WCAG 2.1 for WordPress Sites
WCAG 2.1 became a W3C Recommendation in June 2018. It added criteria for mobile, low vision and cognitive accessibility to WCAG 2.0, and it is the standard named in the US Department of Justice rule for state and local government websites, in EN 301 549 V3.2.1 and in most accessibility settlements.
This checker runs the free scan with the WCAG 2.1 AA preset, so the results match the standard your contract, policy or regulator is most likely to name for a WordPress site.
On WordPress sites, WCAG 2.1 issues usually come from themes: fixed-width layouts that do not reflow, light form borders, and hover menus that disappear when the pointer moves. Fix them in the theme or a child theme so every page benefits.
| Published | June 5, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Success criteria at Level A and AA | 50 |
| Added to WCAG 2.0 at Level A and AA | 12 |
| Referenced by | ADA Title II rule, EN 301 549 V3.2.1 |
| Automated rules in this scan | 62 |
Who Should Run the WordPress WCAG 2.1 Checker
- WordPress site owners whose contracts or policies name WCAG 2.1 AA.
- State and local government bodies, under the ADA Title II rule.
- Businesses responding to an ADA demand letter, which usually cites WCAG 2.1 AA.
- Public sector bodies in the EU, under the Web Accessibility Directive.
WCAG 2.1 Criteria That Often Fail on WordPress
-
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose
Form fields that collect personal data, such as name, email and address, need the right autocomplete attribute.
-
1.4.10 Reflow
Content must reflow at 320 CSS pixels wide, the same as 400% zoom, without scrolling in two directions.
-
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast
Buttons, form borders, icons and focus indicators need a contrast ratio of at least 3:1.
-
1.4.12 Text Spacing
Text must stay readable when users increase line, paragraph, letter and word spacing.
-
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
Tooltips and menus that appear on hover or focus must be dismissible, hoverable and stay visible.
-
4.1.3 Status Messages
Messages such as “added to cart” or form errors must be announced to screen readers without moving focus.
Where WordPress Sites Usually Fail WCAG 2.1
These problems come up again and again on WordPress sites, and each one fails WCAG 2.1. The WordPress accessibility checker explains how to fix them in WordPress.
- Page builder markup. Elementor, Divi and WPBakery generate deeply nested, non-semantic divs and often style text to look like a heading without using a real heading tag, so screen readers cannot find the page structure.
- Contact form errors. Contact Form 7 and similar plugins frequently ship with missing field labels or error messages that are not announced to screen readers when a submission fails.
- WooCommerce galleries and carts. Product image galleries and cart interactions commonly trap keyboard focus, blocking anyone who cannot use a mouse from completing a purchase.
- Cookie banners. Consent banners are a common source of keyboard traps, especially when they load after the page and grab focus without a way to close them by keyboard.
- Decorative icons and sliders. Icon fonts and image sliders frequently expose decorative graphics to screen readers as unlabeled content, and carousels often ignore focus and pause controls.
Worried about ADA claims as well? The WordPress ADA compliance checker covers the WordPress risks behind most complaints.
What to Test by Hand on WordPress
Automated testing finds many, but not all, WCAG 2.1 failures. Check these yourself after the scan:
- Zoom to 400% and check nothing is cut off or needs scrolling in two directions (1.4.10).
- Apply increased text spacing with a bookmarklet and check text is still readable (1.4.12).
- Open hover menus and tooltips and check you can dismiss them with Escape (1.4.13).
- Rescan after each fix. Continuous monitoring rescans up to 500 URLs per domain daily and keeps a dated record in the Compliance Vault.
Related Guides
WordPress WCAG 2.1 Checker: Frequently Asked Questions
Does my WordPress site need to meet WCAG 2.1?
WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard most often cited in ADA claims and settlements, required for state and local governments under ADA Title II and used by EN 301 549 V3.2.1. For most WordPress sites it is the practical minimum.
What is the difference between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 for WordPress?
WCAG 2.2 adds six Level A and AA criteria, such as target size, and removes 4.1.1 Parsing. Meeting 2.2 AA also meets 2.1 AA, so use the WCAG 2.2 checker if you want to go further.
Can the scan check every WCAG 2.1 criterion?
No automated tool can. The scan checks the criteria that can be tested automatically and lists those that need manual review, such as reflow and text spacing.
Sources
- W3C: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 (opens in a new tab)
- W3C WAI: What is new in WCAG 2.1 (opens in a new tab)
- ADA.gov: Fact sheet on the ADA Title II web and mobile rule (opens in a new tab)
This page explains general accessibility patterns for WordPress sites and is not legal advice. AccessBell is not affiliated with WordPress. WordPress and its logo are trademarks of their owners and are used only to identify the platform. See our disclaimer.
