Accessibility scan: test your website for free

What the scan tests

The scan is powered by axe-core, the open-source testing engine developed by Deque Systems and also used inside Google Lighthouse. A headless browser loads the page you enter, executes its JavaScript and then inspects the fully rendered result – the page exactly as visitors experience it. The benchmark is WCAG 2.1 at conformance levels A and AA.

These are the main categories the scan covers:

• Alternative text: every meaningful image needs an alt attribute. Without alt text, an image simply does not exist for screen reader users.
• Colour contrast: regular text must reach a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background (WCAG 1.4.3). Light grey text on white is the classic offender.
• Form labels: every input field needs a programmatically associated label. A placeholder is not enough – it disappears as soon as you type and is unreliable for assistive technology.
• Link text: links should describe their destination. Five links all reading “learn more” are indistinguishable to someone navigating from link to link with a screen reader.
• Language attribute: the lang attribute on the HTML element (e.g. lang="en") tells screen readers which pronunciation to use. If it is missing or wrong, the page can sound like gibberish.
• Heading hierarchy: one h1 per page and no skipped levels – headings are the table of contents many users rely on to navigate.
• ARIA usage: ARIA roles and attributes must be valid and used consistently. Broken ARIA often does more harm than no ARIA at all.
• Keyboard access: detectable traps such as positive tabindex values or clickable elements that keyboard users can never reach.

For each issue, the report shows the affected elements, the severity, the WCAG criterion involved and a link with guidance on how to fix it.

Automated vs. manual testing

Let’s be honest: automated tools can reliably check only around 30 to 40 percent of the WCAG success criteria. A machine can tell whether an image has alt text – not whether that text meaningfully describes the image or just says “IMG_2043.jpg”. It can measure contrast ratios, but it cannot judge whether your copy is easy to understand.

Things that can only be verified manually include:

• whether alternative texts actually make sense,
• a logical focus order when tabbing through the page,
• plain language and helpful error messages,
• a hands-on test with a real screen reader such as NVDA or VoiceOver.

Treat the scan as your first step: it finds the technically measurable problems quickly and for free. Our guide on testing accessibility explains what a complete review looks like beyond that.

The legal background

The European Accessibility Act – Directive (EU) 2019/882 – has applied across the EU since 28 June 2025. It requires businesses offering consumer-facing digital services, such as online shops and booking systems, to make their websites and apps accessible. In Germany it is implemented by the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG); other member states have passed their own national laws.

The technical reference is the European standard EN 301 549, which points to WCAG 2.1 level AA for web content – exactly the benchmark this scan applies. Use our EAA check to find out in a few minutes whether your business is in scope, and read our overview of the EAA and BFSG for obligations, deadlines and exemptions.