What it checks

The scan reads the HTML of your content and looks for eleven kinds of problem. Each relates to a success criterion of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, which most accessibility laws, such as the European Accessibility Act through EN 301 549, refer to.

An automated check finds only part of what a full audit covers. Some things, such as whether alt text describes an image well, or whether a page makes sense to a person, need a person to judge.

Images

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Image without alt text	The image has no alt attribute, so a screen reader reads out its file name, or nothing.	1.1.1 Non-text Content
Alt text is a file name	The alt text is a file name, such as IMG_2041.jpg.	1.1.1 Non-text Content
Alt text says nothing	The alt text is a word such as “image”, “photo”, “Bild” or “Foto”, or has no letters at all.	1.1.1 Non-text Content

An image with an empty alt text (alt="") is decorative on purpose, and is not a problem. So is an article image with No Description ticked.

Links

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Link without text	The link has no text and no alt text on an image inside it, so a screen reader can only read its address.	2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context), 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Unclear link text	The text doesn’t say where the link goes, such as “click here”, “read more”, “more”, “hier” or “weiterlesen”.	2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)

Screen reader users often list all the links on a page; a list of “read more” tells them nothing. Unclear words are recognised in English and German. A link with an aria-label is read by that label, and is fine if the label is clear.

Headings

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Skipped heading level	A heading skips a level, such as a level 4 straight after a level 2, so it looks as if a section is missing.	1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Empty heading	A heading has no text.	1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 2.4.6 Headings and Labels

Headings are compared within one text, such as the article’s text, because the template sets the level of the article title around it.

Tables

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Table without headers	A table has no header cells (<th>), so a screen reader can’t say which column or row a value belongs to.	1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Empty table header cell	A header cell has nothing in it.	1.3.1 Info and Relationships

Tables marked as layout (role="presentation" or role="none") are skipped.

Forms

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Form field without a label	A field has no label, so a screen reader announces only “edit text”. This is common in newsletter and search forms pasted into a Custom module.	1.3.1 Info and Relationships, 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

Videos and embeds

Problem	What it means	Relates to
Video or embed without a title	A video, map or form in an <iframe> has no title, so a screen reader announces only “frame”.	4.1.2 Name, Role, Value

What the pages check adds

Some problems only show on the finished page, such as text with too little contrast in the template, or a page without a main heading. The Pages screen finds them with Sa11y, Joomla’s own accessibility checker.

How each problem is fixed

Problem	Fix
Images	AI alt text, or decorative
Links	AI link text
Videos	Title from YouTube or Vimeo, without AI
Headings, tables (Pro)	Picked from a list, without AI
Form fields (Pro)	Label from the placeholder, or by AI

In the free version, heading, table and form problems are listed with a link to fix them by hand.