Digital Accessibility Checklist

  • Organize content using semantic structure so assistive technologies, search engines, and website visitors understand the page hierarchy.
  • Provide a “Skip Navigation” link at the top of pages to allow assistive technologies to skip directly to the page’s main content.
  • Focus on readability and usability. Accessible websites improve the experience for ALL users.
  • Write page titles that accurately reflect the topic on the page for better SEO results and improved visitor experience
  • To allow assistive technologies to correctly read web pages, use proper headings to organize your information.
  • Avoid instructions based solely on location on the page. For example, instead of “in the box to the right,” combine location and text: “in the box to the right, titled ‘Related Links and Publications.’”
  • If language changes within the text, highlight text and select the corresponding language.
  • Ensure that link text makes sense when read out of context.
  • Avoid links like “read more” or “click here.”
  • Be specific about where links will lead.
  • Keep link text to 100 characters or less. Avoid using the page URL as linking text.
  • Use alternative (alt) text on images to accurately reflect the purpose of the image and/or provide an accurate description.
  • If the image is linked, describe the link destination in the alt text.
  • Be careful using images with text in them.
  • Be sure image alt text communicates the same information as the text in the image.
  • When using graphs or diagrams, include accompanying text to explain the meaning
  • Use built-in editing features to create bulleted or numbered lists.
  • Understand the differences between ordered, unordered, and definition lists—and use them properly.
  • Avoid using lists for visual effect
  • Provide captioning and audio descriptions for video.
  • Review any auto-generated closed captions for accuracy. Provide a transcript of audio content.
  • Use short concise sentences. If you need to use long sentences, try to limit it to one per paragraph.
  • Use headings to split up content. Headings provide structure and meaning to your content and give readers an easy way to scan.
  • Use shorter words when possible.