Web Accessibility Checklist (WCAG 2.2)

Accessibility is not just compliance — it is good design. This checklist covers the WCAG 2.2 guidelines that every website should meet.

11 min readUpdated March 2026

1. Why accessibility matters

Over 1 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. Accessible websites reach a larger audience, improve SEO, reduce legal risk, and provide better UX for everyone.

Many accessibility improvements also help SEO (alt text, headings, semantic HTML)
The ADA, EAA (Europe), and similar laws require digital accessibility
Accessible sites perform better for all users, including those on slow connections or using assistive technology

2. Perceivable

Content must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.

All images have descriptive alt text (or alt="" for decorative images)
Videos have captions and transcripts
Color contrast ratio meets WCAG AA: 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text
Information is not conveyed by color alone
Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content
Content reflows properly on zoom (no horizontal scroll at 400% on 1280px viewport)

HTML

<!-- Good: descriptive alt text -->
<img src="chart.png" alt="Bar chart showing 40% increase in organic traffic from January to March 2026" />

<!-- Good: decorative image -->
<img src="divider.svg" alt="" role="presentation" />

Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify color contrast ratios during design.

Dr Urls checks contrast ratios, alt text, and more during accessibility audits. Try free.

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3. Operable

Users must be able to operate the interface regardless of input method.

All interactive elements are keyboard accessible (Tab, Enter, Escape, Arrow keys)
Focus indicator is visible on all focusable elements
No keyboard traps — users can always Tab away from any element
Skip-to-content link at the top of the page
Touch targets are at least 24x24px (WCAG 2.2 minimum), ideally 44x44px
No content requires timed interactions (or provide a way to extend time)
Animations can be paused or respect prefers-reduced-motion

CSS

@media (prefers-reduced-motion: reduce) {
  *, *::before, *::after {
    animation-duration: 0.01ms !important;
    transition-duration: 0.01ms !important;
  }
}

4. Understandable

Page language is set with <html lang="en">
Navigation is consistent across pages
Error messages are clear and suggest how to fix the issue
Labels and instructions are provided for form inputs
Interactive elements behave predictably

5. Robust

HTML is valid — no duplicate IDs, proper nesting
ARIA attributes are used correctly (roles, states, properties)
Custom components have appropriate ARIA roles and keyboard support
Semantic HTML is used: <nav>, <main>, <article>, <button>

The first rule of ARIA: do not use ARIA if a native HTML element can do the job. A <button> is always better than a <div role="button">.

Want to see how your site stacks up? Run a free audit now.

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6. Forms & inputs

Every input has a visible, associated <label>
Required fields are indicated (not just by color)
Form errors appear inline next to the field, linked with aria-describedby
Autocomplete attributes are used for common fields (name, email, address)
Form submission does not require a mouse (keyboard Enter works)

HTML

<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input
  type="email"
  id="email"
  name="email"
  required
  autocomplete="email"
  aria-describedby="email-error"
/>
<p id="email-error" role="alert" class="error">
  Please enter a valid email address.
</p>

7. Testing accessibility

Automated: axe DevTools, Lighthouse, Dr Urls accessibility audit
Manual keyboard test: Unplug your mouse and navigate the entire site with Tab
Screen reader test: Test with NVDA (Windows), VoiceOver (Mac), or TalkBack (Android)
Zoom test: Zoom to 200% and 400% — check for content overflow
Color blindness: Use Chrome DevTools to simulate vision deficiencies

Automated tools catch about 30-40% of accessibility issues. Manual testing is essential for the rest.

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