A Comprehensive Guide to WCAG Testing

You launch a new webpage. It looks great. The design is sleek, the content is clear, and everything seems to be working perfectly — until someone points out that the content isn’t compatible with screen readers. Or buttons can’t be used with a keyboard. 

These aren’t just usability bugs. They’re accessibility barriers — and for millions of people with disabilities, they mean the web isn’t open for business.

That’s where WCAG testing comes in. 

WCAG, or the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, is the global standard for digital accessibility. WCAG testing is the process of checking your website against these guidelines to ensure that your content is usable by everyone, regardless of ability.

And while it might feel overwhelming — especially if you’re new to accessibility — WCAG testing is not as complex as you think. Below, we’ll explain how to do WCAG testing, best practices, and the benefits accessibility testing has on your digital content.

What is WCAG?

Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), WCAG is considered the go-to standard for digital accessibility. The guidelines include more than 70 success criteria, each of which is divided into four principles:

• Perceivable: All information should be perceivable by individuals with disabilities; nothing should be invisible to any user’s senses.

• Operable: Users should be able to easily use or interact with digital content regardless of their ability.

• Understandable: Digital content should be clear and easily comprehended by users of varying abilities. 

• Robust: Content should be compatible with various assistive technologies, including screen readers.

Each success criterion is further categorized into three levels:

• Level A: This is considered the bare minimum for accessibility and impacts the broadest user populations. Level A has the lowest impact on your site or application’s presentation and business logic, but the experience may not be completely accessible.

• Level AA: This is considered the standard for accessibility and expands on the criteria included in Level A. Digital content that fulfills all Level AA success criteria generally provides an accessible experience for most users. 

• Level AAA: This is the maximum level of accessibility and includes all success criteria for Level A and Level AA. 

The conformance level you want to meet depends on your organization’s specific goals. Experts recommend including all success criteria in WCAG 2.1 Level AA, as this meets most accessibility requirements and provides an accessible experience for users.

What is WCAG Testing and How Does it Work?

WCAG testing involves running accessibility tests on your existing digital content (e.g., web pages, mobile apps, PDFs, etc.) against WCAG success criteria to determine whether it meets accessibility standards. 

The goal of WCAG testing is to identify barriers that prevent users with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities from accessing and interacting with digital content. By uncovering these issues, organizations can make meaningful improvements to achieve WCAG conformance and create a more accessible user experience.

There are two approaches you can take to WCAG testing:

Automated WCAG Testing

Most accessibility testing begins with automated tools, which scan your content for common accessibility issues. For example, AudioEye’s Web Accessibility Checker automatically scans your content for 32 WCAG violations — more than any other tool on the market — to detect issues like:

• Missing alt text (WCAG 1.1.1)

• Improper heading hierarchy (WCAG 1.3.1)

• Insufficient color contrast (WCAG 1.4.3)

• Non-descriptive link text (WCAG 2.4.4)

• Forms without accessible labels (WCAG 1.3.1, 3.3.2)

While automated tools offer a fast, scalable way to test digital content, they can only detect common accessibility issues. More complex issues can only be detected with expert testing.

Expert and User-Based Testing

Expert WCAG testing involves human testers evaluating content using assistive technologies (like screen readers), keyboard navigation, and real-world use cases. This approach helps uncover contextual or usability-based issues that automation can’t catch — like improper tab order, focus states, or confusing interactive elements. 

High-quality accessibility platforms — like AudioEye — include users with disabilities in their testing process to get direct feedback on real-life accessibility barriers and automated testing. A hybrid approach to WCAG testing enables you to detect and fix more issues that increase your legal risk.

What WCAG Testing Covers

As mentioned above, WCAG testing involves testing your digital content against WCAG success criteria. Doing so helps improve accessibility for a wide range of users, including those with:

• Visual disabilities: Individuals who are blind, have low vision, are colorblind, or have other visual impairments may rely on screen readers, zoom tools, or high-contrast settings.

• Hearing disabilities: Users with auditory impairments, including those who are deaf or hard of hearing, benefit from captions, transcripts, and visual indicators for audio content. 

• Motor disabilities: Users with limited mobility may navigate digital content using keyboard commands, voice controls, or adaptive devices. 

• Cognitive disabilities: Clear structure, consistent navigation, and plain language improve usability for individuals with cognitive or neurological conditions.

An empty form on a landing page, with an accessibility symbol in the lower left corner.

How to Conduct WCAG Testing

WCAG testing can be done in several ways, though most rely on automation, expert testing, or a combination of both. It’s important to note that thorough WCAG testing — the kind that makes the most difference for users with disabilities — uses both automated and expert testing. 

Below, we’ll review how to conduct WCAG testing and build accessible digital content.

1. Start with Automated Accessibility Testing

Use an automated accessibility testing tool to scan your website, web app, mobile app, or digital document for common WCAG violations. These tools can quickly flag common accessibility issues based on WCAG success criteria. For example, color contrast checkers can test contrast ratios on your web pages to ensure sufficient contrast between web elements and background color.

2. Test with Keyboard Navigation

Some users with disabilities rely solely on keyboard commands and shortcuts to navigate digital content. Keyboard testing ensures this experience is easy and free of barriers. Keyboard testing involves using the tab button or arrow keys to navigate digital content. It should be clear where you are on the page, and you should be able to click on various web elements. If you can’t do so, your digital content is keyboard navigation-friendly. 

3. Conduct Screen Reader Testing

Screen reader testing determines whether or not your digital content is accessible to screen reader users. You can test how screen reader-friendly your digital content is by installing a screen reader on your browser. From here, navigate through your digital content, paying attention to how easy it is to navigate web pages, complete forms, click on interactive elements, etc.

4. Check Zoom and Responsive Layout

Individuals with low vision may want to magnify digital content to make it more legible or less strenuous to read. According to WCAG success criterion 1.4.4: Resize Text, users should be able to zoom in on content by 200% without losing content or functionality. This simple zoom test can tell you a lot about the overall accessibility of your content.

5. Review Audio and Video Content

Accessible multimedia ensures that users who are deaf or hard of hearing can fully engage with your content. This means you need alternative methods to sound, such as transcripts, closed captions, and alt text. To test this, conduct no sound testing. Turn the sound off and see if you can understand the content. Be sure the captions are clear and descriptive.

6. Fix and Re-Test

An accessibility audit is just the first step to enhancing your content’s accessibility. Once you’ve conducted the tests above, it’s time to fix the issues you found. Be sure to re-test the affected content to ensure the issue is truly fixed and won’t negatively impact your users. This will also help you confirm WCAG conformance and compliance with accessibility laws. 

Remember: Accessibility testing isn’t a one-time task — it’s an ongoing part of accessible design and development. Be sure to conduct regular accessibility evaluations and testing for ongoing compliance.

Why is WCAG Testing Important?

The world is becoming increasingly digital, with the internet being the primary way we communicate, socialize, shop, and find information. To ensure equal access for all, these platforms must be accessible to individuals with disabilities. WCAG testing is a critical step in enhancing website accessibility. Here’s how.

First, a WCAG audit enables you to comply with legal requirements and standards, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. By conducting WCAG testing, you’ll better understand how accessible your existing content is and where improvements need to be made. This helps you take more proactive steps to fix accessibility issues before they impact users and result in legal action.

Second, WCAG testing improves the overall user experience — not just those with disabilities. For example, many accessibility features, such as clear navigation and keyboard navigation compatibility, make content easier for users to understand, navigate, and interact with. More simply, by following WCAG guidelines, you improve the overall usability of your digital content, resulting in higher user engagement and loyalty.  

Finally, WCAG testing shows your commitment to accessibility. You’re showing users you're committed to providing equal opportunities and a positive user experience for all.

AudioEye: Your Must-Have for WCAG Testing and Accessibility

Most organizations don’t set out to build inaccessible websites. 

You launch content. You update designs. You add features to make things faster, cleaner, and more modern. And it all seems to work — until someone points out that it’s inaccessible to screen reader users or they can’t navigate it with a keyboard.

WCAG testing allows you to uncover those hidden barriers, enabling you to fix them before they frustrate your users or result in legal action. And it’s more doable than you think.

AudioEye makes WCAG and accessibility testing easy. By combining powerful automation, human-assisted AI technology, and testing throughout the development process, AudioEye helps you achieve industry-leading compliance with accessibility standards. We start with a free accessibility scan, which identifies 32 WCAG violations — more than any other tool on the market. Our Automated Fixes resolve these issues while our team of experts identifies and fixes more complex issues. 

The result: Accessible online content that’s compliant, user-friendly, and protected by industry experts.

Ready to understand how accessible your digital content really is? Use our Website Accessibility Checker for a clear, actionable view of your WCAG conformance.

Want to see AudioEye in action? Schedule a demo.