Website Accessibility Audits and WCAG Testing

An audit is the most effective way to identify issues that might be excluding disabled people from using your website or app. It helps you measure your website against WCAG 2.2 and legal requirements, so you know if you’re compliant with laws like the Equality Act 2010 (UK) or  Americans with Disabilities Act 1990 (USA).

Beyond avoiding legal risks, improving accessibility can increase your reach (more users can access your services), improve user experience for everyone, and enhance your brand’s reputation as inclusive and user-friendly. In short, it’s not just the right thing to do – it’s also good for business.

It depends on the scope. There is no one-size-fits-all price, because factors like the size of your website/app, the complexity of your user journeys, and whether parts of the website are behind login all affect the effort required. After discussing your needs, we’ll provide a tailored quote.

As a guide, our entry-level Digital Accessibility Review is a fixed £4,950 +VAT for up to 10 key pages/components, focusing on critical issues.

A Full Audit for a large website will cost more and take longer, but delivers a deep analysis across your entire digital estate. Rest assured, we work to provide high value for your budget by prioritising issues that matter most to your users.

This can vary. A small-scale audit or headline review can be done in as little as 1–2 weeks, whereas an in-depth audit of a complex website or app might take 3–4 weeks end-to-end. We’ll discuss timelines with you during scoping.

We know you have deadlines, and we will schedule the audit to meet your needs whenever possible. (Quick tip: If you have a specific deadline, let us know – for example, if you are preparing for an upcoming product launch or compliance date – and we will recommend the best approach, such as our accelerated review service for faster results).

There is no specific law that requires organisations to commission an accessibility audit. However, an audit is often the most effective way to assess whether websites, apps and digital services meet accessibility requirements.

In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 and Public Sector Bodies (Website and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations (PSBAR 2018) require that your digital services are accessible, and similar laws exist worldwide such as European Accessibility Act (EAA) and Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.

Failing to comply can lead to legal action or reputational damage. An audit gives you the evidence and guidance to achieve compliance.

While not mandated by law, it’s often effectively necessary to audit and fix issues to avoid violating accessibility regulations.

We recommend making accessibility an ongoing practice rather than a one-time project. In an ideal world, accessibility is considered at every stage of design and development to catch issues early (which reduces the need for costly fixes later).

However, many organisations choose to do a full audit annually (or at least before major releases or redesigns) to ensure they maintain compliance as standards and content evolve. In addition, after any significant updates to your website or app, a targeted re-audit or regression test is a good idea.

We offer 12-month Accreditation on websites that meet our standards, with reminders to re-test in a year – helping you stay on track continuously.

You can certainly run basic tests in-house, and we encourage teams to learn accessibility practices. There are automated tools and training courses (including ones we offer) that can help build your internal skills. However, a professional audit by experienced specialists will be far more thorough and efficient.

Accessibility guidelines are detailed and can be complex. AbilityNet's team has years of expertise and includes certified professionals, so we can catch issues that might be overlooked otherwise.

In fact, many organisations that start with self-evaluation later come to us for a comprehensive audit to ensure nothing is missed. A hybrid approach can also work: get an expert audit to establish a baseline, then train your team on maintaining accessibility moving forward. We can support you on all fronts.

A Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) is used to document how a product or service meets accessibility standards. An Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR) is the completed report generated from a VPAT. These documents are often requested during procurement processes, supplier assessments and accessibility compliance programmes.

If you do need one, AbilityNet can produce a VPAT/ACR for you as part of our audit service.

We’ll use our audit findings to generate the documentation, so you can confidently share your accessibility status with clients or regulators. We ensure it’s done right, so you won’t risk “getting it wrong” on such important paperwork.

AbilityNet audits websites, apps and digital services against recognised accessibility standards, including WCAG 2.2. Depending on your requirements, we can also help organisations address accessibility regulations and procurement requirements. Audit reports identify issues against relevant WCAG success criteria and provide practical recommendations to help prioritise improvements.