Accessibility Checker
Can everyone use your page?
A free WCAG 2.1 AA check of one page, in about a minute. We run axe-core against the live page, then look at the things it can't judge on its own: heading order, skip links, alt text, form labels, focus outlines and whether you publish an accessibility statement.
Begin scan
Coverage
What we
check
Each finding in the report names the WCAG success criterion it relates to, so a developer can look it up and fix it.
- № 01
Automated WCAG scan
axe-core, the open-source engine behind many accessibility tools, runs its WCAG 2.1 Level AA rules against the rendered page: colour contrast, missing names on buttons and links, ARIA misuse, page language and more. We also run the AAA rules, but only as advice. AAA isn't the usual target.
- № 02
Structure & navigation
Does the page have one H1, with H2s and H3s nested in order? Is there a skip link and are there landmarks (header, main, nav) so screen reader and keyboard users can jump past the menu? Can you see where keyboard focus is?
- № 03
Images & forms
Images without alt text, or with alt text like "image1.jpg". Form fields with no label, and required fields that only say so with colour or an asterisk.
- № 04
Statement & summary
We look for a link to an accessibility statement, which public sector sites must publish. A visual pass on a screenshot flags readability problems the code doesn't show. An LLM then writes a short plain-English summary of what matters most.
Why this matters
Who has to
care
About one in four people in the UK has a disability, so an inaccessible page turns away real customers. There's a legal side too. Three laws are worth knowing about. This is a summary, not legal advice.
- № 01
Equality Act 2010
Applies to every business that provides goods or services to the public in Great Britain (Northern Ireland has its own disability law). Service providers must make reasonable adjustments so disabled people aren't put at a substantial disadvantage, and that is generally taken to include websites. The Act doesn't mention WCAG, but WCAG 2.1 AA is the benchmark people usually measure against.
- № 02
Public sector regulations
The Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018 cover councils, NHS bodies, state schools, universities and most other public bodies. They must meet the accessibility standard and publish an accessibility statement. GOV.UK guidance now points to WCAG 2.2 AA. This scan tests 2.1 AA, which 2.2 builds on, so it covers most but not all of what 2.2 adds.
- № 03
European Accessibility Act
EU law, but it can reach UK businesses. Since 28 June 2025 it has applied to certain products and services sold to consumers in the EU, including e-commerce, banking, e-books and some transport services. Microenterprises (fewer than 10 staff and turnover or balance sheet of €2 million or less) that provide services are exempt. If you sell online to EU customers, check whether it applies to you.
Scope
What we don't do.
Automated testing finds only part of the WCAG issues on a page. Plenty of success criteria need a person to judge them, such as whether alt text actually describes the image or whether a page makes sense read aloud. So, to be clear:
- Not a full audit. A clean result doesn't mean the page conforms to WCAG.
- No multi-page crawl. We check the exact URL you paste.
- No testing with assistive technology. We don't drive a screen reader or test with disabled users.
- No PDFs, videos or apps. Web pages only.
Use it to find the obvious problems quickly and fix them. If you need to show conformance, for a public sector statement or a contract, get a manual audit as well.
FAQ
Common
questions
What UK small business owners tend to ask about website accessibility.
- Q1
Is website accessibility a legal requirement in the UK?
For public sector bodies, yes: the 2018 accessibility regulations require them to meet the standard and publish an accessibility statement. For private businesses, the Equality Act 2010 requires reasonable adjustments for disabled customers, and that is generally read as covering websites. The Act doesn't name WCAG, but WCAG 2.1 AA is the usual benchmark.
- Q2
What is WCAG 2.1 AA?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are published by the W3C. Version 2.1 has success criteria at three levels: A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the one laws and contracts usually point to. It covers things like colour contrast, keyboard access, text alternatives for images and labelled form fields.
- Q3
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to UK businesses?
It can. The Act has applied since 28 June 2025 to certain products and services offered to consumers in the EU, including e-commerce. A UK business selling those to EU consumers may be in scope. Microenterprises that provide services, meaning fewer than 10 staff and no more than €2 million turnover or balance sheet, are exempt. Check the rules for the EU countries you sell into.
- Q4
Can an automated checker prove my site is accessible?
No. Automated tools catch only part of the WCAG issues on a page. Many criteria need a person to judge them, for example whether alt text is meaningful or whether the reading order makes sense. A clean result here means we didn't find the problems a machine can detect, not that the page conforms.
- Q5
Why does it only check one page?
Each scan loads the page in a real browser and runs several checks on it, which takes about a minute. Run it on the pages that matter most, such as your home page, a product page, checkout and contact form, rather than assuming one page speaks for the rest.
- Q6
Do I need an accessibility statement?
Public sector websites must publish one. Private businesses aren't required to under UK law, but a short statement saying what you've tested, what you know is broken and how people can contact you is good practice, and the scan checks whether you link to one.
Last word
Check one page. Fix what it finds.
Free, about a minute, no registration.
Run a free check