table below shows the 10 most common issues that A11y Pulse found across all the websites we tested. If you read our manual testing notes, these issues won’t come as any surprise - the majority of issues that we found were related 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.
26 / 27
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.
23 / 27
3Links 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.
19 / 27
4All 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.
17 / 27
5Headings 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.
15 / 27
6Landmarks 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.
13 / 27
7Page 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.
12 / 27
8Frames 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 / 27
9Document 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.
10 / 27
10Images 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.
8 / 27
Our conclusion
Based on the test results, it feels like accessibility on the web is still very much split between those who make an effort and those who don’t. During manual testing we could usually tell within the first 30 seconds whether a site had been built with assistive technologies in mind, and most of the time this was reflected in the accessibility score.
