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Maintain website accessibility through a repeatable cycle: define what is in scope, check it against a chosen standard with suitable tools and knowledgeable human review, test real tasks with people with disabilities, fix barriers, and reassess as the site changes. An automated scan or one person’s experience cannot establish that an entire website is accessible.
Why accessibility testing needs both standards checks and user testing
Conformance evaluation asks whether pages and processes meet a selected standard, such as WCAG. Task-based evaluation with disabled and older users asks whether people can use the product to accomplish relevant goals—and can reveal usability barriers that a conformance review alone may not uncover. These activities complement each other; neither should be presented as a substitute for the other.
W3C WAI states: “However, no tool alone can determine if a site meets accessibility standards. Knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine if a site is accessible.” Tools can help find issues and make recurring checks practical, but a score or scan report is not proof of conformance. W3C’s accessibility evaluation overview also recommends evaluating early and throughout development, when teams can identify and address issues sooner.
Set a clear scope and evaluation target
Include the whole product being assessed
Write down which product, pages, views, states, and functionality are in scope. Consider mobile and language versions, third-party content, and separate areas such as a shop hosted on another subdomain. Leaving out parts of a product can distort the result. If something is excluded, name the exclusion rather than implying that it was evaluated.
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Choose a conformance level and support baseline
Specify the WCAG 2 conformance level being evaluated. WCAG-EM 2.0 describes Level AA as the generally accepted and recommended target; that recommendation does not establish the legal requirements that apply in every jurisdiction. Also state the browsers, assistive technologies, and other user agents the product is expected to support. That support baseline depends on the product’s purpose, audience, language, technologies, and available user agents.
Use tools as part of review, not as the verdict
Begin with an initial review for obvious accessibility problems, then use evaluation software or online services where they fit the site and team’s workflow. Tools can support repeatable checks, but results require knowledgeable human interpretation and follow-up. W3C maintains a filterable list of more than 100 accessibility evaluation tools, along with guidance on selecting among them.
When comparing tools or services, consider which content and evaluation needs they support, how they fit the site’s complexity, whether they enable recurring checks and useful reporting, and what still needs human review. Plan separately for evaluation with disabled users; a tool does not replace that perspective.
Plan user-focused evaluation around real tasks
Involve people throughout development
Bring people with disabilities into evaluation throughout development rather than waiting for a formal usability test at the end. Depending on the stage and question, this can mean a focused consultation or a structured usability test in which representative users perform tasks and provide qualitative and quantitative data. Match participants’ experience to the intended audience. Do not assume one person’s feedback represents all people with disabilities.
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Before a session, specify which users and tasks matter, what prototype or site state is being evaluated, and how observers will record barriers encountered during interaction. Give participants tasks grounded in the product, and observe what happens as they navigate, enter information, respond to errors, and look for confirmation or feedback. Discuss accessibility issues as appropriate. A session offers evidence about the tasks and experience observed; it is not, by itself, a comprehensive conformance audit. See W3C WAI’s guidance on involving users in accessibility evaluation.
Select a representative sample of pages and journeys
Cover different content and functionality
For a large site, build a structured sample that covers its different views, functions, and technologies, then add a random sample to check whether the structured set is representative. WCAG-EM 2.0 specifies a random sample equal to 10% of the structured sample. This is a sampling recommendation within that methodology—not a general rule that 10% of a website’s pages is enough to test.
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Include every page or view needed to complete a process, including its steps and branches. If the random sample reveals a new type of content or finding, expand the structured sample and repeat the comparison.
Adjust for site size and interactivity
For a small site, WCAG-EM says all pages can be evaluated, so sampling may be unnecessary. Web applications often require more time and a larger sample because they are interactive and dynamically generated. Let the product’s range of content, states, and processes determine the work rather than choosing a sample solely for convenience.
Evaluate, repair, and repeat
Assess each selected sample against the chosen conformance target and support baseline. Include the complete interactions involved in user processes: data entry, feedback, errors, and confirmation—not just static page content. Combine standards-focused review with user evaluation to understand both whether criteria are met and whether people encounter barriers while completing tasks.
After repairs, evaluate again, and repeat periodically as the product changes. Keep some earlier samples so results can be compared over time, and replace some samples to broaden coverage. WCAG-EM says that unless significant changes have been made, there is usually no need to change the sample size or sampling approach.
Document findings and make appropriately bounded claims
Record the product scope, conformance target, support baseline, technologies, sample set and how it was selected, processes covered, findings, and evaluation dates. Include examples for criteria that were not met and note recurring issues. WCAG-EM describes documentation at each step as essential to transparency, repeatability, and justification of claims.
Describe exactly what was evaluated and when. If only a subset or a development version was assessed, do not claim that the entire final product conforms. An evaluation during development can become obsolete after changes and should not be used as a conformance claim about the final product.
Capture representative pages without confusing screenshots for accessibility tests
Screenshots can help teams preserve visual evidence of a page or state for review and comparison. They cannot show how assistive technology presents the page, whether keyboard interaction works, or whether a person can complete a task. Use captures as supporting documentation alongside interaction review and user testing, not as an accessibility verdict.
For a manual capture, open the relevant page in a browser, set the viewport and state you want to document, and use the browser’s screenshot or print-to-PDF feature. Record the URL, date, viewport, and any relevant interaction state with the capture so reviewers know what it represents. Repeat after a fix using comparable conditions when visual comparison matters.
Or skip the browser setup
For repeatable page captures, ScreenshotNeo can return an image or PDF from one GET request. Example cURL call:
curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://example.com -o shot.webpSee the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options. Cookie banners, popups, and chat widgets are removed before the shot; bot checks, blank pages, and failed loads are never billed. An MCP server lets AI agents take screenshots. The free plan includes 1,000 screenshots a month with no card, and paid plans start at $5 for 3,000. A screenshot still does not assess accessibility conformance or substitute for testing with disabled users. Sign up for ScreenshotNeo.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I test a website for accessibility?
Evaluate early and throughout development, reassess after fixes, and repeat periodically as the product changes. The evaluation cadence should reflect the site’s changes and risk; the cited methodology does not set a universal interval.
Can automated accessibility testing find every problem?
No. Tools can help identify issues and support repeatable checks, but W3C says knowledgeable human evaluation is required to determine whether a site is accessible.
Does a user test prove WCAG conformance?
No. User testing reveals how participants experience tasks; conformance evaluation checks against the selected standard. Use both to answer their different, complementary questions.
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