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Make WordPress navigation controls usable with a keyboard, give every form field a visible label, and write image alternatives that explain each image’s purpose. Then test the finished pages—not just the theme or WordPress installation—with a keyboard and, where possible, a screen reader. WordPress identifies WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the expected standard for code integrated into its ecosystem; that expectation is not proof that an individual site conforms.
What accessibility means for a WordPress site
Accessibility depends on how the site’s content, theme, plugins, and configuration work together. WordPress’s Accessibility Coding Standards say code integrated into the WordPress ecosystem—including core, WordPress.org websites, and official plugins—is expected to conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The W3C’s WCAG 2.2 Recommendation is the normative standard; WordPress guidance helps put it into practice.
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A theme marked accessibility-ready can be a useful starting point, but it cannot make every page accessible regardless of the content and configuration added to it. WordPress’s updated accessibility-ready theme requirements, effective May 6, 2026, explain that themes wrap content while WCAG measures content. Treat the designation as a theme review, not a site-wide guarantee.
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Make menus and navigation work without a mouse
Start with the finished site in a browser. A navigation menu is not accessible simply because it appears correctly or uses a WordPress menu block: people must be able to reach and operate every interactive control, see where keyboard focus is, and understand what each control does.
Use the right control for the job
- Use links for navigation to another page or location.
- Use buttons for actions such as opening or closing a menu.
- Make each control’s accessible name understandable. Prefer visible text where possible; if you use ARIA, do not give a control an accessible name that conflicts with its visible wording.
- Ensure the control’s role matches its behavior and that states such as expanded or collapsed are communicated programmatically.
Native links and buttons are generally preferable to custom controls: ARIA is not a substitute for choosing the right semantic element. WordPress’s markup guidance and ARIA guidance cover names, roles, and states.
Run a keyboard check
- Open a representative page and start at the top. Press Tab to move forward through the controls and Shift+Tab to move backward.
- Check that focus is visibly indicated and follows a sensible order through the page.
- Use the expected keyboard operation for each link and button. Open dropdowns and verify that their links can also be reached and operated.
- Check that focus is not trapped unexpectedly and that the menu’s open or closed state is understandable to assistive technology.
WordPress’s theme accessibility testing guidance includes navigation menus among the controls to check. Test the site’s actual menus, including dropdowns, because a theme or plugin update does not confirm that your particular setup works.
Make forms understandable before and after submission
Every input, textarea, and select needs a real, associated label. A placeholder is a short hint inside a field, not a substitute for its label; it may disappear as the person types. WordPress guidance recommends placing labels above text inputs, textareas, and selects, and keeping label text plain rather than nesting interactive elements inside it.
Give people enough information to complete the form
- Ask only for information needed to handle the request.
- Identify required fields consistently and clearly.
- Explain formats and constraints before submission, and allow familiar input patterns.
- Use placeholder text only for a useful hint, not for the field’s name or instructions the person must retain while typing.
These principles apply whether the form comes from a plugin, a block, or a custom implementation. Check the rendered page: an editor setting or a form builder’s preview is not a substitute for verifying the label in context.
Make errors and success messages useful
- Do not communicate an error through color alone. Give a text explanation near the affected field.
- For multiple errors, provide a summary that helps people find and understand them.
- Say how to correct the problem rather than merely announcing that something went wrong.
- Avoid reporting an incomplete value as an error while someone is still entering it.
- After successful submission, provide a clear confirmation and explain the next step, if there is one.
WordPress’s form guidance covers labels, while its validation guidance addresses error feedback. Test both a successful submission and likely invalid inputs; a form that looks clear before submission may still leave a person unsure how to recover from an error.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Add useful alternative text to images
In WordPress, enter alternative text in the image’s Media Library attachment details or adjust it for an individual Image block. Write for the image’s purpose in the place it appears, not simply for the file. The same image can communicate different things in different contexts, so review its alternative wherever it is used.
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- Informative image: Describe the information or purpose the image adds. Keep the wording brief and relevant; do not begin with “image of,” since screen readers announce image content.
- Decorative image: If the image adds no information, use an empty alternative so it is not needlessly announced. WordPress 7.1 added a decorative-image setting for this purpose.
- Complex graphic: Use concise alternative text to identify the graphic, then provide its substantive information elsewhere in accessible text. A long description stuffed into the alt field is not a replacement for making the information available on the page.
- Image that is a link: Write alternative text that communicates the link’s destination or action. Because the image is the link, its alternative serves as the link text; merely describing what the picture looks like may not explain where the link goes.
WordPress’s alternative-text guidance explains image purpose and decorative alternatives, and its image markup guidance covers images used as links.
Finish with a practical page-by-page review
Review representative pages on the published site, including pages with dropdown navigation, forms, and informative or linked images. Keyboard checks reveal problems that may not be visible in a screenshot; a screen reader check can help confirm that names and states are announced meaningfully.
- Navigation: Can you reach and operate every menu control and dropdown by keyboard? Is focus visible and in a sensible order?
- Forms: Does each field have a visible label? Are required fields, instructions, errors, corrections, and successful submission clear in text?
- Images: Does each informative image have an alternative suited to its context? Are decorative images omitted from the spoken experience, and are complex graphics explained in page text?
- Assistive technology: Do controls have understandable names and states when announced?
Automated tools can help flag issues, but an automated scan alone does not establish conformance. WordPress’s accessibility best practices are practical support for review, not a replacement for checking how the complete site behaves. The project’s September 30, 2026 documentation update also describes ongoing work on topics including content and frontend tables, color contrast, and infinite scroll; use the relevant guidance while still testing your own pages.
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