Web Accessibility Checklist: How to Make Your Website Inclusive for Everyone

Web accessibility is no longer an optional extra—it’s essential. From meeting legal requirements to improving user experience for all, ensuring your site is accessible helps you reach more people, improves SEO performance, and shows your brand values inclusivity.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through a comprehensive web accessibility checklist to help you identify key areas for improvement. Whether you manage a hospitality brand, e‑commerce business, or digital platform, following these steps will ensure your website is usable, compliant, and welcoming for everyone.

Web accessibility means designing and developing websites, tools and technologies so that people with disabilities can use them without barriers. This covers a wide range of conditions including:

• Visual impairments (blindness, low vision, colour blindness)
• Hearing impairments (deafness, partial hearing loss)
• Motor difficulties (limited mobility, tremors, use of assistive devices)
• Cognitive impairments (dyslexia, memory limitations, ADHD)

Accessible websites work seamlessly across screen readers, keyboard navigation, voice recognition software and other assistive technologies.

At the heart of accessibility are the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These international standards are built on four main principles:

1. Perceivable – content must be presented in ways users can perceive.
2. Operable – users must be able to interact with the interface.
3. Understandable – content should be clear and simple.
4. Robust – content must be compatible with assistive technologies.

1. Legal Compliance – In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires businesses not to discriminate against people with disabilities. Globally, legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) sets similar expectations.
2. Better User Experience – Accessibility improvements often benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.
3. SEO Benefits – Search engines reward accessible practices like descriptive alt text, proper heading structure, and fast-loading pages.
4. Wider Reach – An estimated 1 in 5 people in the UK has a disability. Making your site accessible expands your audience.

Here’s a practical, step‑by‑step checklist you can use to audit and improve your site:

• Use clear and consistent navigation menus.
• Organise content with logical heading levels (H1, H2, H3…).
• Ensure all functionality can be accessed using only a keyboard.
• Add “skip to content” links for screen reader and keyboard users.

• Write in plain, straightforward language.
• Break up text with bullet points, short paragraphs and clear headings.
• Provide descriptive link text instead of “click here”.
• Ensure sufficient colour contrast between text and background (use tools like WebAIM’s contrast checker).

• Add alt text to all meaningful images describing their purpose.
• Avoid using images of text where possible.
• Provide captions and transcripts for video and audio content.
• Ensure video players can be controlled via keyboard and assistive technology.

• Label every form field explicitly (e.g. “First name” rather than leaving it blank).
• Provide clear error messages and instructions for corrections.
• Group related fields together with fieldsets and legends.
• Ensure forms can be submitted via keyboard.

• Do not rely on colour alone to convey meaning (use icons or text).
• Ensure responsive design works on all screen sizes and orientations.
• Allow users to zoom up to 200% without breaking the layout.
• Avoid flashing or blinking content that could trigger seizures.

• Use semantic HTML5 elements for structure.
• Assign ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes cautiously to enhance—not replace—semantic HTML.
• Check heading hierarchy is logical for screen readers.
• Ensure error messages are announced by assistive tools.

Testing is a crucial part of accessibility. Some steps you can take:

• Automated Tools – Use tools like WAVE, Axe, or Lighthouse to highlight common accessibility issues.
• Manual Testing – Try navigating your site with only a keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space, Arrow keys).
• Assistive Technology – Test with screen readers like NVDA (Windows) or VoiceOver (Mac).
• User Testing – Nothing beats getting feedback directly from people with disabilities who use your site.

• Using headings purely for styling instead of structure.
• Adding images without alt text or with unhelpful alt text like “image123”.
• Embedding videos without captions.
• Creating low‑contrast colour schemes that make text unreadable.
• Forgetting to test forms and call‑to‑action (CTA) buttons for keyboard users.

Creating an accessible website isn’t just a technical requirement—it’s a way of showing that you value every visitor who engages with your brand. By following this accessibility checklist, you’ll not only meet compliance standards but also enhance usability, improve SEO performance, and deliver smoother digital journeys that everyone can enjoy.

At Propeller, we believe accessibility should be at the heart of every digital experience. For over 20 years, we’ve partnered with ambitious brands to design and build websites that are both inclusive and results‑driven.

If you’d like to take the next step, explore our services:

• Website design services
• Web development services
• Growth Strategy

Or, if you’re ready to make your website accessible and future‑proof, get in touch with us—we’d love to help.