Before you share or publish your content, this quick check can help to identify some of the more common accessibility barriers. Please note, this may not identify all accessibility issues in your content and, where possible, it is generally recommended to run a full accessibility test prior to sharing digital content.


Check the page title and headings

  • Does the title displayed in the browser tab or in the document clearly identify the content?
  • Does the layout of the headings provide a reasonable structure and are the headings meaningful?
  • Are all headings formatted using the built-in heading styles?

Check images

  • Do important images have useful alt text?
  • Are decorative images marked as such so assistive technology can skip them?
  • Do complex images, e.g. charts or diagrams, include a longer description nearby?

Check colour and contrast

  • Can you understand instructions and errors without relying on colour alone?
  • Can the text be read easily against its background?

Check keyboard use

Try not to use your mouse and instead use your keyboard to navigate. For some keyboards this means using the TAB key or combined SHIFT + TAB.

  • Can you see where the keyboard focus is?
  • Can you access and make use of all the essential controls and can you carry out the main task?

Zoom in

Increase the browser zoom and check if any important content disappears.

  • Can you still read the page without too much horizontal scrolling?
  • Do buttons, messages and other controls remain accessible or do they overlap or get lost?

Use an automated accessibility checker.

  • Check the built-in accessibility checkers to identify issues that can be detected automatically.
  • Manually check any flagged items that can’t be checked automatically
  • View the results as a useful starting point instead of a full accessibility assessment. Although automated tools are very useful, they can’t determine whether all of the content and interactions are meaningful or usable.