How do I know if my website is accessible?
There are many online scanners, but their quality varies. Some exist just to sell you their product. The most comprehensive scanner I’ve found that doesn’t require a subscription is the Accessible Web’s RAMP scanner, which also has a free Chrome browser extension that lets you scan any web page. They provide a free trial of their advanced features, which I highly recommend.
If you are comfortable using the dev tools in Chrome, there’s also the free version of the Deque browser extension, although it is not quite as user-friendly and will only check one WCAG level rather than give you the option of which to test.
To check your site, scan pages using the “Best Practices (AA)” on the former, and check the Best Practices option on the latter, then scan and review the results. In my experience, very few websites pass without issues.
How do I know if the person selling accessibility services for websites actually knows what they’re doing?
This is a major issue. The industry is unregulated, meaning anyone can claim to offer accessibility services, even if they don’t actually follow best practices.
Red flags to watch for:
- They won’t tell you how to test their work
- Their own website fails accessibility tests
- They rely on automated overlays instead of real fixes
To vet a developer, use the Accessible Web scanner (see above) and test:
- Their website
- The sites in their portfolio
If their sites score above 90% on “Best Practices (AA)” scan, they’re likely doing things correctly. Unfortunately, I’ve tested many providers, and the only one that comes close is Accessibility Services Canada, which specializes in auditing and consulting.
Important: Scanners only catch about 30% of accessibility issues. If a developer can’t even pass an automated scan, they’re not remotely compliant.
I encourage potential clients to test my site and those in my portfolio, and compare them to others. If you find another developer whose work scans as compliant, please let me know – I’d love to send them my appreciation.
One of the sites in my portfolio scores 90% on the homepage because the client weighed the pros and cons and decided on a lower contrast colour pairing for the buttons. However the rest of the site scores as compliant. The other projects should be showing 95% or better on any given page.
What about those all-in-one accessibility widgets with a floating icon? Do they make my site compliant?
Absolutely not. If something sounds too good to be true, it always is.
These overlay solutions promise full compliance by adding a script and an accessibility toolbar, but:
- They don’t actually fix accessibility issues
- They do not make you legally compliant
- Many companies using these overlays have been sued under the ADA
The reality? These tools mislead businesses into a false sense of security while charging them hefty recurring fees. Many companies have faced lawsuits despite using them—and in some cases, even the overlay providers themselves are now being sued.
If you want a truly accessible website, the only way to achieve it is by building it properly from the start or remediating it correctly.
How expensive is it to make a website accessible?
It depends. Building an accessible site from the start is always the most cost-effective approach. A well-coded site that follows current WCAG standards is also easier to maintain and future-proof.
If a site wasn’t built with accessibility in mind, the cost of fixing it varies based on:
- The number of accessibility issues
- The size of the site
- The quality of the code
In some cases, fixing an inaccessible site can be more expensive than rebuilding it from scratch.
To determine the cost of remediation, I offer development audits. A basic audit takes 3-4 hours for an average site, and up to 8 hours for a larger one. The analysis includes:
- Identifying accessibility issues with scanners and manual testing
- Analyzing the existing code
- Estimating the time needed for remediation
A complete, in-depth audit would be done after the initial remediation, and that takes somewhat longer to complete, as it requires a lot of manual testing.
Barriers to remediation are a big part of why I don’t use pre-made WordPress themes, and minimize plugin use whenever possible. Many paid themes and plugins are deliberately built to be difficult to modify, making accessibility fixes time-consuming and expensive. Custom development is almost always the better investment.
Accessibility should not be about legal compliance—it’s about ensuring everyone can use your website. If you want a custom, well-designed website that is fast, accessible, and future-proof, get in touch.