Web accessibility testing: what it is, how it is done and what to do with the result
An accessibility test answers a simple question: can anyone complete the important tasks on my website? To answer it properly you need to combine three types of testing.
1. Automated tests
They crawl the site and detect technical errors in HTML, ARIA and CSS: insufficient contrast, images without alternatives, fields without labels. They are fast and can be repeated with every update, but they only find part of the problems.
2. Expert manual review
A specialist reviews what a tool cannot judge: whether the alternative text makes sense, whether the reading order is logical, whether focus moves well or whether a form is understandable.
3. Testing with users
It is the definitive test: people with disabilities using your website with their own assistive technology.
What to do with the result
- Ask for a report that classifies each failure by WCAG criterion and by severity.
- Prioritise what blocks key tasks.
- Plan the fixes with owners and deadlines.
- Test again and keep periodic monitoring to catch regressions.
- Publish the accessibility statement.
Acctua Audit brings together automated analysis, manual audit, prioritised reports, continuous monitoring and conformance certification.
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