Guides
10 Most Common Accessibility Issues on Websites
Alexander Xrayd
Accessibility Expert
Read time
5 min
Published
Nov 20, 2025
After scanning thousands of websites, we see the same patterns over and over. Certain problems are so common they appear on over 90% of all sites.
The good news? Most of these problems are easy to fix. Often it's basic HTML structure and CSS adjustments that a developer can address in a few hours.
In this guide, we cover the 10 most common problems we find, explain why they're serious, and show how to fix them.
1. Insufficient color contrast
Occurrence: 86% of all sites
Severity: High (WCAG 1.4.3)
Light gray text on white background, white text on pastel colors, and colored buttons with insufficient contrast are everywhere.
Common culprits:
How to fix it:
At least 4.5:1 contrast for normal text, 3:1 for large text (18px+). Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker. Darken the text or lighten the background – often minimal adjustment is enough.
Contrast is the most common problem and one of the easiest to fix. A couple of hex value changes can make an enormous difference.
2. Missing or poor alt text
Occurrence: 61% of all sites
Severity: High (WCAG 1.1.1)
Images without alt attribute, or with non-descriptive alt like 'image' or 'image_01.jpg'.
Common problems:
How to fix it:
Describe the image's content and function. 'Red dress from Acme, size M, $59.99' – not 'product image'. Decorative images should have empty alt (alt='') so screen readers skip them.
3. Forms without labels
Occurrence: 54% of all sites
Severity: High (WCAG 1.3.1, 4.1.2)
Form fields that rely on placeholder text instead of proper
Why it's bad:
How to fix it:
Every input needs a connected label:
<label for='email'>Email</label><input type='email' id='email'>Use placeholder as supplement, not replacement.
4. Not keyboard navigable
Occurrence: 47% of all sites
Severity: Critical (WCAG 2.1.1)
Interactive elements that only work with mouse – dropdown menus, modals, carousels.
Common problems:
How to fix it:
Test the entire site with only Tab and Enter. Every interactive element must be reachable (Tab) and activatable (Enter/Space). Use native HTML elements where possible (
5. Incorrect heading structure
Occurrence: 42% of all sites
Severity: Medium (WCAG 1.3.1)
Skipping heading levels (H1→H3), or using headings just to get large text.
Common problems:
to get smaller text instead of CSS
How to fix it:
One H1 per page. Follow hierarchy: H1→H2→H3. Use CSS to style size, not heading level for visual effect.
6. Hidden focus indicator
Occurrence: 38% of all sites
Severity: High (WCAG 2.4.7)
CSS that removes browser's default focus ring (outline: none) without replacement.
Why it happens:
Designers think the blue ring is ugly. Instead of replacing it, they just remove it.
How to fix it:
NEVER remove outline without replacing it:
:focus { outline: 2px solid #005fcc; outline-offset: 2px; }Make the focus ring clear and consistent in your design system.
7. Meaningless link texts
Occurrence: 34% of all sites
Severity: Medium (WCAG 2.4.4)
'Click here', 'Read more', 'More info' – repeated multiple times without context.
Why it's bad:
Screen readers can list all links. A list with 20 'Click here' is useless.
How to fix it:
'Read more about WCAG 2.2 requirements' instead of 'Read more'. Link text should explain where the link leads.
8. Video without captions
Occurrence: 28% of sites with video
Severity: High (WCAG 1.2.2)
Video with speech but without subtitles or transcription.
How to fix it:
Add subtitles (WebVTT format). Offer transcription as downloadable text. YouTube has automatic subtitling as a starting point (but review it – it often contains errors).
9. Auto-playing media
Occurrence: 19% of all sites
Severity: Medium-High (WCAG 1.4.2)
Video or audio that starts automatically, especially with sound.
Why it's bad:
How to fix it:
Never start audio automatically. If video must autoplay, ensure it's muted with visible unmute button.
10. Incorrect ARIA usage
Occurrence: 27% of all sites
Severity: Medium-High (WCAG 4.1.2)
ARIA attributes used incorrectly, duplicating native functionality, or pointing to elements that don't exist.
Common problems:
How to fix it:
Follow 'No ARIA is better than bad ARIA'. Use native HTML first. Validate ARIA with tools. Test with screen reader.
Test your site's accessibility
Free scan, no signup required
