How to improve website accessibility: where to start

By the LaunchSafer team · November 9, 2026

A practical starting point for making your website usable by more people, including what automated tools can and can't find.

Accessibility means people can use your website regardless of disability, device or situation. It's also good usability for everyone.

Start with the most common barriers

Text alternatives: give meaningful images alt text; use alt="" for decorative ones.
Form labels: every input needs a label that stays visible.
Colour contrast: normal text needs at least a 4.5:1 contrast ratio.
Accessible names: icon-only buttons and links need an aria-label.
Page language: set lang on the <html> element.
Headings and landmarks: use one H1, logical heading levels, and <main>, <nav> and <footer>.

Test with a keyboard

Unplug your mouse and press Tab through your page. Can you reach every link and button? Can you see where focus is? Can you close menus and dialogs?

Know the limits of automated tests

Tools like axe-core and Lighthouse reliably detect many issues, but they can't judge whether alt text is meaningful or whether a flow makes sense. Automated results are a partial assessment, not proof of WCAG conformance or legal compliance.

Make it part of your process

Check accessibility when you add new components, not just once a year. Small, regular fixes are far easier than a big remediation project.