February 5, 2026
It is a tempting proposition, yet it worth questioning: how can a free, automated tool provide the same value as an expert audit that takes weeks to complete?
You have probably come across some companies that offer ‘free’ reports; just enter the url you want to test, and in a few minutes an “instant accessibility report” soon appears in your inbox. It is a tempting proposition, yet it worth questioning: how can a free, automated tool provide the same value as an expert audit that takes weeks to complete? The simple answer is that they can’t. Automation is excellent for flagging low-hanging fruit, but not for identifying barriers that humans will encounter.
The criteria that most countries around the globe currently adhere to is the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines). Depending on the level of conformance you aim to achieve, there are anywhere from thirty-one to almost ninety success criteria that your website needs to pass.
The instant results are possible because this is merely an automated scan of the code of the url you entered, which checks only approximately 30% of the criteria you need to pass for conformance. These sites likely offer this service for free so that they can gather your details and then sell you their other services; most likely the services that you actually need in order to test and resolve the accessibility of your site.
If you are new to the world of accessibility audits, you might ask: How do I check the remaining 70%? This is where you need a human, and considerably more time.
The largest part of an accessibility audit requires conducting manual testing: this involves a person using a screen reader to make sure the user experience is logical and clear. In addition, they will be checking things like: the consistency of the components and navigation, the logical structure of the pages, if the headings and labels are clear and descriptive, and if status and error messages are present and helpful. All along the way checking that all of these elements make sense in the context of the page and website. This is in essence, ensuring that people who use assistive technology have a good user experience and can do everything on the website that non-disabled people can do. The manual check is the most crucial aspect of an audit, and it can take some time depending on the complexity and size of your website.
Once people grasp that accessibility audits are not a button-press solution, the next assumption is usually that making your website accessible is too expensive and time-consuming. While it’s true that accessibility requires a long-term commitment, it remains entirely manageable for smaller budgets. The secret is to stop thinking of it as a single, massive project and start seeing it as a series of milestones. Following are some steps that break this process down into manageable milestones, so you can methodically improve the accessibility of your website without breaking the bank.
Most websites that have successfully achieved a high level of accessibility have been audited and remediated in small focused sections. For example, by choosing 1-5 pages based on the content within the page (forms, media, etc) or being part of a user journey. Defining the scope of your audit allows you to plan the roadmap for increasing how accessible your website is.
Find a company who is offering this service for the right reasons: because it matters to be inclusive and for everyone to have equal access to services. An organisation that offers automated and manual testing, and that has developers who are knowledgeable in accessibility for remediation services.
The initial 3 to 6 months can be a time of discovery; finding many issues that you weren’t aware of. Instead of feeling overwhelmed, prioritise the list of issues. It’s a bit like trying to clean your entire house – you can’t do it all at once. This is something that a good accessibility auditing team can help you plan.
Free accessibility reports just aren’t real. You shouldn’t be deterred from the importance of having an accessible website though. There are many benefits to be reaped from an accessible website: Not only does it comply with legal standards, but it helps with SEO, and AI discovery. When you combine improved search visibility with a site that is finally usable for disabled people, the result is a massive, measurable increase in market reach.
If you have any questions about our accessibility services, fill out the form here.