Using the accessibility checker | Doghouse SaaS Knowledge Base [Skip to content](#main) [ ![Doghouse SaaS Knowledge Base](/storage/branding/01M3N8PQ7PSDNQBBKKJM6XGW03.svg) ](https://nginx.deploy-lagoon-production.districtcms-docs.dh1.amazee.io) [Product documentation](/articles) [Roadmap](/roadmap) Toggle navigation [Product documentation](/articles) [Roadmap](/roadmap) 1. [Home](/) › 2. [Product documentation](/articles) › 3. [Accessibility & content quality](/articles?category=20) › 4. Using the accessibility checker Using the accessibility checker =============================== Updated 4 days ago · 4 min read Search Search Overview -------- The accessibility checker scans your content for common accessibility problems, such as missing alt text, skipped heading levels and vague link wording, and reports them in plain language. It works two ways: a checker that appears on pages as you browse them, and a site-wide report an administrator can review at any time. The problems it looks for come from WCAG (the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the standard most accessibility requirements are based on. Passing every check here is a strong sign your content is in good shape, but it is not a formal WCAG audit or a compliance certificate. > **⚠️ Important:** The checker reviews rendered pages, not the editing screen. Save or preview your changes, then view the page to see what it finds. > **⚠️ Important:** On this site the checker is switched on for administrators only. Content editors do not see it on pages, and the site-wide report is administrator-only too. --- The checker controls -------------------- A small yellow bar sits in the bottom right corner of every page while an administrator is signed in. It is how you find issues in the first place, and it stays there even when a page is clean. ![A news article viewed as an administrator, with the accessibility checker bar outlined in red in the bottom right corner.](/storage/1LMJj0bAJWDAWWDzTcPGOmjmW1V7WotkdqDunfvO.png) The bar holds three controls. Control What it does The number How many issues this page has. Select it to jump to the first one. The flag **Hide accessibility alerts** turns the markers off for the page you are on. The checklist **Check headings & alt text** labels every heading on the page with its level, so you can see the structure at a glance and spot a skipped level. --- Checking a page as you browse it -------------------------------- While you are signed in, open the page you want to check. Anything the checker finds is marked with a small yellow icon beside the content it relates to. No panel opens on its own, so select an icon, or the number in the controls, to read what it found. ![The accessibility checker panel open beside a flagged image in Related news, outlined in red, reporting a manual check for an image with no alt text, with Mark as ignored and Mark as OK buttons.](/storage/loDdOPdq6ILlGPe73NagkvQsoP0FJtLZ8xXe850v.png) Checks fall into two kinds: Kind What it means **Errors** Clear problems the checker is confident about, such as an image with no alternative text. **Manual checks** Something the checker cannot judge on its own, such as whether a link's wording makes sense out of context. These need a person to review and confirm. Once you have reviewed a manual check, dismiss it from the panel: - **Mark as ignored** hides it for you only. Use this for something you have checked but other editors may still want to review. - **Mark as OK** hides it for everyone. Use it once you are sure the alert does not apply. If you need a dismissed alert back, select **Show hidden alerts** in the controls. It appears there once something on the page has been dismissed. > **💡 Tip:** Only dismiss an alert once you have actually checked it. Dismissing is not the same as fixing. --- The site-wide accessibility report ---------------------------------- An administrator can see every issue detected across the whole site in one place, under **Reports**, then **Content Accessibility**. The report opens headed Content Accessibility Issues. ![The Content Accessibility Issues report with real findings, its Top issues table and its Pages with the most issues table each outlined in red.](/storage/e7e1P3siIiOu1tSEYlqEdXo1v2ZvSFdaZpSIqXE4.png) The report breaks down issues several ways: - **Top issues**: which kind of problem appears most often across the site. - **Pages with the most issues**: where to start if you want the biggest improvement first. - **Recent issues** and **Recent dismissals**: what has changed lately. Each section can be downloaded as a report from the **Export results** area, useful for tracking progress over time or sharing with someone who does not have a login. --- What the checker can and can't catch ------------------------------------ Treat it as a helpful first pass, not the whole job. It can tell when alternative text is missing, but not whether the text you wrote is meaningful. It cannot judge whether colour alone is being used to convey meaning, or whether your content reads in a sensible order. It complements writing accessible content and any formal accessibility review; it does not replace either. --- If you don't see the checker ---------------------------- Seeing the checker depends on permissions, and on this site only administrators hold them. If content editors should see it too, an administrator can grant the checker permissions to the Content editor role. See [**Roles and what they let you do**](/articles/roles-and-what-they-let-you-do). Related articles ------------------ - [ Roles and what they let you do → ](/articles/roles-and-what-they-let-you-do) - [ Using the editor → ](/articles/using-the-editor) - [ Alt text and accessible images → ](/articles/alt-text-and-accessible-images) Was this article helpful? ------------------------- Your feedback helps us prioritise what to rewrite. 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