16 July 2025

Manual Accessibility Audits: Because Automated Tools Have Their Limits

by Stephanie Fox

Helping organizations make their websites accessible is something I get asked about more often. And it makes me happy to see!

Aside from being a decent human (which should be the only reason you need), there are lots of benefits to making your site accessible for everyone. Accessible sites are faster, so your users have a better overall experience. They are also easier for search engines to index and tend to rank better.

If you have an existing site, making it accessible involves doing an audit. This will identify all the areas that need updating. If you’re new to the topic, here’s an overview of website accessibility I highlight a few automated tools that will assess your site in minutes and give you a list of things that are and aren’t compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

But automated accessibility audit tools can only do so much.

In fact, automated tools only identify about 30% of issues. They perform objective yes-or-no checks, but many elements are subjective. For example, an automated tool can tell you that an image is missing alt text, but it can’t tell you if the alt text is formatted poorly or not contextually relevant.

Manual accessibility audit checklist

Here’s a list of manual checks that I do when I audit a website for accessibility.

Audio and video

Not everyone likes to consume content the same way, so audio and video formats in addition to text, are a great way to improve access. But, they must be done right. Video content isn’t accessible to those with vision impairments, and audio content won’t benefit those who are D/deaf or hard of hearing. Ensure that:

Audio and video have a text alternative (captions or transcripts)
Audio and video only start by user control
Audio and video have user controls to play, pause, and stop

Colour

Choices about colour use and combinations impact those with vision impairments and some cognitive impairments. Does your site answer ‘yes’ to these?

Contrast between adjacent elements like plain text and linked text is adequate
Colour is not used on its own to indicate a status or state change
There are no vibrating colour combinations like bright red and blue, or green and orange. These can trigger seizures and migraines for some people.

A paragraph from a website is written in blue text. There is a hyperlink identified in red text. Someone with red-blue colour blindness won't perceive the link because only colour is used to identify it. — This site uses only colour to identify links. Someone with red-blue colour blindness won’t notice the link text.

Content substance

People with a mental illness or certain learning disabilities benefit from content that is clear and easy to understand. This also helps those for whom English is an additional language.

Content is in plain language: simpler words, active voice, minimal adverbs, and no jargon
Content is a grade 9 level or lower; grade 6 if English is not your users’ first language

A sample of website text that is not accessible, full of jargon and difficult words. The company name has been blocked out. It reads: "At (blank) we leverage cutting-edge legal strategies to deliver synergistic, value-driven solutions for our clients. Our proactive, results-oriented approach ensures seamless regulatory compliance, risk mitigation, and scalable growth. With industry-leading expertise and a commitment to excellence, we empower business with bespoke forward-thinking legal frameworks that drive sustainable success." The phrase forward-thinking legal frameworks is underlined, to suggest it is hyperlinked. — Jargon-filled and complex language! This content would be a challenge for many readers.

Content structure

Format your content so it’s scannable, with careful design of typography and spacing. This will ensure your page doesn’t feel cluttered and will be comfortable to read.

Paragraph text width is between 45-80 characters
Paragraph font size is at least 12pt
Browser controls resize text up to 200% without losing content
Underlines are not used for plain, unlinked text
Headings are formatted using heading styles, not bold or simply larger text

Forms

Let’s face it, well built forms make everyone happy. Do your forms have:

Error messages are useful and clearly identified
No time limits to complete a task
Helpful status messages like “loading” or “form submitted successfully”

Screenshot of part of a website form with 2 fields: name and email. The email address is missing the dot before "C-A" in the domain name and there is red error message below the field that says, "Please enter a properly formatted email address." The field is also outlined in red with a solid red box at the end containing a white exclamation point. — The error message on this email field is clear and hard to miss.

Hyperlinks

For those who use screen reading tools, properly formatted hyperlinks are essential for a good user experience. Does your site check all these boxes?

Links are a unique colour and underlined
Link text describes what it links to; no vague links like “click here”
Links and buttons have hover states
Links to external websites and documents are identified
Links and documents open in the same browser window
Phone numbers and email addresses are linked
No exposed URLs, e.g. https://stephaniefox.ca/manual-accessibility-audit/
Adjacent links and buttons are at least 30 pixels apart

Images

Always provide a text alternative for photos and graphics for people with vision impairments.

Alt text is relevant and useful; imagine describing the image over the phone
Diagrams and infographics have a text alternative
There are no flashing gifs

Navigation

Not everyone uses a mouse to navigate. For some people with motor disabilities, using a keyboard to navigate a website is much easier.

When navigating by keyboard (tabbing), the order of the elements is logical
When navigating by keyboard, you can see what element is in focus (usually there is a rectangle around the element)
When navigating by keyboard, your “focus” or cursor doesn’t get trapped on an element
When using a screen reader, the reading order is logical, and nothing is skipped that shouldn’t be

A web that’s more accessible and inclusive

If you’re on the path to creating an accessible website, please don’t forget these manual checks.

This list will change as both the web and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines evolve. I’m sure I’m missing a few things. And there are probably items here that can be identified by some automated tools that I’m not aware of. If you can sort me out, let me know and I’ll keep this updated!