What an accessibility audit includes

What this guide is for

Accessibility audits vary wildly. Some give you a practical fix list. Others give you noise, screenshots, and a score [2]Source 2 .

This guide sets expectations. It helps you buy the right thing. It also helps you compare suppliers fairly [2]Source 2 .

What a proper accessibility audit includes

1) Scope and journeys

A good audit starts by agreeing what will be tested. It focuses on key journeys, not a random list of pages [2]Source 2 .

• A clear target standard, usually WCAG 2.2 AA [1]Source 1 .
• A list of key journeys, chosen with you. For example, donate, enquire, apply, book, buy [2]Source 2 .
• A set of representative templates, not every URL on the site [2]Source 2 .
• Known constraints called out early, such as embedded third-party tools you cannot control [2]Source 2 .

2) Manual testing

Automated scanning finds some issues. Manual testing finds the issues that block real people [2]Source 2 .

• Keyboard-only testing across key journeys, including navigation, menus, modals, and forms [1]Source 1 .
• Focus checks, order, visibility, trapping, and returning focus after overlays [1]Source 1 .
• Form checks, labels, instructions, required fields, validation, and error messaging [3]Source 3 .
• Structure checks, headings, landmarks, lists, tables, and link text [1]Source 1 .
• Zoom and reflow checks at 200%, plus small-screen checks [1]Source 1 .
• Motion checks for carousels, animation, video, and reduced motion preferences where relevant [1]Source 1 .

3) Assistive technology checks

You do not need testing across every screen reader on earth. You do need coverage that reflects common user setups [2]Source 2 .

• Screen reader spot checks on key templates and key interactions [2]Source 2 .
• Checks on dynamic components such as menus, accordions, tabs, modals, and notifications [2]Source 2 .
• Notes that describe what happens, not vague statements like “works fine” [2]Source 2 .

4) Clear findings and priorities

The output should help you fix issues quickly. It should also help non-technical stakeholders understand risk [2]Source 2 .

• A prioritised issue list, sorted by user impact and journey impact [2]Source 2 .
• For each issue, severity, affected templates, steps to reproduce, and expected behaviour [2]Source 2 .
• Suggested fixes, with examples where helpful [2]Source 2 .
• Clear mapping back to WCAG criteria where relevant, without turning the report into a legal document [1]Source 1 .

5) Retesting and closure

Fixes need verification. Without retesting, an audit becomes a to-do list you never trust [2]Source 2 .

• A retest pass after fixes land [2]Source 2 .
• Closure notes per issue, including evidence of the fix working in the journey [2]Source 2 .
• A short regression checklist for future releases [2]Source 2 .

What an accessibility audit never includes

If an audit leans on these, it is not a useful audit. It is a sales document [2]Source 2 .

• A single automated scan presented as an audit [2]Source 2 .
• A score with no issue detail, no reproduction steps, and no fix guidance [2]Source 2 .
• A recommendation to add an accessibility overlay instead of fixing the site [7]Source 7 .
• A list of WCAG criteria with no explanation of how your pages fail, or where users get blocked [1]Source 1 .
• A promise of full compliance without scope, caveats, and retest evidence [2]Source 2 .

What to ask for before you buy

• A sample report from a recent project, redacted if needed [2]Source 2 .
• A clear statement of what pages and journeys are in scope [2]Source 2 .
• The level of manual testing included [2]Source 2 .
• Whether fixing support is available, and how it is priced [2]Source 2 .
• Whether retesting is included, and what “done” means [2]Source 2 .

A quick way to compare two audits

If you have two suppliers, compare on output quality, not on how confident they sound [2]Source 2 .

• Does the report tell you what to fix and how [2]Source 2 .
• Does it prioritise issues by user impact [2]Source 2 .
• Does it cover key journeys, not only random pages [2]Source 2 .
• Does it include retesting [2]Source 2 .

Next step

If you want confidence fast, start with your top journeys and your main templates. A good audit gives you a prioritised fix plan you can ship, then retest [2]Source 2 .