7 Common Accessibility Mistakes on Websites (and How to Fix Them)

Accessibility isn’t just a checklist item—it’s how you make sure people can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with your website regardless of ability, device, or context. Yet many teams still ship the same barriers again and again, often because they’re easy to miss during visual QA or because components weren’t designed with inclusive patterns in mind.

Below are seven common accessibility mistakes on websites, why they matter, and practical ways to fix them. The recommendations align with WCAG expectations; if you need a refresher on the latest version and what it includes, see What Is WCAG 2.2 and Why It Matters.

1) Missing or poor alternative text for images

Alternative text (alt text) helps screen reader users understand what an image conveys. A frequent mistake is leaving alt text blank when the image is informative, or writing alt text that’s unhelpful (“image,” “photo,” or keyword-heavy strings). Icons used as buttons (search, close, download) are especially risky because they can become invisible to assistive technology.

How to fix it

• Write meaningful alt text for informative images: describe the purpose or information, not every visual detail.
• Use empty alt (alt="") only for purely decorative images so screen readers can skip them.
• Label icon-only controls with accessible names (e.g., aria-label) if there’s no visible text.

As a quick quality check, run a page through an automated scan and then manually validate key screens. Tools like Corpowid (corpowid.ai) can help flag missing alt attributes at scale so you can prioritize the most visible or most-used pages first.

2) Insufficient color contrast (and relying on color alone)

Low contrast text is one of the most common barriers for people with low vision, color vision deficiency, or anyone viewing a screen in glare or on a dim display. Another related mistake is using color as the only way to communicate meaning—like showing errors only in red, or indicating required fields only with a colored border.

How to fix it

• Meet contrast targets for text and interactive elements (WCAG defines minimum ratios depending on size and weight).
• Don’t use color alone: pair color with text labels, icons, patterns, or additional cues (e.g., “Error: Email is required”).
• Check hover/focus states too—contrast often drops in these styles.

Contrast issues can also create compliance risk depending on region and sector. If you’re navigating requirements across markets, Digital accessibility in the grip of global regulations offers helpful context on why this is increasingly enforced worldwide.

3) Keyboard traps and missing keyboard support

Many users don’t use a mouse—this includes people using screen readers, switch devices, voice input, or only a keyboard. A common mistake is building menus, modals, carousels, or custom dropdowns that can’t be operated with the keyboard, or that trap focus inside an element with no clear way out.

How to fix it

• Test every interactive feature using only the keyboard (Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, Arrow keys, Escape).
• Ensure focus order is logical and matches the visual reading order.
• For modals, move focus into the dialog when it opens, keep focus contained while open, and return focus to the trigger when it closes.
• Use native controls where possible (e.g., <button>, <select>) instead of div-based widgets.

Automated tools can detect some keyboard and focus issues, but you’ll still need manual testing for interactive flows. Ongoing monitoring (rather than one-time audits) helps catch regressions when components change—especially on fast-moving sites.

4) No visible focus indicator (or a weak one)

Design systems sometimes remove focus outlines for aesthetic reasons. When the focus indicator is missing or barely visible, keyboard users can’t tell where they are on the page. This creates frustration, errors, and abandoned tasks—especially in navigation menus and forms.

How to fix it

• Never remove focus styling without replacing it with an equally visible alternative.
• Use high-contrast focus rings that stand out against both light and dark backgrounds.
• Ensure focus is shown for all interactive elements, including custom components.

A good rule: if you can’t instantly spot the focus location from a normal viewing distance, it’s probably too subtle.

5) Incorrect headings and page structure

Headings are not just visual styling—they provide structure that assistive technologies use to navigate. Common mistakes include skipping heading levels (jumping from H1 to H4), using headings purely for styling, or having multiple H1s that don’t reflect page purpose.

How to fix it

• Use one clear H1 per page that matches the page topic.
• Nest headings properly (H2 under H1, H3 under H2, etc.).
• Don’t use headings for appearance; use CSS for visual style and keep HTML semantic.

Strong structure benefits everyone: it improves scan-ability, SEO, and helps users on mobile quickly find what they need.

6) Forms without labels, clear instructions, or accessible errors

Forms are where accessibility issues turn into lost conversions. Frequent mistakes include missing programmatic labels, placeholder-only labeling, unclear required-field indicators, and error messages that aren’t connected to the relevant field or announced to screen readers.

How to fix it

• Provide a visible label for each input using <label for> and a matching id.
• Don’t rely on placeholders as labels—they disappear as users type and can have low contrast.
• Make errors specific (“Password must be at least 12 characters”) and place them near the field.
• Connect errors programmatically using aria-describedby, and ensure errors are announced (e.g., with an aria-live region for summaries).

This is especially critical in high-stakes journeys like patient portals and appointment booking; see Why online healthcare must be accessible for real-world impact.

7) Misuse of ARIA and inaccessible custom components

ARIA can improve accessibility when used correctly—but it can also make things worse. A common mistake is adding ARIA labels everywhere without understanding semantics, or building custom widgets (tabs, accordions, dropdowns) without the expected roles, states, and keyboard interactions.

How to fix it

• Follow the first rule of ARIA: use native HTML elements whenever possible.
• Only add ARIA when it fills a real semantic gap, and ensure roles/states are accurate and updated.
• Match expected behavior: for example, a “button” should respond to Enter/Space, not just click.

If you’re unsure whether ARIA is helping, test with a keyboard and a screen reader on at least one key flow (login, checkout, contact form). Accessibility audit platforms like Corpowid (corpowid.ai) can also help surface patterns of ARIA misuse and missing semantics across templates, which is useful when you manage many pages or multiple sites.

How to prevent these mistakes from returning

Fixing issues once is good; preventing regressions is better. Accessibility tends to slip when teams ship new components, redesign pages, or add third-party widgets.

• Build accessible components into your design system (buttons, modals, menus, form fields) and document usage rules.
• Add accessibility checks to QA: keyboard-only testing, zoom to 200%, contrast checks, and at least one screen reader pass on core journeys.
• Monitor continuously to catch new issues early. Automated scanning and dashboards make it easier to track progress across releases.

For organizations with complex sites—like public institutions and education—consistent patterns are essential. If that’s your context, Accessibility for universities highlights why governance and repeatable processes matter.

Conclusion

The most common accessibility mistakes are often the most preventable: missing alt text, low contrast, broken keyboard navigation, weak focus states, poor structure, inaccessible forms, and ARIA misuse. Addressing them improves usability for everyone and supports WCAG-aligned compliance efforts—especially as expectations rise globally, including in rapidly evolving markets like KSA (see Why digital accessibility is the new gold standard for the Saudi Market).

Start with your highest-traffic pages, fix the patterns at the component level, and keep checking as you release. Accessibility is a practice—one that pays off in better experiences, broader reach, and lower risk.