WCAG 2.1 Checklist for Websites: 50 Things to Check (2026)
WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the global web accessibility standard — and the legal requirement under the EU's European Accessibility Act (EAA). This checklist covers 50 key checkpoints in plain English, so you know exactly what to fix and what tools can help.
🤖 Can be auto-fixed (e.g., by AccessPatch)
✏️ Requires manual fix
🖼️ 1. Images & Media (6 Items)
All images have descriptive alt text Auto-fixable
Decorative images have empty alt text (alt="") Auto-fixable
Complex images (charts, graphs) have long descriptions Manual
Videos have captions (CC) Manual
Videos have audio descriptions for visual-only content Manual
Animated GIFs can be paused or stopped Manual
📝 2. Forms (8 Items)
Every form input has a visible, associated label Auto-fixable
Required fields are clearly marked Manual
Error messages clearly describe what went wrong Manual
Error messages are linked to the relevant field Manual
Form instructions are provided before the form, not after Manual
Buttons have descriptive text (not just "Click here") Auto-fixable
Autocomplete attributes set on common fields (name, email) Manual
Forms can be completed using only a keyboard Manual
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Start Free Trial →⌨️ 3. Keyboard Navigation (7 Items)
All interactive elements are reachable by Tab key Manual
Focus order follows a logical visual sequence Manual
Keyboard focus is always visible (not hidden) Auto-fixable
No keyboard traps (user can always navigate away) Manual
Skip navigation link is present for keyboard users Auto-fixable
Dropdown menus work with keyboard Manual
Modals/dialogs trap focus correctly and release on close Manual
🎨 4. Color & Contrast (5 Items)
Normal text has at least 4.5:1 contrast ratio Manual
Large text (18pt+) has at least 3:1 contrast ratio Manual
Information is never conveyed by color alone Manual
Focus indicators have sufficient contrast Auto-fixable
Link text is distinguishable from body text (not just by color) Manual
📄 5. Content Structure (8 Items)
Page has a descriptive title (not just "Home") Manual
Headings form a logical outline (H1 → H2 → H3) Manual
One H1 exists per page Manual
Page language is set in the HTML lang attribute Auto-fixable
Links have descriptive text (not "click here" or "read more") Manual
Lists use proper HTML list elements (ul/ol) Manual
Tables have headers (th elements) with scope attributes Manual
Page content is readable when CSS is disabled Manual
📱 6. Responsive & Zoom (4 Items)
Page is fully usable at 320px width Manual
Content reflows without horizontal scrolling at 400% zoom Manual
Text can be resized to 200% without loss of content Manual
Touch targets are at least 44×44px on mobile Manual
⚙️ 7. ARIA & Semantic HTML (7 Items)
ARIA roles are used correctly and not redundantly Auto-fixable
aria-label or aria-labelledby on all interactive elements Auto-fixable
Dynamic content changes are announced to screen readers Manual
Custom widgets have correct ARIA roles (button, dialog, etc) Manual
aria-expanded is used on collapsible elements Manual
aria-live regions used for dynamic content updates Manual
No orphaned or invalid ARIA attributes Auto-fixable
📋 8. Legal & Documentation (5 Items)
Accessibility Statement is published on the website Manual
Statement declares compliance level (full/partial/non) Manual
Contact email for accessibility issues is provided Manual
Statement includes review/update date Manual
Statement is linked from every page (in footer) Manual
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