Who this is for

This guide is for web agencies, freelance developers, designers, and project managers who build or maintain websites for Canadian clients. If you need a practical process for catching accessibility issues during development and a clear way to hand off results, this is for you.

What to check first

Build accessibility review into your standard QA process rather than treating it as a separate project. Scan templates during development, not the night before launch.

  • Key templates: Scan your most important page templates—homepage, contact page, service page, blog post, and any custom layouts.
  • Page-type presets: Use the page-type selector in the checker to get context-specific review reminders for each template.
  • Forms and interactions: Every form, search, and interactive component needs label, keyboard, and error-state review.
  • Third-party widgets: Embedded maps, booking tools, payment forms, and social feeds are common sources of accessibility issues that your code cannot fix.
  • Documents and media: PDFs, videos, and downloadable files that clients add after launch often create new issues.

Common accessibility issues agencies encounter

  • Missing alt text on client-provided images: Clients often upload images without descriptions. Build alt-text review into your content entry process.
  • Heading structure drift: Content editors may add heading tags for visual styling rather than structure. Educate clients on the difference.
  • Unlabeled form fields in complex forms: Multi-step forms, conditional fields, and payment forms often have missing or unclear labels.
  • Low contrast in brand colours: Brand colour palettes often include colours that fail contrast checks. Test rendered text, not just design mockups.
  • Keyboard traps in custom components: Custom dropdowns, modals, carousels, and accordions can trap keyboard focus.

What automated checks can help with

The SiteCheck Canada checker can find the obvious patterns quickly: missing alt text, form label issues, empty buttons, heading problems, duplicate IDs, iframe title issues, page language problems, and some contrast failures. Use the accessibility issue library to understand findings and write accurate fix guidance.

Read how to use an accessibility report to turn scanner findings into developer tickets and client summaries. The page-type presets add context-specific manual review reminders that help avoid template-specific gaps.

What still needs human review

Automated tools cannot test keyboard flow, screen reader clarity, focus management in custom components, alt-text quality, PDF accessibility, video captions, or whether the client's content is understandable. Plan a manual review pass for every project using the Canadian website accessibility checklist.

Suggested workflow for agencies and freelancers

  1. Inventory all templates and user flows for the project.
  2. Run the website accessibility checker on each template, selecting the appropriate page-type preset.
  3. Export developer tickets for critical and major findings and assign them to the right team member.
  4. Fix issues during development, not after build freeze.
  5. Export a client/boss summary explaining what was checked, what was found, and what still needs ongoing attention.
  6. Use the manual review checklist for keyboard, screen reader, document, and content checks.
  7. Review the site again after content is populated, not just on empty templates.
  8. Document known limitations in the client's accessibility statement using the statement generator.

Post-launch review tips

Accessibility issues often appear after launch when clients add content, upload documents, or install third-party plugins. Schedule periodic re-scans of key templates and educate clients on basic accessibility practices. The page-type checks guide and content editors guide are useful handoff resources for clients.

Useful SiteCheck Canada tools

Recommended next steps

Run the checker Scan templates with page-type presets. How to use your report Create developer tickets and client summaries. Page-type checks guide Template-specific review priorities. Open the Canadian checklist Plan keyboard, screen reader, and content review. Browse the issue library Write accurate fix guidance for findings.