Website Accessibility Benchmark: What Are the Most Common Barriers on Business Websites?

The most common automatically detectable accessibility barriers on business websites include low-contrast text, missing alternative text, unlabeled form fields and empty links. Low color contrast appeared on 67 percent of 212 home pages we scanned, according to SRP (May to September 2026). A larger 2026 WebAIM study of one million home pages found the same pattern.

By Sebastian Pincetti, Partner, Digital Marketing Specialist, and AI Developer at SRP Communication & Brand Design. Published October 4, 2026. Last updated October 12, 2026.

Your next step: get started with the free SRP Website Accessibility Audit to see how your home page compares. Then contact SRP if you need help with manual testing or repairs.

Why Do Common Website Accessibility Barriers Matter?

Common website accessibility barriers matter because they can prevent customers from reading information, using navigation, completing forms, making purchases or contacting a business. A barrier that appears minor in the code can stop an essential action for someone using a screen reader, keyboard navigation, magnification or another assistive technology.

Businesses open to the public must ensure that the goods and services they provide online are accessible to people with disabilities, according to U.S. Department of Justice guidance (2022). Website accessibility also supports a clearer and more usable experience for everyone. However, an automated scan cannot determine legal compliance by itself.

This article is built for business owners, CEOs, managers and marketing decision makers at companies with approximately 5 to 250 employees.

What Did SRP Find in Its Website Accessibility Benchmark?

SRP found that low color contrast was the most common automated issue in its benchmark. We analyzed 212 home pages, and our data shows that low contrast appeared on 67 percent of them, according to SRP (May to September 2026). Low contrast can make text difficult to read for visitors with low vision, color-vision differences or age-related changes in vision.

The results also improve quickly. Sites that fixed the three highest-priority findings in their reports raised their average accessibility score from 31 to 57 out of 100. They did it within one week, according to SRP rescans (2026). The change shows that focused repairs can improve detectable conditions quickly. The score does not certify ADA or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) compliance.

How Do the SRP Findings Compare With a Larger Benchmark?

The SRP findings compare closely with the broader pattern reported by WebAIM. Detectable WCAG failures appeared on 95.9 percent of one million home pages, according to WebAIM (2026). The most frequent categories were low-contrast text, missing image alternative text, missing form labels and empty links.

However, the percentages should not be treated as a direct comparison between identical samples. SRP analyzed 212 business website home pages submitted through its audit, while WebAIM analyzed the home pages of the world’s one million most popular websites. Different samples and tools can produce different rates. The matching pattern is still useful because both datasets identify low contrast as a leading automated finding.

What Does Low Color Contrast Mean?

Low color contrast means that text does not stand out sufficiently from its background. WCAG 2.2 Level AA generally requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text and 3 to 1 for large text, according to the W3C (2026). Logos, incidental text and certain inactive controls are treated differently under the criterion.

For example, color contrast problems often appear in light gray body text, text placed over photography, placeholder text, buttons and brand color combinations. A designer may see the words, while another visitor cannot read them comfortably.

What Does Missing Alternative Text Mean?

Missing alternative text means an informative image does not provide a useful text alternative for someone who cannot see it. A screen reader may announce a file name, identify an image without context or provide no useful information.

Not every image needs a written description. Decorative images should normally use a null alt attribute so assistive technology can ignore them. Automated testing can detect whether an alt attribute is missing, according to W3C (2026). However, human judgment is needed to decide whether the text accurately communicates the image’s purpose.

What Are Empty Links and Missing Form Labels?

Empty links and missing form labels are interactive elements that lack a programmatically available name. A magnifying-glass icon may look like a search button, for example, but a screen reader needs an accessible name to explain its purpose. A form field also needs a properly associated label so a visitor knows whether to enter a name, email address or another value.

So visible text alone is not always enough. Developers must connect labels and controls correctly in the code and verify how the page behaves with assistive technology.

How Does SRP Measure Website Accessibility?

SRP measures website accessibility by running a read-only automated check of the public home page. The scan evaluates detectable conditions related to alternative text, color contrast, heading structure, links, buttons, forms, labels, Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) and semantic HTML. It also reports additional observations that may require review. Unlike an overlay widget that adds a layer on top of the page, the report points to the code that needs to be fixed.

The benchmark used 212 accessibility scans completed from May through September 2026. Results were aggregated and reported without identifying individual businesses. Each percentage represents the share of scanned home pages on which the automated test detected the stated condition.

However, the benchmark is a convenience sample of websites submitted for an SRP audit. It is not a random sample of all small and midsize business websites, and the findings should not be generalized to every industry or location.

What Can Automated Accessibility Testing Find?

Automated accessibility testing can find many repeatable code-level conditions. Common examples include insufficient text contrast, missing alt attributes, empty links, missing form labels, invalid ARIA attributes and certain heading-structure problems.

A useful automated report should explain each detected issue, show where it occurs and prioritize the repairs. A score can help track progress when the same page is retested with the same method. A score should never be presented as a legal certification.

What Can Automated Accessibility Testing Not Determine?

Automated accessibility testing cannot determine whether an entire website is accessible, usable or legally compliant. Tools cannot check every aspect automatically, according to W3C (2024), so human judgment is required. Some tools can also produce false or misleading results.

So manual review is still needed to assess keyboard navigation, focus order, screen-reader behavior, meaningful alternative text, error recovery, complex forms, menus, dialogs, video captions and complete user journeys. Full-site testing is especially important for checkout, appointment booking, account access and other essential tasks.

What Should a Small Business Fix First?

A small business should fix barriers that prevent visitors from completing essential tasks before addressing lower-impact warnings. Start with the pages and functions that generate inquiries, appointments, purchases or account activity.

A practical repair sequence has six steps.

1. Step 1, fix keyboard access: remove keyboard traps and make navigation, menus, forms and dialogs usable without a mouse.
2. Step 2, name every control: give links, buttons and form fields clear accessible names and labels.
3. Step 3, fix contrast: correct color contrast for important text, calls to action and form instructions.
4. Step 4, fix images: add meaningful alternative text to informative images and null alt attributes to decorative images.
5. Step 5, fix headings: organize headings in a logical sequence that reflects the content structure.
6. Step 6, retest: rescan the page, then complete manual checks of the most important user journeys.

How Can You Check Your Own Website?

You can check your own website by starting with a fast automated scan and then reviewing the findings in context. The free online SRP Website Accessibility Audit checks the public home page for common detectable barriers and emails a prioritized PDF report. The audit is free, self-service, read-only and requires no appointment. It is a guide, not a certification of ADA or WCAG compliance.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is a Website Accessibility Benchmark?

A website accessibility benchmark is an aggregated measurement that shows how often defined accessibility conditions appear across a group of tested pages or websites. A credible benchmark states the sample, period, testing method and limitations.

Does a High Automated Accessibility Score Mean a Website Is ADA Compliant?

A high automated accessibility score does not mean a website is ADA compliant. The score shows how the tested page performed against the tool’s detectable rules. Legal compliance and real-world accessibility require broader evaluation, including knowledgeable manual review.

Why Is Manual Accessibility Testing Still Necessary?

Manual accessibility testing is still necessary because software cannot judge every user experience or determine whether content is meaningful in context. Keyboard and screen-reader testing can reveal navigation, focus and interaction problems that automated scans miss.

How Often Should a Business Test Its Website?

A business should test its website after major design or development changes and whenever important templates, forms or transaction flows are updated. Regular checks are useful because routine content changes can introduce new contrast, alt text, heading or labeling problems.

Your Next Step

Your next step is to establish a baseline for your home page. Get started with the free SRP Website Accessibility Audit, review the prioritized findings with your developer. Then contact SRP if you need full-site manual testing or help implementing the repairs.

Methodology and Limitations

SRP aggregated 212 read-only automated home-page scans completed from May through September 2026. The audit checks publicly available code for detectable accessibility conditions. Individual business names and URLs are not disclosed in the benchmark. The 67 percent figure represents the share of scanned home pages on which low color contrast was detected.

The score-improvement observation compares rescans of sites that addressed the top three issues identified in their reports. Average scores increased from 31 to 57 out of 100 within one week. The result describes the measured sample and testing method. It does not predict the result for every website and does not establish legal compliance.

Automated checks cover only part of accessibility. The scan does not evaluate every page, every user journey or every WCAG success criterion. The findings are informational, are not legal advice and do not certify compliance with the ADA, WCAG or another law or standard.

About the Author

Primary Sources

• SRP Website Accessibility Audit and methodology
• WebAIM Million 2026 accessibility benchmark
• W3C WCAG 2.2 Understanding Success Criterion 1.4.3 Contrast Minimum
• W3C Selecting Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools
• W3C Easy Checks for Web Accessibility
• U.S. Department of Justice Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA