WCAG 2.2 checklist to review a website before publishing

Start with content and structure

Accessibility starts with a structure anyone can understand. One main heading, logical heading levels, links that explain their destination, and appropriate text alternatives make a page navigable with a screen reader, keyboard, or zoom.

Do not use colour as the only way to communicate state. An error, selection, or required field also needs text, named icons, or explicit instructions.

Interaction checklist

Components that work with a mouse must also work with a keyboard. Focus must be visible, follow a coherent order, and not become trapped in a menu or dialog.

Forms need programmatic labels, help where necessary, and errors that explain what happened and how to fix it.

• Every interactive control can be reached and activated with a keyboard.
• Visible focus is not hidden behind headers or fixed elements.
• Icon buttons have an accessible name.
• Fields have associated labels, instructions, and errors.
• Dialogs manage focus and can be closed without a mouse.

Contrast, size, and reflow

Contrast is not only a design concern. Check normal text, small text, buttons, links, and focus states. A combination that looks fine on one monitor can fail for a person with low vision or on a mobile screen in bright light.

Test content with zoom. Text should not overlap, be clipped, or require two-dimensional scrolling to read a normal section.

• Text and backgrounds maintain sufficient contrast.
• No information is lost when the page is enlarged.
• Touch controls have enough space and clear labels.
• Focus and errors can be distinguished without relying on colour alone.

Automate repeatable checks and review human tasks

A scanner can find many issues quickly and consistently. It cannot decide whether an alternative text describes an image well, whether reading order makes sense, or whether a purchase task is understandable.

Add a scan to every important release and reserve manual review for business journeys. This combination reduces repeated mistakes without making accessibility a last-minute check.