Guide to Choosing the Right Web Accessibility Solution

Many organizations begin their accessibility journeys for a simple reason: compliance. In the United States and most other nations, businesses have a legal duty to provide accessible online content.

But accessibility is about more than compliance. It’s about providing every web visitor with an accessible user experience. When your website and other digital content are designed for everyone, you unlock numerous benefits — from expanding your audience reach to increasing SEO rankings and brand reputation.

The first step to unlocking these benefits? Choosing a web accessibility solution. However, with a myriad of tools on the market, finding the right one can feel overwhelming.

Below, we’ll explain how accessibility tools work and provide tips for choosing a solution that meets your unique needs and gives users a better overall experience.

Essential Features of an Effective Digital Accessibility Solution

Though the scope and approach may vary, the purpose of accessibility solutions is to help you find and fix accessibility issues that go against laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), European Accessibility Act (EAA), Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and others. Identifying these issues can bring your content into compliance and reduce your legal risk.

However, not all accessibility solutions are built the same, and choosing the wrong one can leave critical gaps in compliance and user experience. To find a solution that meets your organization’s needs, it’s important to look for key features that go beyond surface-level scans. We’ve highlighted the must-have capabilities when looking for accessibility solutions.

Conforms with WCAG 2.1 Level AA

As mentioned above, most digital accessibility solutions are designed to help you comply with global digital accessibility laws (e.g., ADA, EAA, AODA, etc.) While each law is slightly different, most point to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA as the standard for accessibility and compliance.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes accessibility features such as:

• Alt text to ensure assistive technology users can interact with non-text content, such as images, charts, graphs, etc.

• Sufficient color contrast between text and background for optimum readability.

• Keyboard navigability for users who can’t use a mouse.

• Labels, instructions, and error messages that are clear for form fields.

• Assistive technology compatibility, ensuring users with screen readers, magnifiers, or voice control can access content.

• Captions for video content so users with auditory disabilities can engage with content.

Look for accessibility solutions that specifically measure against WCAG 2.1 Level AA criteria. Doing so will not only provide a good user experience but also reduce your legal risk. 

Scalability

Think about how much digital content you have — and how much it changes. Whether you’re managing a single website, multiple domains, or regularly publishing new content, you need an accessibility solution that can keep up without sacrificing accuracy or coverage. Look for platforms that can automatically scan and monitor high volumes of pages, adapt to changes in site structure, and scale with your team’s workflow. A scalable solution ensures accessibility is maintained consistently as your digital products and content evolves, without requiring a complete rework every time your site changes.

Integration

Seamless integration is a must-have for web accessibility solutions. The right platform should fit into your existing tech stack and workflows easily — whether you’re using a CMS like WordPress or Drupal, an eCommerce platform like Shopify, or a custom-built framework. Integration capabilities make it easier to automate scans, flag issues directly within your development workflow, and keep accessibility in mind from the start of the content creation process. Plus, a solution that integrates easily will help to reduce friction on your team and ensure accessibility becomes a natural part of your digital experience, not an afterthought.

Customer Support

When issues inevitably arise, you need an accessibility partner to help you through. Pay attention to the support offerings vendors offer. Do they have an online help desk where you can ask questions and troubleshoot issues? Do they assign a company representative who can share best practices or fix problems? Look at the customer support they decide and ensure it aligns with your organization’s values and preferences.

Legal Support

With accessibility lawsuits on the rise, finding an accessibility solution with comprehensive legal support is a must. Search for vendors who will help you understand your legal requirements and provide documentation to support your compliance efforts, including accessibility statements, audit trails, and expert guidance. Expert guidance is especially important if you receive an ADA demand letter or lawsuit. This kind of backup can give your organization added confidence and protection.

For example, AudioEye provides comprehensive legal support with our team of accessibility experts evaluating non-compliance claims, implementing necessary fixes, and providing detailed reports. We’ll work closely with you throughout the legal process and help you resolve violations quickly. Plus, with AudioEye Assurance, you’ll enjoy a level of protection that’s 400% better than automation-only or consulting approaches, giving you peace of mind that you have a compliant, accessible website.

Reporting

Clear, detailed reporting is essential for tracking your progress and demonstrating your commitment to accessibility. A strong accessibility platform should provide accessibility reports that highlight issues, prioritize fixes by severity, and show changes over time. Whether you need high-level summaries for stakeholders or detailed issue logs for developers, robust reporting makes monitoring compliance easier, allocating resources, and staying accountable.

Accessibility Fixes

Accessibility fixes are where the real impact happens. It’s not enough to just identify issues — though it is important. Your solution should also help you resolve them. The best platforms go beyond scanning and offer built-in remediation tools, automated fixes for common problems, or direct access to accessibility experts who can handle more complex issues. Solutions that support or provide fixes ensure your digital assets actually become more usable for people with disabilities — not just technically compliant.

Ongoing Monitoring

Accessibility is an ongoing process — meaning you need an accessibility solution that does more than one-time accessibility audits or scans. Look for vendors with ongoing monitoring capabilities, continuous testing, maintenance support, and tools to help you manage accessibility over time. Vendors who can help you track new issues as they arise and resolve them enable you to stay ahead of accessibility gaps before they impact your users.

Developer Tools

Developer tools are essential for building accessibility into your digital content from the start. The right solution should empower developers with features like code-level issue tracking, browser extensions, GitHub integrations, and in-context guidance for fixing problems. These tools help teams catch accessibility issues early in the development cycle — before they go live — and make the resolution process faster and more efficient.

For example, AudioEye’s Developer Tools allow developers to test for accessibility directly in production environments — from full-page testing to component libraries and automatic scans for each deployment. This empowers developers to test for accessibility from the beginning, saving time and avoiding rework.

Patterned illustration of accessibility icons and a hand with a pointer finger extended

How to Choose the Right Web Accessibility Solution

With the features above in mind, it’s time to start evaluating platforms. To find an accessibility solution aligned with your organizational priorities, you’ll need to assess your current capabilities. Here’s a basic process for making that decision. 

1. Identify Where You Stand

Analyze your organization’s available resources and goals. Start by asking questions like:

• Does your team have a solid understanding of digital compliance requirements?

• Do designers pay attention to color contrast and other WCAG requirements?

• Is accessibility part of your development process?

• How does your website (or mobile app) currently stack up against WCAG requirements?

Remember, if you don’t treat accessibility as a priority, your results will be limited. Your accessibility solution should support your team's work, but to create truly accessible content, accessibility should be a core part of your workflow.

If you lack an organizational approach to accessibility, consider a solution that can provide guidance along the way. For example, AudioEye’s platform combines powerful automation with 24/7 access to expert guidance, helping you develop a self-sustainable strategy. 

2. Pinpoint Key Stakeholders

Determine who needs to be involved in the decision-making process. This could include web developers, designers, content creators, and your legal team. 

Avoid assigning the work to a single person or team. Remember, everyone has a role to play, and your website will be much more robust if every key stakeholder shares a commitment to accessibility.

3. Analyze Potential Accessibility Solutions

Gather feedback from stakeholders and review options. To meet organizational goals, you’ll need to analyze the features of potential accessibility solutions. Keep the features mentioned above in mind, as this will help you find a high-quality accessibility solution. 

4. Establish Timelines

Build realistic timelines to compliance. Whether you’re starting from scratch or you already have resources in place, fixing accessibility barriers can take time.

As you begin your accessibility journey, you’ll need to monitor your progress (and celebrate milestones). Look for solutions that will make establishing timelines easier. For example, AudioEye’s Active Monitoring provides an overview of your content’s overall accessibility, along with identified issues ranked by severity and detailed guidance for taking the next steps. These insights give you a clear starting point for accessibility and timeframes.

Automation vs. Manual Testing

Another key element to consider when evaluating accessibility platforms is automated and manual (or expert testing) capabilities. It’s important to understand the difference between both — and why the most effective solutions offer both expert and automated testing.

Automated Accessibility Testing

Automated accessibility testing uses software tools to quickly scan digital content and detect common accessibility issues, like missing alt text, improper heading structures, or insufficient color contrast. 

Pros:

• Fast and scalable — automated tools can scan hundreds of pages quickly

• Ideal for identifying common code-level issues

• Great for ongoing monitoring and regression testing

• Integrates easily into development workflows

Cons:

• Can only identify common accessibility issues, leaving issues around usability or context undetected

• May produce false positives or miss real barriers

• Doesn’t replace human judgment

Expert Accessibility Testing

Expert testing involves human reviewers (preferably accessibility experts or members of the disability community) who use assistive technologies and evaluate your content for usability and context-based issues — things automation can’t reliably catch, such as keyboard traps, screen reader behavior, or poor link descriptions.

Pros:

• Catches complex, contextual, and usability-related issues

• Uses assistive technologies to replicate real user experiences

• Provides deeper insight into actual barriers for people with disabilities

Cons:

• Time-consuming and resource-intensive

• Requires trained accessibility experts

• Not easily scalable without the right processes in place

Because both approaches have limitations, you’ll want to look for an accessibility solution that uses both. Tools that combine the speed of automation with the expertise of hands-on testing give you a more complete picture of your digital content’s accessibility and a stronger path to compliance. 

Someone using a screen reader as assistive technology next to their computer keyboard.

Best of Both Worlds: Hybrid Approach to Website Accessibility and Testing with AudioEye

Here’s the reality: Most digital content falls short regarding accessibility, creating barriers for people with vision, hearing, mobility, and cognitive disabilities. While accessibility can — and should — be built into your digital content from the start, the right solution can simplify the process, reduce risk, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. 

A strong accessibility solution doesn’t just scan for issues. It supports your team with automated and expert testing, real-time monitoring, and ongoing support — all working together to help you achieve and maintain WCAG conformance. It should scale with your content, integrate with your tech stack, and provide clear reporting and legal documentation when you need it most. 

Ultimately, the goal is to make digital accessibility a sustainable part of your digital operations. The right solution can accelerate that journey — and support you long after you’ve launched an accessible experience.

That’s where AudioEye comes in. 

AudioEye takes a three-pronged approach to accessibility, combining powerful automation, human-assisted AI technology, and testing throughout the development process to detect and fix accessibility issues. With our comprehensive approach to accessibility, meeting and maintaining compliance, even as your site changes, is fast, easy, and cost-effective.

Ready to get started? Use our free Web Accessibility Checker to see how accessible your existing content is.

Want to see AudioEye in action? Schedule a demo today.