Abrys Consulting, Inc. | Affordable Web Design Wayland MA

Examples of Accessibility Problems

Contrast Ration

Low contrast ratio is one of the most common web accessibility failures, occurring when text doesn't stand out enough from its background color for people to read it comfortably. WCAG requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text against its background, but many sites use light gray text on white, or pale colors on similarly pale backgrounds, that fall well short of this. This creates a real barrier for users with low vision, color blindness, or age-related vision decline, and even affects fully-sighted users in bright sunlight or on low-quality screens — making it both a legal compliance risk under ADA/WCAG and a usability problem that can drive visitors away.

Form without clear labels — Form without labels

Form Without Labels

Forms without clear labels are a major accessibility failure because they leave users guessing what information a field actually wants, especially when placeholder text is used as a substitute for a real label and disappears the moment someone starts typing. Screen reader users are hit hardest, since assistive technology announces a field by its programmatically associated label — if that link doesn't exist, they may hear only "edit text" with no indication of whether it's asking for a name, phone number, or email. This also affects people with cognitive disabilities or memory issues who rely on visible, persistent labels to complete a form correctly, and it increases errors and abandonment for everyone. WCAG requires that every form field have a properly associated, visible label, making this a common and easily fixable ADA compliance gap.

Alt text should explain what is on the picture and why the picture is used on the page — Incorrect Alt text

5 alt text mistakes that hurt your website (and your customers)

Alt text is the short description attached to every image on your site. Screen readers read it aloud to people who can't see the image, and Google uses it to understand what your pages are about. It only takes a few seconds to write, but these are the mistakes I see most often:

1. Leaving it empty. A screen reader may read the file name out loud instead, like "IMG underscore 4382 dot jpg." The visitor learns nothing.

2. Starting with "Image of…" or "Picture of…" Screen readers already announce that it's an image. Get straight to what matters: "Owner Maria icing a wedding cake."

3. Stuffing it with keywords. "Best bakery Wayland MA cakes cupcakes bakery near me" doesn't help anyone, and Google treats it as spam. Describe the image honestly, and add a keyword only if it fits naturally.

4. Describing decorative images. Dividers, background textures and design flourishes should have empty alt text (alt=""), so screen readers skip them instead of cluttering the page.

5. Ignoring images that contain text. If a banner says "20% off all services this month," the alt text needs to say the same thing. Otherwise some visitors miss your offer completely.
Good alt text makes your site more accessible, helps with ADA compliance and gives search engines one more reason to show your pages. Not sure how your site measures up? I'm happy to take a quick look.