Does accessibility testing affect SEO rankings?

Yes. Google considers user experience as a core ranking factor, and accessibility is a crucial part of UX. Improving accessibility enhances usability, reduces bounce rates, and indirectly boosts rankings.

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is an international accessibility standard, and AA level is the minimum required by most regulations. It includes checks for contrast ratios, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and more.

Are alt attributes required?

Yes. All meaningful images should have alt attributes to help visually impaired users understand content and allow search engines to understand image topics—it's the foundation of image SEO. Decorative images can use empty alt (alt="").

Accessibility Audit Guide

This tool helps you quickly scan for common accessibility issues: missing alt attributes, low contrast ratios, missing ARIA labels, and keyboard navigation problems. Fixing these issues not only ensures compliance but also improves SEO and user experience.

1) Why Does Accessibility Affect SEO?

Search engines and screen readers work similarly: Both need semantic HTML, clear text alternatives, and structured content.
User experience is a ranking factor: Google Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, and operability all overlap with accessibility.
Alt attributes are the foundation of image SEO: Missing alt prevents Google from understanding image content, losing image search traffic.

2) Most Common Accessibility Issues

This tool checks for the following:

Missing alt attributes: All <img> tags should have alt; use alt="" for decorative images.
Low contrast ratios: Text-to-background contrast should meet WCAG AA standards (4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for large text).
Missing form labels: All input fields should have corresponding <label> or aria-label.
Keyboard inaccessibility: Interactive elements (buttons, links, forms) should support Tab/Enter/Space keys.
Missing ARIA landmarks: Use semantic tags like <header>, <nav>, <main>, <footer>, or corresponding roles.

html

<!-- ❌ Wrong: missing alt -->
<img src="product.jpg">

<!-- ✅ Correct: meaningful alt -->
<img src="product.jpg" alt="Blue down jacket front view">

<!-- ✅ Decorative image: empty alt -->
<img src="decoration.svg" alt="">

3) Quick Workflow: Audit → Batch Fix

Open Accessibility Audit and enter the URL to check.
The tool will list all violations (missing alt, contrast, ARIA issues, etc.).
Fix by priority: Start with missing alt and low contrast (highest impact).
After fixing, verify improvements with Lighthouse Runner.

4) Common Mistakes (Hurt SEO & UX)

Using the same alt text for all images (e.g., "image", "photo") without conveying actual content.
Low contrast (e.g., light gray text on white background) makes content hard to read, increasing bounce rates.
Testing only with mouse, ignoring keyboard users (Tab key can't focus on important buttons).
Using <div> + onClick for buttons without role="button" and keyboard event support.
Ignoring form labels, preventing screen reader users from understanding field purposes.

FAQ

Best practices for accessibility auditing.