How Do I Check an AI-Generated Website for Accessibility Before Publishing?

Are websites made with AI website builders accessible by default?

No. An AI website builder may generate useful structure or accessibility options, but you still need to check the pages it creates. A site that looks polished can still have low-contrast text, controls that are difficult to reach without a mouse, or form fields that lack usable labels.

The U.S. Department of Justice lists poor text contrast, color-only cues, missing image text alternatives, missing video captions, inaccessible forms, and mouse-only navigation among examples of website accessibility barriers. Treat those as a practical first-pass checklist, not as an exhaustive definition of accessibility.

W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) calls its Easy Checks a quick, nontechnical first review—not a complete evaluation. WAI cautions that a page could appear to pass those checks and still have significant barriers. Passing a quick scan is a useful signal, not a publishing certificate.

Use a simple rule for builder features: verify the result in the rendered page. If the builder offers alt-text generation, keyboard-friendly components, contrast settings, or accessible form templates, inspect what actually appears on the site. A setting or generated label only helps when it is accurate and works with the content around it.

How do I test an AI-generated website for WCAG compliance?

Combine an automated scan with a manual review of important pages; neither method is enough on its own. Start with the pages that visitors need to understand your business or complete a task, such as a contact or inquiry form, then test those pages from top to bottom.

1. Run an automated scan. Use an accessibility evaluation tool to flag potential issues, then note which pages it checked and what standard it supports. WAI explains that tool coverage varies: some tools scan one page, while others can review groups of pages. A scan can save time, but it cannot determine accessibility by itself.
2. Navigate with a keyboard. Set the mouse aside. Press Tab to move through links, fields, buttons, and media controls. Check that the focus indicator stays visible and moves in a logical order. Try Shift+Tab to move backward, and confirm you can leave each component without getting trapped. WAI includes these checks in its preliminary review.
3. Check contrast and color cues. Look at body text, button labels, links, placeholder text, and text shown on hover or keyboard focus. WCAG’s minimum contrast ratio is 4.5:1 for normal-size text and 3:1 for large-scale text. Do not rely on color alone to show a required field, an error, or a successful action.
4. Review images and media. Ask what information each image contributes. Informative images need a text alternative that conveys relevant information; decorative images should have an empty alt attribute. If the page has video, check whether captions are available.
5. Submit the forms. Confirm that each text field, checkbox, radio button, and drop-down has a label that describes its purpose. Submit with a required field left blank and check whether instructions and error messages explain what needs correcting.

For forms, WAI’s labeling guidance says a label and its control should be associated explicitly or implicitly. A nearby heading or placeholder may look like a label, but check whether assistive technology can identify the control’s purpose. A properly associated label also makes the label itself a larger clickable target.

Automated results need interpretation. The DOJ says a “clean” report does not necessarily mean everything is accessible, and WAI notes that tools can produce false or misleading results. Use a report to choose what to inspect next; do not treat the absence of flagged errors as proof that visitors can use the page.

Can AI website builders create useful alt text and keyboard navigation?

They can help generate or configure these features, but you need to verify the outcome. For alt text, compare the description with the image’s purpose in that specific page. A person must decide whether the wording gives equivalent information; an automated check can identify missing alt text but cannot reliably judge whether the description is appropriate in context.

For keyboard navigation, test the live page rather than assuming the template handles it. Move through the header, menus, content links, form controls, and any media controls using Tab. Watch for focus that disappears, jumps in an unexpected order, or gets stuck. Check that each interactive item is reachable and that its current focus is visible.

Make the review repeatable. Keep a short record of the page, the issue, and the next action: “Contact page — focus disappears on the menu — confirm visible focus”; “Product image — generic alt text — rewrite to describe the relevant product information”; “Inquiry form — field purpose unclear — add and associate a label.” This turns a vague accessibility pass into fixable work.

Prioritize by user impact. First fix issues that prevent visitors from reaching a control or understanding what to do. Next address barriers that make content hard to perceive, such as insufficient contrast or missing image alternatives. After changes, rerun the scan and repeat the manual checks on the pages you edited. For this week’s final drill, choose one key page and complete the keyboard-only pass before you publish.