butchorpeza.comThe WebAIM Million 2026 found detectable accessibility failures on 95.9% of the top one million home pages, with low-contrast text on 83.9%. Five fixes cover most problems: strong color contrast, descriptive alt text, logical headings, clear link and button labels, and keyboard-friendly navigation.
- Almost every popular home page has detectable accessibility errors.
- Low contrast text is the most common problem.
- Alt text should describe what an image shows or does.
- Use one H1 and headings in order.
- Make sure everything works with a keyboard.
Who this is for
Website owners, designers and content editors.
Why I wrote it
Accessibility fixes are cheap, and they improve every site I build.
What you will get
Five practical fixes you can check today.
Table of contents
- Introduction
- A web many people can\'t fully use
- The good news
- Fix 1: Strong Color Contrast
- Light grey is the usual culprit
- Fix 2: Meaningful Alt Text
- Describe what matters
- Linked images need purpose
- Fix 3: Logical Headings
- One H1, then in order
- Fix 4: Clear Links and Buttons
- Say what happens
- Fix 5: Keyboard-Friendly Navigation
- Try your site without a mouse
- Conclusion
- Small fixes, big difference
Introduction
A web many people can\'t fully use
People use websites with screen readers, keyboards, zoom and high-contrast settings. When a site ignores them, they leave.
The good news
Most accessibility problems are simple to fix, and fixing them makes the site better for everyone.
Fix 1: Strong Color Contrast
Light grey is the usual culprit
Light grey text on white, or dark grey on black, is hard to read for many people. Use a contrast checker and aim for the WCAG AA level.
Fix 2: Meaningful Alt Text
Describe what matters
Alt text tells screen reader users what an image shows. "Black wall-mounted clothing rail in a hallway" is useful. "image1.jpg" is not.
Linked images need purpose
If an image is a link, the alt text should say where it goes.
Survey and data source: WebAIM Million 2026: automated scan of the top 1,000,000 home pages
Fix 3: Logical Headings
One H1, then in order
Use a single main heading and don't skip levels. Screen reader users navigate by headings like a table of contents.
Fix 4: Clear Links and Buttons
Say what happens
"Read more" repeated ten times tells no one anything. "Read the HDRI lighting guide" does.
Fix 5: Keyboard-Friendly Navigation
Try your site without a mouse
Press Tab through your page. You should always see where you are, and every menu, button and form should work.
| Issue | How to spot it | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Low contrast | Contrast checker fails | Darken text or lighten background |
| Missing alt text | Images without descriptions | Describe content or purpose |
| Skipped headings | H2 jumps to H4 | Use headings in order |
| Vague links | "Click here", "Read more" | Describe the destination |
| Keyboard traps | Tab gets stuck or hidden | Visible focus, all controls reachable |
Fixing a product grid
An online shop changes its light grey prices to dark grey, adds alt text like "Silver shoe rack with three shelves", and renames "View" buttons to "View silver shoe rack". The page looks almost the same, but it now works for screen reader and low-vision users.[1]
Conclusion
Small fixes, big difference
Contrast, alt text, headings, labels and keyboard access. Fix those five and your site already works better than most of the web.
References
FAQ
What is web accessibility?
Designing and building websites so people with disabilities can perceive, use and understand them.
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, the international standard for web accessibility from the W3C.
Does accessibility help SEO?
Many fixes, like clear headings, alt text and descriptive links, also help search engines understand your pages.
Who is Butch Orpeza?
Butch Orpeza is a Philippines-based creative technologist: a web designer, developer, 3D artist and AI automation specialist. He builds WordPress and Elementor websites, creates photoreal 3D product images, and sets up AI workflows that let teams hand repetitive work to AI agents.
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