Hidden Web Accessibility Issues Most Designers Miss in 2026

Jan 7, 2026 • 26 min read

97% of websites still fail to meet accessibility standards.

This statistic expresses a serious gap in accessible web design that affects more than 1.3 billion people worldwide who live with some form of disability.

People with disabilities represent 16% of the world's population, yet they don't deal very well with websites that lack proper accessibility features. Website accessibility goes beyond legal compliance and lawsuit prevention - it creates digital spaces everyone can use. Research from the World Bank reveals that accessibility technology helps 57% of all computer users to better navigate through websites. Google Search Essentials and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) share common ground, which means better accessibility naturally improves SEO performance.

This piece gets into commonly overlooked accessibility problems and offers practical fixes. Designers will find a comprehensive checklist that tackles everything from semantic structure issues to color contrast failures. Companies demonstrating inclusive practices are 6 times more likely to earn customer loyalty and protection. Accessible web design practices make both ethical and business sense.

Key Takeaways

Web accessibility affects over 1.3 billion people globally, yet 97% of websites still fail basic accessibility standards. Here are the critical issues designers must address to create truly inclusive digital experiences:

Implement proper semantic structure using correct heading hierarchy (H1-H6) and ARIA landmarks to enable screen reader navigation and content comprehension.
Ensure color contrast meets WCAG standards with a minimum 4.5:1 ratio for regular text and 3:1 for UI components to support users with visual impairments.
Write descriptive link text and button labels that clearly communicate purpose without relying on generic phrases like "click here" or "read more."
Create accessible forms with proper label associations using <label for> and clear error messages linked via aria-describedby for seamless user interaction.
Provide captions and audio descriptions for all multimedia content while avoiding autoplay features that disrupt screen reader users.
Enable keyboard navigation with visible focus indicators and logical tab order, including "skip to content" links for efficient navigation.

Missing Semantic Structure in Headings and Landmarks

Semantic structure is the foundation of an available website, yet web designers often overlook this aspect of web design. Research shows that screen reader users heavily depend on well-laid-out content to navigate through websites quickly. Users with disabilities find it hard to understand content organization and flow without a proper semantic structure, which creates major barriers.

Improper use of to tags

Designers often see heading tags as style elements rather than structural components. This basic misunderstanding creates several common accessibility issues:

Heading level skipping happens when designers jump from an H2 straight to an H4. This breaks the logical hierarchy that screen readers need. Users who rely on assistive technologies get confused because they expect a properly nested structure where each heading level connects to its parent.

Multiple H1 tags are another common problem. HTML standards allow this technically, but best practices suggest using just one H1 per page. This H1 should describe the page's main topic, like the document's title element. Screen reader users get a clear starting point this way.

Styling without semantic meaning occurs when designers pick <div> tags with CSS styling instead of proper heading elements. Screen readers can't read these as headings, which makes them useless for navigation. Note that making text bigger or bold doesn't make it a heading for accessibility.

A good heading structure works like a content outline. Users can understand how different sections relate to each other. The structure should flow logically from H1 (most important) through H6 (least important), with each level working as a subsection of the one before it.

Lack of ARIA landmarks for screen readers

ARIA landmarks add another significant navigation layer that designers often miss. These landmarks work as signposts for screen reader users and help them move quickly between major page sections.

The main landmark roles match semantic HTML5 elements:

banner → <header>
navigation → <nav>
main → <main>
complementary → <aside>
contentinfo → <footer>
search → <search>
form → <form>
region → <section>

All perceivable content should sit within a semantically meaningful landmark so users don't miss anything. On top of that, if a specific landmark shows up multiple times on a page (like multiple navigation sections), each one needs a unique label using either aria-labelledby or aria-label.

Designers sometimes repeat the landmark role in its label. Labeling navigation as "Site Navigation" makes screen readers announce "Site Navigation Navigation"—which confuses users. "Site" works better as a label.

Poor semantic structure does more than inconvenience users—it breaks web accessibility completely. Screen reader users mainly navigate through two methods: heading structures and landmark regions.

Good semantic structure lets users:

Jump straight to specific content sections without reading everything.
Create an on-demand table of contents from page headings.
Understand how content sections connect.
Use the keyboard to navigate through predictable tab orders.

Without semantic structure, screen readers see pages as big blocks of text. Users must listen to everything in order. This creates a frustrating experience that shuts out users with disabilities.

Good semantic HTML also provides built-in keyboard accessibility. Elements like buttons and links get automatic keyboard focus in logical order, so users can navigate without a mouse. This native functionality disappears when designers use non-semantic elements styled to look like interactive components.

Designers who use proper heading hierarchy and ARIA landmarks create multiple navigation paths that work for different user needs. This approach makes web design more accessible by a lot.

Overlooked Color Contrast Failures in UI Elements

Color contrast is one of the most critical yet often overlooked parts of web design accessibility. Unlike issues with semantic structure, problems with contrast directly affect how people see your content. This doesn't just affect users with diagnosed visual impairments - it can affect anyone looking at your website in bright sunlight or on screens that aren't properly fine-tuned.

WCAG 2.2 contrast ratio requirements

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 sets specific contrast thresholds designers must meet for AA compliance:

Regular text must have a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 between text and background.
Large text (at least 18pt or 14pt bold) must have a minimum ratio of 3:1.
UI components and graphical objects that are essential to understand functionality must keep at least a 3:1 contrast.

These aren't just random suggestions. They represent well-researched thresholds that help people with moderate vision issues or reduced contrast sensitivity see your content. AAA compliance sets even higher standards: 7:1 for regular text and 4.5:1 for large text.

Note that contrast ratios show the difference in luminance or brightness between colors. A 4.5:1 ratio means the lighter color is four and a half times brighter than the darker one. Black text on a white background gives you the highest possible ratio of 21:1.

Common violations in buttons and links

Websites often fail to meet contrast guidelines, especially in interactive elements. Many designers put trendy looks ahead of readability. Low contrast "ghost buttons" with thin borders usually don't meet the 3:1 requirement for UI components.

The problems go beyond buttons. Form fields often have borders you can barely see, making it hard to spot input areas. Focus indicators - visual cues showing which element has keyboard focus - often lack enough contrast. This makes keyboard navigation nearly impossible for users with low vision.

Links create their own set of problems. Designers sometimes only change link colors slightly from regular text without adding underlines. This creates two accessibility issues at once: poor contrast and using only color to show information.

The DZP case study shows how these issues play out in ground applications. Their audit of a whistleblowing platform found button visibility problems that needed contrast adjustments to help users with visual impairments.

Accessible color palette selection tools

You'll need careful planning and testing to pick accessible color combinations. Several helpful tools can help designers create WCAG-compliant color schemes:

WebAIM Contrast Checker lets you test foreground and background color combinations against WCAG standards.
Color Safe helps create accessible color palettes based on your chosen font sizes and background colors.
Accessible Color Palette Builder creates full palettes with up to six colors and shows which combinations work for accessibility.
Adobe Color shows you how colors look with different types of color blindness.

About 5% of people worldwide have some form of color vision deficiency, with red/green being the most common. Use tools that check both contrast ratios and how colors appear to people with various types of color blindness.

Here are some common myths about color contrast to avoid:

Pure black (#000000) on pure white (#FFFFFF) is always best - this extreme contrast can strain eyes.
Contrast requirements don't matter for inactive UI elements - they're exempt because low contrast shows they're inactive.
Meeting minimum requirements is enough - better accessibility comes from aiming higher when possible.

Building proper contrast into your web design process from the start creates interfaces that work better for everyone, not just those with diagnosed visual impairments.

Non-Descriptive Link Text and Button Labels

Link text and button labels are vital navigation signposts for all users. Yet web designers often overlook these basic accessibility elements. Making link text more descriptive offers a simple way to improve accessibility with substantial benefits.

Why 'Click Here' fails accessibility

Generic phrases like "click here," "read more," or "learn more" create major barriers for users, especially those who rely on screen readers. Screen reader users often pull up a dialog box that lists all page links to find relevant information quickly. But when multiple links just say "click here," this navigation method becomes useless.

The problem goes beyond screen readers. Users who navigate by keyboard get lost when they hear the same non-descriptive phrase over and over. On top of that, these vague phrases don't tell users what to expect, so they must read nearby content for context—a task not everyone can do easily.

These generic phrases cause even bigger problems by making assumptions about user capabilities. "Click here" assumes mouse usage, which leaves out keyboard-only users. Empty links or those with icons but no text alternatives create impossible barriers for many users with disabilities.

How to write meaningful link text

Good link text should tell users where they'll go without needing extra context. Start by describing the link's destination rather than telling users how to activate it. Here are the main guidelines for accessible link text:

Be specific and descriptive: Replace "Click here to review our accessibility policy" with simply "Review our accessibility policy".
Use page titles when possible: The destination page's title makes great link text.
Maintain consistency: Links to the same place should use similar text.
Keep it concise: Link text should be brief while staying descriptive.
Avoid redundancies: Don't use phrases like "link to" since screen readers already say these are links.

Better link text helps everyone. Clear links create better navigation paths and help users understand destinations without guessing. Mobile users, people with cognitive disabilities, and users in distracting environments all benefit from this improved experience.

The DZP whistleblowing platform's case proves this point. Their accessibility audit found confusing ARIA labels that read meaningless numbers instead of helpful content to screen reader users—showing how poor labels create serious barriers.

ARIA-label vs visible label usage

Visible link text sometimes can't provide enough context, especially with icon buttons or space limits. ARIA attributes help solve these accessibility challenges, but they need careful implementation.

ARIA labels follow a clear order: aria-labelledby comes first, then aria-label, followed by native HTML labels. Knowing when to use each option matters:

Visible text available: Use aria-labelledby to point to existing visible text by ID.
No visible text available: Use aria-label to give screen reader-only descriptions.
Adding supplementary information: Use aria-describedby to provide extra context beyond the link text.

Visible labels work better than invisible ARIA alternatives whenever possible. Hidden text can create gaps between what users see and hear. Take a button that shows an "X" but has an ARIA label saying "Close." Speech recognition users might struggle because their voice commands won't match what they see.

Every interactive button needs a programmatic name that explains its purpose. This helps screen reader users understand what buttons do, even when they can't access visual hints like color or position.

Inaccessible Form Fields and Error Messages

Forms serve as the main way users interact with most websites. Yet they often create accessibility barriers that block users with disabilities. The right implementation of form controls and error messages can mean the difference between a usable experience and one that's completely blocked.

Missing label associations using

Screen reader users face major obstacles when forms lack programmatically linked labels. They simply can't tell what information they need to enter. The quickest way to create this link is to use the HTML <label> element with matching for and id attributes:

<label for="firstname">First name:</label>

<input type="text" id="firstname" name="firstname">

This approach gives several benefits beyond screen reader access:

Makes clickable areas larger (clicking the label activates the form control)
Gives context to all users, including those with cognitive disabilities
Works well in all browsers and assistive technologies

Forms with proper labels are needed to meet multiple WCAG success criteria, including 1.1.1 (Non-text Content), 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships), and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value). Many websites still get form implementation wrong by leaving out labels or not linking them correctly.

The DZP whistleblowing platform case study showed that detailed WCAG audits often find labeling problems that need fixing to meet compliance standards.

Error identification with aria-describedby

Clear error identification matters just as much. The aria-describedby attribute connects form fields to their error messages in code:

<input type="email" id="email" aria-invalid="true" aria-describedby="email_error">

<span id="email_error">Please enter a valid email address (example@domain.com)</span>

This setup helps screen readers announce the error message with the field, so users know what went wrong. The right setup needs:

aria-invalid="true" added to fields with errors to show their invalid state
aria-describedby pointing to the error message's unique ID
Error messages that are clear and tell users what to do

Studies show that using just color to mark errors creates barriers. Each error needs a text explanation and must link to its field in the code.

Keyboard focus and error summary placement

Focus management after form submission is vital. When errors happen, the focus should move to:

The first field with an error, or
An error summary at the form's top

Forms with multiple errors need a detailed error summary before the form to help users see all issues at once. This summary should:

Have a clear heading.
List each form field label.
Include links to jump to problem fields.
Use ARIA live regions (role="alert") for dynamic updates.

TransACT EdTech's case shows how user-focused form design from the ground up helped them meet WCAG 2.1 level AA standards—a key factor in winning state contracts.

Good form design needs both solid HTML structure and smooth error handling. Linking labels to form controls and providing clear error messages creates interfaces that work for everyone, whatever their abilities or the tools they use.

Multimedia Without Captions or Audio Descriptions

Multimedia elements make web experiences better, but create unique challenges if not implemented correctly. Videos and audio content that lack accessibility features can leave users with hearing or visual impairments unable to access vital information.

WCAG 1.2.2 and 1.2.5 compliance

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines set clear requirements for multimedia accessibility. WCAG 1.2.2 (Level A) requires captions for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media. These captions need dialogue, speaker identification, and meaningful sound effects.

WCAG 1.2.5 (Level AA) states that audio descriptions are needed for all prerecorded video content. This means adding spoken narration of visual information that's missing from the existing audio track. Audio descriptions help blind or visually impaired users understand vital visual details.

The TransACT EdTech case study showed that meeting WCAG 2.1 level AA standards was vital to getting state contracts. Their detailed redesign made accessibility a priority from the code up, which gave them an edge over competitors.

Best practices for video captions and transcripts

Quality captions need more than just word-for-word transcription. Here's what makes captions effective:

Perfect timing with the audio
Correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation
Enough time on screen to read and understand
All dialog plus key non-speech sounds
Same style throughout for speakers and sound effects

Descriptive transcripts add another layer of accessibility by mixing captions with details about visual elements. While WCAG Level AAA only requires transcripts for videos, they're easy to create once you have captions and audio descriptions ready.

Note that automatic captioning systems don't usually meet basic accessibility standards without human review. You should always check auto-generated captions for accuracy, punctuation, and speaker identification.

Avoiding autoplay and flashing content

Unexpected audio from auto-playing content blocks screen reader users from using their assistive technology. Users with photosensitive epilepsy might have seizures from content that flashes more than three times per second.

WCAG guidelines say you must add controls to pause, stop, or hide any media that:

Starts on its own.
Runs longer than five seconds.
Shows up among other content.

Videos need these safety features:

Skip automatic playback when possible.
Add clear controls for playback.
Make sure all media controls work with the keyboard.
Keep flashing content under three times per second.
Put autoplay controls outside the media player.

Yes, it is more than just technical rules—these features protect vulnerable users and create a better experience for everyone.

Keyboard navigation helps millions of users who cannot use a mouse, but many websites still lack proper keyboard accessibility features. These users rely on logical tab order and visible focus indicators to navigate websites effectively.

Tab order and tabindex misuse

The Tab key helps keyboard users move through interactive elements in sequence. While the HTML tabindex attribute controls this navigation path, improper implementation creates barriers. Positive values (tabindex="1", tabindex="2") disrupt the natural flow and confuse keyboard users. A well-implemented tab order should:

Use tabindex="0" to add non-standard elements to the natural tab sequence.
Apply tabindex="-1" to remove elements from keyboard navigation while keeping them programmatically focusable.
Keep the logical DOM order instead of forcing changes with positive values.

Focus ring visibility and styling

Designers often remove focus indicators (outline: none) to improve aesthetics, which breaks keyboard navigation. WCAG guidelines require focus indicators to meet these criteria:

A minimum thickness of 2 CSS pixels
A 3:1 minimum contrast ratio against both the focused element and the background

"Skip to content" links let keyboard users bypass repetitive navigation menus to enhance accessibility. The first focusable element in the page's body should be these links, which become visible when focused. You can implement this by linking to the main content area with a matching ID:

<a href="#maincontent">Skip to main content</a>

...

<main id="maincontent">

This straightforward addition makes a big difference for keyboard-only users.

Conclusion

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide need web accessibility, yet it remains substantially underserved. This piece uncovers critical accessibility problems that designers often miss and offers practical ways to fix them. A truly inclusive web experience needs proper semantic structure, good color contrast, clear link text, accessible forms, multimedia captions, and keyboard navigation.

Real-world success stories prove these principles work. DZP made their whistleblowing platform WCAG-compliant through careful auditing. TransACT won important state contracts by rebuilding its EdTech platform with accessibility as the foundation. The "Uwaga, Śmieciarka Jedzie" project showed how AI can create image descriptions that screen reader users can access.

Making sites accessible goes way beyond just following rules. People with disabilities make up 16% of the world's population - too big an audience to ignore. Better accessibility helps everyone, whatever their abilities. Websites that follow accessibility best practices see better SEO, improved user experience, and a stronger brand image.

Better accessibility starts with spotting these hidden problems. Designers should think about accessibility from day one instead of adding it later. It takes extra work to build proper semantic structure, check color contrast, write clear link text, design accessible forms, add captions, and enable keyboard navigation. But these steps ended up creating better websites for everyone.

Digital inclusion has become what users expect from companies today. People are now 6 times more likely to stand up for companies that show steadfast dedication to inclusion. We need both ethical and business reasons to make sites accessible. By fixing the hidden accessibility problems outlined in this piece, we can build a more inclusive web that works for everyone, whatever their abilities.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What are some common hidden web accessibility issues?

Common hidden accessibility issues include improper semantic structure, insufficient color contrast, non-descriptive link text, inaccessible form fields, missing captions for multimedia content, and poor keyboard navigation support.

How can designers ensure proper color contrast for accessibility?

Designers should maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for large text and UI components. Accessibility tools such as the WebAIM Contrast Checker and Color Safe can help create compliant and readable color combinations.

Why is semantic structure important for web accessibility?

Semantic structure is essential because it enables screen readers to interpret and navigate content correctly. Using proper heading hierarchy and ARIA landmarks helps users with disabilities understand page organization and move efficiently through the website.

What are the best practices for creating accessible form fields?

Best practices include correctly associating labels with form controls, providing clear and descriptive error messages linked with aria-describedby, managing keyboard focus properly, and displaying an error summary at the top of the form when multiple errors occur.

Websites can enhance keyboard accessibility by maintaining a logical tab order, displaying visible focus indicators, adding “skip to content” links, and ensuring all interactive elements are fully operable using a keyboard.

Hidden Web Accessibility Issues Most Designers Miss in 2026

Key Takeaways