WCAG 2.2: 11 Easy Ways to Test Accessibility

Digital accessibility standards are always evolving — and that’s a good thing. As user needs change, so do the guidelines that help make websites and other digital content usable for everyone. But for organizations trying to stay compliant, that evolution can feel like a moving target. 

Enter the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 — the latest version of WCAG guidelines. While it hasn’t officially replaced WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the legal benchmark for compliance, adopting the new success criteria now can help you stay ahead of lawsuits and make your content work for more users. 

Below, you’ll get a quick rundown of WCAG 2.1 vs. 2.2 and fast, simple ways to test your content for conformance with the latest version — no deep technical expertise required.

WCAG 2.1 vs. WCAG 2.2: What’s Changed?

While WCAG 2.2 builds on the foundation of WCAG 2.1, it introduces important updates aimed at making digital content, including user interfaces, web pages, mobile apps, and online documents, even more accessible. The core principles — Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR) — remain the same, but WCAG 2.2 adds nine new success criteria, bringing the total from 69 to 78. 

These additions aren’t just technical tweaks — they directly address gaps that were still creating barriers for many users with disabilities, especially those with cognitive disabilities, mobility impairments, and low vision. 

The new criteria focus on things like:

• Making touch targets easier to interact with on mobile and touchscreen devices.

• Reducing cognitive load through more consistent and predictable user experiences.

• Supporting better navigation and error prevention in forms and complex interfaces. 

The goal? To make sure more people, regardless of ability, can navigate, understand, and interact with digital content effectively. 

Which WCAG Version Should You Follow?

As of this writing, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the international standard for website accessibility compliance. It’s the version most often cited in accessibility laws and legal settlements in regions like the U.S., Canada, and the EU.

That said, WCAG 2.2 is the direction things are heading. It’s recommended to start adopting WCAG 2.2 success criteria now. Doing so can:

• Help future-proof your digital content

• Reduce legal risk as enforcement catches up

• Improve usability for people with disabilities — especially those with cognitive or motor impairments

The bottom line: Continue to meet WCAG 2.1 standards, but treat WCAG 2.2 as your new checklist for what’s next.

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11 Quick Ways to Test for WCAG 2.2 Conformance

With a better understanding of WCAG 2.2 in mind, let’s look at how to check your digital content against WCAG 2.2. Here are 11 fast, effective ways to test your content for accessibility.

Keyboard Focus

Because some users don’t rely on a mouse to navigate online content, it’s important that users can see exactly where they are on your site as they tab through content. Having a clear focus indicator (usually a visible outline or highlight) that is clear, consistent, and always visible helps them keep track of where they are and improves their experience. This also helps fulfill WCAG success criteria around Focus Not Obscured (e.g., 2.4.11, 2.4.12, and 2.4.13). 

Help Features

Check that helpful elements like FAQs, chatbots, or contact options are in the same spot across every page. This creates consistency and lowers the cognitive load for users who rely on those tools, fulfilling WCAG 3.2.6: Consistent Help.

Avoid Redundancies in Forms

Go through a multi-step form on your site. Do you have to re-enter the same information more than once? If so, that could frustrate or slow down users with cognitive or mobility impairments. WCAG 3.3.7: Redundant Entry recommends using auto-fill whenever possible to minimize frustration. 

Provide Multiple Authentication Options

Try logging into your platform or app. Do users have to solve puzzles or complete visual tasks with no alternative? If so, that’s a barrier and violation of WCAG 3.3.8: Accessible Authentication and 3.3.9: Accessible Authentication: Enhanced. Offer alternative options like email, text codes, or password logins that don’t rely on memory or physical dexterity. 

Dragging Movements

If your website includes drag-and-drop features, test them without a mouse. Can you still complete the interaction using just a keyboard or another input method? If not, you’ll need to provide an accessible alternative to full WCAG 2.5.7: Dragging Movements.

Target Size

Try tapping buttons or links on your mobile device. Are they easy to hit without zooming in or misfiring? If touch targets are too small or too close together, it can make navigation frustrating or impossible for many users. This also violates WCAG 2.5.8: Target Size - Minimum, which recommends a minimum touch target of 24x24 CSS pixels.

Color Contrast

Run a color contrast checker (like this one from AudioEye) on your content. Make sure text and background colors meet WCAG’s minimum contrast ratios of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for larger text. Ensuring text and background combinations meet these requirements is a small change, but it makes a huge impact for users with low vision or color blindness.

Test Keyboard Navigation

Use only your ‘Tab’ and ‘Enter’ keys to navigate your website. Can you reach all interactive elements? Is the tab order logical? If not, you’re violating WCAG 2.1.1: Keyboard and 2.4.3: Focus Order. This also creates significant barriers for users relying on keyboard commands or shortcuts to navigate online spaces.

Add Alt Text

Look at every image on your site. Does it have alt text (also called alternative text)? And is that alt text actually useful (i.e., describes the image’s purpose, not just what it looks like)? WCAG 1.1.1: Non-text Content requires that every image have alt text to convey meaning, ensuring assistive technology users don’t miss valuable context.

Review Heading Structure

Scan your content’s headers (H1, H2, H3, etc.). Are they in a clear, logical order? Skipping heading levels or using them just for styling can confuse screen readers and harm your site’s structure — for users and SEO. This also violates WCAG 1.3.1: Info and Relationships and 2.4.6: Headings and Labels.

Use a Screen Reader

Download a screen reader (like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver) and try navigating your site. Listen for areas where the flow feels confusing or elements aren’t described clearly. Even a quick test can uncover key issues that automated tools miss. This also helps you test for conformance with multiple WCAG success criteria, including 1.3.1: Info and Relationships, 2.4.3: Focus Order, 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value, and more.

How to Test for WCAG 2.2 Accessibility

While you can use manual testing to test for the WCAG 2.2 functionalities mentioned above, this can be time-consuming, and you may miss certain issues if you’re new to accessibility. Using accessibility or evaluation tools can help streamline the process and catch more issues, but no single tool or method that can catch everything. 

For example, automated tools like AudioEye’s free Web Accessibility Checker or Color Contrast Checker can help you quickly find common problems like missing alt text, poor color contrast, or empty form labels. While these tools can save time and give you a solid starting point, they can’t identify every accessibility error. 

Many accessibility requirements need human judgment to evaluate effectively, which is where expert audits come in. Auditing your content for more complex accessibility issues (like keyboard-only navigation, screen reader testing, and quality of alt text or captions) can help you catch more nuanced issues that impact real people with disabilities. 

In short:

• Use automated testing to quickly identify common accessibility issues.

• Use expert audits from either accessibility experts or individuals with disabilities to evaluate usability and overall experience.

• Use a hybrid approach to accessibility testing to gain a more in-depth and comprehensive understanding of how accessible and compliant your digital content is.

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Keep Accessibility Simple — and Scalable — with AudioEye

Improving accessibility and meeting WCAG 2.2 conformance standards doesn’t require a complete website overhaul. With just a few quick tests — like checking keyboard focus, alt text, and color contrast — you’re on your way to aligning WCAG 2.2 and creating a more accessible, compliant digital experience.

If you’re looking for extra support, AudioEye has you covered. With our three-pronged approach to accessibility, detecting and fixing accessibility issues is fast, easy, and 90% more cost-effective than consulting or automation-only responses. From our free Web Accessibility Checker that finds more than 30 WCAG violations to our Expert Audits, AudioEye helps you achieve industry-leading compliance — no matter your team size or technical skill. 

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

Want to see AudioEye in action? Request a demo now.