WordPress accessibility: the common errors and where to fix them
Every WordPress site we scan shares the same handful of failures. Here is each one: what it is, who it leaves out, and where in WordPress it is fixed. Where it says "theme", that is code, and the corrected HTML is what your developer needs.
1. Images without a description
Fixed in the editor, no codeA blind visitor's screen reader says "image" and nothing else. If the image is a product, a promo or a button, they simply don't know what it is.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in WordPress
No developer needed: Media → Library → click the image → fill "Alternative Text". For images inside a page, click the image in the editor → block settings → Alt text.2. Text that is hard to read
Fixed in the editor, no codeSome text is too light against its background. People with low vision, older customers, and anyone on a phone in sunlight can't read it. This is the most common finding in accessibility lawsuits.
people with low vision · mobile users
Where in WordPress
Edit the page → click the text → Block panel → Typography → Color: pick a darker text colour. For the whole site: Appearance → Editor → Styles → Colors. Or paste the CSS below under Additional CSS.3. Links that don't say where they go
Fixed in the editor, no codeLinks like "click here" or an image with no text are read as "link". Screen-reader users navigate by jumping between links, so these are dead ends.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in WordPress
Edit the page → click the link → replace "click here" with words that say where it goes. For icon/image links, set the image's Alt text.4. Form fields without a label
Fixed in the editor, no codeIn your forms (checkout, contact, login) some fields don't say what goes in them. A blind customer hears "edit text" and can't complete the purchase.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in WordPress
If you use a form plugin (Contact Form 7, WPForms, Gravity): edit the form → give every field a visible Label. Placeholder text is not enough.5. The page doesn't declare its language
Fixed in the editor, no codeScreen readers guess the language and read Spanish with an English voice (or vice versa): unintelligible.
blind people (screen readers)
Where in WordPress
Settings → General → Site Language. Pick the language of your content and save.6. The page has no title
Fixed in the editor, no codeThe browser tab is blank and screen readers can't say which page is open. Also hurts Google.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in WordPress
Settings → General → Site Title and Tagline; per page, use the page title or your SEO plugin (Yoast/Rank Math → SEO title).7. Headings out of order
Fixed in the editor, no codeTitles skip levels (like a document going from chapter 1 to section 1.1.1). The page's outline stops making sense to screen readers.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in WordPress
Edit the page → click each heading → change its level (H2, H3) so they don't skip.8. Buttons too small to tap
Needs the theme (code)Some buttons or links are smaller than a fingertip. Older customers and people with tremors miss them.
people who can't use a mouse · mobile users
Where in WordPress
In WordPress this lives in your theme. Send the code below to whoever installed the theme, or apply it under Appearance → Editor (block themes) / Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS (styles).9. Videos without captions
Fixed in the editor, no codeDeaf customers get nothing from your videos.
deaf people
Where in WordPress
Upload a captions file (.vtt) in Media → your video → "Text tracks", or use YouTube captions and embed from there.10. Zoom is blocked on phones
Fixed in the editor, no codeYour site forbids pinch-to-zoom. Anyone who needs bigger text can't get it.
people with low vision · mobile users
Where in WordPress
Usually set by the theme or a mobile plugin; check for a "disable zoom" option and turn it off, or apply the code below.11. Buttons with no name
Needs the theme (code)Icon-only buttons (menu, cart, close) are read as just "button". A blind customer can't tell the cart from the close button.
blind people (screen readers) · people who can't use a mouse
Where in WordPress
In WordPress this lives in your theme. Send the code below to whoever installed the theme, or apply it under Appearance → Editor (block themes) / Appearance → Customize → Additional CSS (styles).12. The page has no main heading
Fixed in the editor, no codeBlind users navigate by headings; without a main one the page has no starting point.
blind people (screen readers) · people with cognitive disabilities
Where in WordPress
Edit the page → make the main title a Heading block set to H1 (most themes do this automatically with the page title).
Questions people ask
- Is WordPress accessible out of the box?
- The platform itself follows the guidelines reasonably well; the failures come from the theme, the apps or plugins, and the content (photos uploaded without a description). A scan of your own site says which.
- Do I need a developer to fix accessibility on WordPress?
- Not for most of it: alt text, page titles, headings, link text, colours and form labels are settings. Menus that ignore the keyboard, pop-ups that trap focus and unnamed icon links live in the theme; for those you need the corrected code.
- Does an accessibility app or widget fix WordPress?
- No. A widget changes what the visitor sees in the browser; the theme and the photos stay as they were, and lawsuits cite the code.