Accessibility Audit
An accessibility audit is a systematic evaluation of a website, application, or digital product against accessibility standards (typically WCAG 2.2 AA). It combines automated scanning (axe-core, WAVE), manual testing (keyboard, screen reader), expert review, and sometimes user testing to produce a comprehensive list of issues and remediation guidance.
§ 1 Definition
An accessibility audit is a structured process for identifying barriers in a digital product and measuring its conformance against a chosen accessibility standard, most commonly WCAG 2.2 Level AA. A thorough audit is not a single activity but a combination of methods: automated scanning picks up technical failures like missing alt text, insufficient colour contrast, and unlabelled form fields. Manual keyboard testing verifies that all functionality is reachable by keyboard alone. Screen reader testing validates that content is announced correctly. Expert review identifies issues that automated tools cannot catch, such as inappropriate ARIA usage, poor heading hierarchy, or confusing focus order. Some audits also include user testing with people who have disabilities, which provides the highest fidelity feedback. The deliverable is typically a report with each issue mapped to a WCAG success criterion, severity rating, and fix recommendation. Regular audits (quarterly or per release) are necessary because accessibility must be maintained, not achieved once.
§ 2 What an accessibility audit tests
Automated checks: colour contrast, alt text presence, form label association, heading hierarchy, landmark presence, ARIA syntax, duplicate IDs, and link text clarity. Manual checks: keyboard navigation (Tab through every interactive element, verify focus order and visibility), screen reader testing with NVDA or VoiceOver (navigate by headings, landmarks, forms, and links), zoom testing (200% page zoom), text spacing testing (ensure no content is cut off), focus management (modals, SPA navigation, dynamic content). Expert review: semantic correctness, ARIA appropriateness, form error handling, cognitive load assessment, and conformance to the spirit of WCAG, not just the letter.
§ 3 The accessibility audit lifecycle
Audits should happen at multiple points. Discovery audit: baseline assessment of an existing product to understand the scope of remediation. Design audit: review wireframes and prototypes before development begins, catching issues when they are cheapest to fix. Development audit: continuous, integrated into CI/CD using axe-core and automated checks, catching regressions per commit. Pre-launch audit: full manual and automated pass before going live. Maintenance audit: periodic (quarterly or semi-annual) to catch regressions from ongoing development. An audit is not a one-time event. Accessibility rots as code changes, dependencies update, and content gets added.
§ 4 Common questions
- Q. How long does an accessibility audit take?
- A. It depends on the complexity of the site. A reasonably thorough audit of a 10-page marketing site with manual and automated testing takes 3-5 business days. A SaaS application with dozens of states (logged in, logged out, empty, error, success) can take weeks. The more you automate in CI/CD, the less manual regression testing is needed each cycle.
- Q. Can an automated tool give me a complete audit?
- A. No. Automated tools catch about 20-40 percent of accessibility issues. The rest require human judgment, manual testing, and expert review. No automated tool can determine whether a focus order is logical, whether alt text is appropriate, whether ARIA is semantically correct, or whether a user experience is comprehensible.
- An accessibility audit combines automated, manual, and expert evaluation.
- Automated tools catch 20-40% of issues. Human review is essential.
- Audits should happen at multiple stages: discovery, design, dev, pre-launch.
- Accessibility must be maintained over time. Regular audits catch regressions.
- Deliverables include issue-to-WCAG mapping, severity ratings, and fix recommendations.
Atomic Glue offers comprehensive accessibility audits covering automated scans, manual keyboard testing, screen reader validation, and expert review. We produce actionable reports with severity-ranked findings. Get in touch or see our Trust & Security page for our audit methodology.
Get in touchAn accessibility audit is a systematic evaluation of a website, application, or digital product against accessibility standards (typically WCAG 2.2 AA). It combines automated scanning (axe-core, WAVE), manual testing (keyboard, screen reader), expert review, and sometimes user testing to produce a comprehensive list of issues and remediation guidance.
Category: Accessibility (also: Software Engineering)
Author: Atomic Glue Team
## Definition
An accessibility audit is a structured process for identifying barriers in a digital product and measuring its conformance against a chosen accessibility standard, most commonly WCAG 2.2 Level AA. A thorough audit is not a single activity but a combination of methods: automated scanning picks up technical failures like missing alt text, insufficient colour contrast, and unlabelled form fields. Manual keyboard testing verifies that all functionality is reachable by keyboard alone. Screen reader testing validates that content is announced correctly. Expert review identifies issues that automated tools cannot catch, such as inappropriate ARIA usage, poor heading hierarchy, or confusing focus order. Some audits also include user testing with people who have disabilities, which provides the highest fidelity feedback. The deliverable is typically a report with each issue mapped to a WCAG success criterion, severity rating, and fix recommendation. Regular audits (quarterly or per release) are necessary because accessibility must be maintained, not achieved once.
## What an accessibility audit tests
Automated checks: colour contrast, alt text presence, form label association, heading hierarchy, landmark presence, ARIA syntax, duplicate IDs, and link text clarity. Manual checks: keyboard navigation (Tab through every interactive element, verify focus order and visibility), screen reader testing with NVDA or VoiceOver (navigate by headings, landmarks, forms, and links), zoom testing (200% page zoom), text spacing testing (ensure no content is cut off), focus management (modals, SPA navigation, dynamic content). Expert review: semantic correctness, ARIA appropriateness, form error handling, cognitive load assessment, and conformance to the spirit of WCAG, not just the letter.
## The accessibility audit lifecycle
Audits should happen at multiple points. Discovery audit: baseline assessment of an existing product to understand the scope of remediation. Design audit: review wireframes and prototypes before development begins, catching issues when they are cheapest to fix. Development audit: continuous, integrated into CI/CD using axe-core and automated checks, catching regressions per commit. Pre-launch audit: full manual and automated pass before going live. Maintenance audit: periodic (quarterly or semi-annual) to catch regressions from ongoing development. An audit is not a one-time event. Accessibility rots as code changes, dependencies update, and content gets added.
## Common questions
Q: How long does an accessibility audit take?
A: It depends on the complexity of the site. A reasonably thorough audit of a 10-page marketing site with manual and automated testing takes 3-5 business days. A SaaS application with dozens of states (logged in, logged out, empty, error, success) can take weeks. The more you automate in CI/CD, the less manual regression testing is needed each cycle.
Q: Can an automated tool give me a complete audit?
A: No. Automated tools catch about 20-40 percent of accessibility issues. The rest require human judgment, manual testing, and expert review. No automated tool can determine whether a focus order is logical, whether alt text is appropriate, whether ARIA is semantically correct, or whether a user experience is comprehensible.
## Key takeaways
- An accessibility audit combines automated, manual, and expert evaluation.
- Automated tools catch 20-40% of issues. Human review is essential.
- Audits should happen at multiple stages: discovery, design, dev, pre-launch.
- Accessibility must be maintained over time. Regular audits catch regressions.
- Deliverables include issue-to-WCAG mapping, severity ratings, and fix recommendations.
## Related entries
- [axe-core](atomicglue.co/glossary/axe-core)
- [WAVE Tool](atomicglue.co/glossary/wave-tool)
- [WCAG (2.1, 2.2)](atomicglue.co/glossary/wcag)
- [Accessibility (a11y)](atomicglue.co/glossary/accessibility)
Last updated July 2026. Permalink: atomicglue.co/glossary/accessibility-audit