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You Failed an Accessibility Audit? Now What? | Eliquo

A prioritization matrix chart showing how to categorize accessibility errors, highlighting that 'High Impact, Low Effort' tasks should be completed first.
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You Failed an Accessibility Audit? Now What?

By Craig Boassaly – Founder, Eliquo Training

Failed an Accessibility Audit? Here Is Your 5-Step Recovery Plan

Receiving a failing grade on a web accessibility audit can be stressful, but it is not a disaster. It is simply a to-do list.

If you just failed an audit, your immediate next steps are to categorize the errors by severity, separate technical code issues from content issues, publish a temporary accessibility statement, and create a timeline for repairs.

You do not need to fix everything overnight. You just need to show that you are taking action. Here is how to manage the process.

1. Don't Panic: Contextualize the Results

First, take a deep breath. Almost no website is 100% perfect. An audit report is not a lawsuit; it is a health checkup. The goal isn't to fix every single minor bug immediately; the goal is to remove the barriers that actually stop people from using your site.

2. Triage: Prioritize "Critical" Barriers

Audit reports can be hundreds of pages long. Do not try to read it front-to-back. Instead, look for "Critical" or "Blocker" issues. These are errors that prevent a user from performing a core task, such as buying a product, filling out a form, or navigating the menu.

  • Fix First: Broken checkout buttons, keyboard traps (where a user gets stuck), or missing form labels.
  • Fix Later: Minor contrast issues on decorative footer text.

3. Sort by "Who Fixes What"

One of the biggest mistakes managers make is handing the entire PDF report to the web developer. A developer cannot fix missing Alt Text on a blog post, and a content writer cannot fix the code in the navigation bar.

You must split the report into two piles:

Developer Tasks: Code issues (ARIA labels, tab order, headings hierarchy).

Content Tasks: Editorial issues (Alt text, video captions, link text naming).

4. Update Your Accessibility Statement

While you are fixing the site, be transparent. Update the "Accessibility" link in your footer.

Say this: "We are currently aware of issues with [X and Y] and are actively working to resolve them."

Provide a backup: Give users a phone number or email address where they can get help if they get stuck on the site while you are fixing it. This simple step can significantly reduce your legal risk.

5. Fix and Re-Test

Accessibility is a cycle, not a finish line. Once your team fixes the critical errors, run a "re-test" or "validation audit" to ensure the fix actually worked. Sometimes, fixing one piece of code can accidentally break another. Verify the repairs before you mark the audit as "Closed."

About the Author

Craig Boassaly is the Founder and President of Eliquo Training & Development and a digital accessibility educator who has been teaching accessible document creation and WCAG best practices since 2003. He specializes in training content creators to build accessible PDFs and documents using real-world workflows.