Complete Website Accessibility Checklist 2026

All <img> elements have alt attributes

SC 1.1.1

Alt text is descriptive and concise (not file names or placeholder text)

SC 1.1.1

Decorative images use alt="" (empty alt)

SC 1.1.1

Complex images (charts, diagrams) have extended descriptions

SC 1.1.1

Videos have captions (closed captions or subtitles)

SC 1.2.2

Videos have audio descriptions for visual-only content

SC 1.2.5

Audio-only content has a text transcript

SC 1.2.1

No autoplaying audio without mute controls

SC 1.4.2

No content that flashes more than 3 times per second

SC 2.3.1

Text color contrast ratio is at least 4.5:1 (normal text) or 3:1 (large text)

SC 1.4.3

Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content

SC 1.4.4

Content reflows properly at 320px width (no horizontal scrolling)

SC 1.4.10

Text spacing can be adjusted without breaking layout

SC 1.4.12

No images of text (use real text with CSS styling)

SC 1.4.5

One H1 per page, used for the main topic

SC 1.3.1

Heading levels don't skip (H1 → H2 → H3, not H1 → H3)

SC 1.3.1

Headings accurately describe the content that follows

SC 2.4.6

Semantic HTML used (main, nav, header, footer, article, section)

SC 1.3.1

Lists use proper markup (ul, ol, li)

SC 1.3.1

Data tables have th elements for headers

SC 1.3.1

Complex tables use scope or headers attributes

SC 1.3.1

Skip navigation link is the first focusable element

SC 2.4.1

All functionality is available via keyboard

SC 2.1.1

No keyboard traps (focus can always be moved away)

SC 2.1.2

Focus indicator is visible on all interactive elements

SC 2.4.7

Tab order follows visual reading order

SC 2.4.3

Link text describes the destination (no 'click here')

SC 2.4.4

Navigation is consistent across pages

SC 3.2.3

Multiple ways to find pages (search, sitemap, navigation)

SC 2.4.5

All form inputs have associated labels

SC 1.3.1

Required fields are identified (not just by color)

SC 1.3.1

Error messages identify the field and describe the error

SC 3.3.1

Error suggestions provide correction guidance

SC 3.3.3

Form submissions can be reviewed and corrected before final submission

SC 3.3.4

All buttons have accessible names

SC 4.1.2

Custom widgets have appropriate ARIA roles, states, and properties

SC 4.1.2

HTML lang attribute is set and valid

SC 3.1.1

Page has a descriptive <title>

SC 2.4.2

Iframes have descriptive title attributes

SC 4.1.2

HTML validates without significant errors

SC 4.1.1

No timed content without ability to extend or disable timer

SC 2.2.1

Status messages use ARIA live regions

SC 4.1.3