How to Check a Website for Basic Accessibility

Start with the paths every visitor needs

Open the site without a mouse and move through navigation, forms, dialogs, filters, and links. The focus indicator should be visible and the order should make sense. Check that you can open and close menus and submit a form without relying on a pointer.

Review headings for logical order and labels for inputs and buttons. Do not use placeholder text as the only label. Check text contrast, link visibility, image alternative text, and whether status changes are announced or visible without color alone.

Test different conditions

Zoom text, use a narrow screen, increase system font size, and reduce motion. Open the page with a slow connection or without optional images. These checks reveal layout assumptions that a normal desktop view can hide.

• Use semantic elements before adding ARIA.
• Keep interactive targets large enough to use comfortably.
• Make error messages specific and close to the problem.
• Test with a screen reader when the page is important.

Accessibility testing is an ongoing product habit. Repeat the checks after changing a component, content order, or form behavior. Ask another person to complete the most important path without coaching, then record the barrier in the same place as other bugs. Test both keyboard and touch use. Basic checks catch many barriers before they become a visitor's reason to leave.