What is a web accessibility audit and do you need to audit your website?

In this article we cover what is a web accessibility audit, why it's necessary, and how it contributes to your organisations overall commitment to accessibility online.

What is a Web Accessibility Audit?

An accessibility audit is a detailed review of a website to find out whether it meets the needs of people with disabilities, conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) guidelines, and satisfies technical accessibility standards.

Why undertake an audit?

An accessibility audit is the first step to making your organisation's website accessible. The results of the audit will allow you to:

• Identify barriers that prevent some users accessing your content or completing tasks on your website
  
• Evaluate your level of compliance with legal requirements and universally accepted technical requirements such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
• Determine the level of effort to fix the accessibility issues are create a roadmap towards a fully accessible website
• Understand the resources and costs involved
  

What are the legal obligations regards website accessibility?

Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA) from 28 June 2025 all websites will be required by law to be accessible.

Currently public sector websites and organisations who receive more than 50% of their income from Government funding.

Website accessibility remediation can typically take many months rather than weeks, it is strongly recommend to start the process as soon as possible to ensure compliance ahead of the June 2025 deadline.

How to get started

If you are ready to make an accessibly commitment, an accessibility audit is the first step to making your organisation's website is digitally accessible. Path can offer this service based on each clients requirements. Get in touch to find out more.

An accessibility audit will provide you with:

• An evaluation of level of compliance with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
• A report identifying the barriers and suggestions of how to fix these
• Validation of areas of the website that already meet accessibility standards
• A roadmap with recommendations and priorities to update the website to be fully accessible

To find our more about our Web Accessibility Services contact hello@path.ie or call us on 01 6799212.