WAVE: testing your website for accessibility

WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) is a free tool that shows where your website is inaccessible to people with disabilities. You enter a URL or use the browser extension, and WAVE places icons right on your page: red for errors, yellow for alerts, green for good accessibility features. You see exactly where something goes wrong, instead of a list of codes.

WAVE is developed by WebAIM, a non-profit organisation at Utah State University that has worked on web accessibility since the late nineties.

Why accessibility matters

• More people can use your site. Think of people with low vision, screen reader users, keyboard-only users or people who struggle with reading.
• Legislation. Since June 2025 the European Accessibility Act applies to many products and services, including webshops. Read more in our article on WCAG and the law.
• Better for search engines and AI. A logical heading structure, alt texts and clear link texts help not only screen readers but also crawlers and language models understand your page.
• Better conversion. Readable contrast, clear forms and findable buttons work for everyone.

What WAVE checks

• Missing alt texts on images
• Contrast errors between text and background
• Heading structure: do you skip levels or is there no H1?
• Forms without linked labels
• Empty links and buttons without descriptive text
• Page language setting
• ARIA usage: whether extra labels for assistive technology are applied correctly

The Structure and Order views also show how a screen reader moves through your page.

How to use WAVE smartly

1. Start with your most important pages: home, your most popular service or product page, contact and checkout.
2. Fix the red errors first. Alerts need judgement; not every alert is a problem.
3. Use the extension for pages behind a login or in a test environment. The online version only sees public pages.
4. Test yourself too. Navigate with only your keyboard and turn on your screen reader. No automated tool finds everything; estimates suggest automated checks find roughly a third of issues.
5. Check contrast separately. With our colour contrast checker you quickly test whether colour combinations meet AA or AAA.

WAVE alongside other tools

Google PageSpeed Insights and Lighthouse also give an accessibility score, but less detailed. WAVE is stronger for understanding what's wrong and where. Want someone to check whether your site is technically and content-wise in order? Book a free strategy session.

Frequently asked questions

Is WAVE free?

Yes, the online tool and browser extensions are free. For large-scale testing via an API you pay per check.

Does WAVE find all accessibility issues?

No. Automated tools find a part; also test yourself with keyboard and screen reader.