Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

1 PASS 6 REVIEW 6 FIX

Alt Text Quality

Action

24 of 70 images have issues

FIX

24 of 70 images have issues

2 image(s) missing alt attribute

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

1 image-in-link without alt text

An image inside a link with no alt creates an empty link.

22 image(s) with generic alt text

12 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

2 decorative image(s) correctly marked

32 image(s) with good alt text

70 images 32 good alt text 2 decorative 22 generic 2 missing

Issue	Count
missing	2 image(s)
generic	22 image(s)
too long	12 image(s)

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

Why this matters

Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report

An image inside a link with no alt creates an empty link.

Why this matters

Image-only links with no alt create empty links — screen-reader users hear 'link' with no destination context.

Learn more ▾

An <a><img></a> with no img alt is the worst-case for accessibility: AT announces the link but can't describe where it goes. Either add alt to the image OR add aria-label to the link.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

404 Error Page

Action

Soft 404 detected

FIX

Soft 404 detected

Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages

The server returns HTTP 200 for a path that does not exist. Search engines will index these pages, diluting your real content. Configure your server to return a proper 404 status code for missing pages.

Got: Status: 200 for /beavercheck-404-test-hg756w

404 Page Quality ✗ Soft 404 (HTTP 200)

Status Code: HTTP 200

The server returned HTTP 200 for a non-existent path. Search engines will index this page as real content. Configure your server to return HTTP 404 for missing pages.

Web Manifest

Action

Invalid JSON

FIX

Invalid JSON

Manifest contains invalid JSON

Manifest at https://nbcchicago.com/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.

Got: https://nbcchicago.com/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

Dark Mode Support

Action

No dark mode signals

FIX

No dark mode signals

No dark mode signals detected

Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Print Stylesheet

Action

No print styles

FIX

No print styles

No print-specific styles detected

When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.

Print Stylesheet No Print Styles

Print stylesheet Not found ✗Inline @media print Not detected ✗

Heading Hierarchy

85 headings

REVIEW

85 headings

No H1 heading found

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

H3 NBC 5 Exclusive: Pope Leo's brother describes how his life has changed
H3 Live Now: 24/7 News
H3 Buffalo Grove staffer hospitalized in dismissal incident was protecting students: Prin...
H3 Buffalo Grove school releases letter after staffer suffers serious injuries
H3 Chicago forecast includes warmer temperatures, chance of storms
H3 Buffalo Grove High School staffer in critical condition after ‘tragic' crash near camp...
H3 Agents seize monkey's remains, 125 pounds of illegal beef at O'Hare
H3 Spirit Airlines nears deal with Trump administration for $500 million rescue package
H3 Local
H3 Could the Chicago Bears target Cashius Howell in the NFL Draft?
H3 Zion Young could be an attractive Chicago Bears NFL Draft option
H3 Hundreds of Party City stores reopen nationwide – inside another popular retailer
H3 Most Read
H3 Buffalo Grove staffer hospitalized in dismissal incident was protecting students: Principal
H3 Teen found in singer D4vd's trunk died from ‘multiple penetrating injuries,' officials say
H3 Android users could be owed up to $100 from Google in a class-action settlement
H3 Don't miss it: Famous suburban Tulip Festival opens with acres of colorful flowers
H3 Agents seize monkey's remains, 125 pounds of illegal beef at O'Hare
H3 Buffalo Grove school releases letter after staffer suffers serious injuries
H3 Buffalo Grove High School staffer in critical condition after ‘tragic' crash near camp...
H3 Agents seize monkey's remains, 125 pounds of illegal beef at O'Hare
H3 Spirit Airlines nears deal with Trump administration for $500 million rescue package
H2 Top Videos
H2 Huge rat steals the show during Cubs game at Wrigley Field
H3 More
H4 Richardson Farm tulip fest opens for season
H4 Crash outside Buffalo Grove High School leaves staffer with life-threatening injuries
H4 Lockport a cappella group gets big sendoff ahead of international competition
H4 CTA abruptly removes unarmed guards as safety plans shift to police officers
H2 U.S. & World
H3 Teen found in singer D4vd's trunk died from ‘multiple penetrating injuries,' officials say
H2 Entertainment News
H3 An Instagram DM changed everything for Rachel Reid, Jacob Tierney and ‘Heated Rivalry'
H3 ‘Terrifier' star David Howard Thornton proposes to girlfriend in full Art the Clown costume
H3 Jenna Bush Hager shares what it's like to interview her dad: ‘He harasses me'
H3 Alan Osmond, eldest brother of music group The Osmonds, dies at 76
H2 Chicago Politics
H3 Democrats in Springfield mull Chicago Bears stadium bills amid tense week
H2 Health & Wellness
H3 Cases of ‘extensively drug-resistant' shigella infections rising in U.S., CDC warns
H3 Allergy season is here. Here are natural remedies an allergist says actually work
H3 Mental health, functional medicine and menopause: The struggle and the support
H3 Hormone replacement therapy and menopause: What experts want you to know
H2 Chicago Sports
H3 Billy Donovan ‘stepping away' as Chicago Bulls head coach, team announces
H3 Munetaka Murakami makes history with yet another home run
H3 Rickea Jackson acquired by Chicago Sky in blockbuster trade for Ariel Atkins
H2 NBA News & Highlights
H3 NBA highlights: Lakers 101, Rockets 94
H3 Victor Wembanyama has concussion after falling face-first in loss to Blazers
H3 Victor Wembanyama exits after head injury
H2 Investigations
H3 Ceasefire delays the unthinkable: a U.S. attack on Iranian nuclear power plant
H3 After skull found in Chicago, family turned to Missing Persons Day for answers
H3 Chicago Police body cam video released after officer's fatal shooting
H2 NBC 5 Responds
H3 Consumer Reports: Tips to save money on the roads this summer
H3 ‘I feel helpless': Chicago family says they were mistakenly sent $17K water bill
H3 How parents can find the most affordable summer camp options for their kids
H2 News
H3 Chicago-Area News
H4 Missing 16-year-old Chicago high school student found safe, family says
H4 Body found in popular north suburban forest preserve; officials ask for help to ID
H4 Suburban high school student says artwork was censored at art show for being ‘too political'
H3 Health & Wellness
H4 Menopause and heart health: The change we're finally talking about
H4 Young mom with no symptoms diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer; friend helps save her life
H4 What virus is going around most? Which illnesses are circulating right now in Illinois
H3 Chicago Bears
H4 Chicago Bears NFL Draft profiles: Could Spencer Fano fortify their line?
H4 Could Clemson DT Peter Woods be a Chicago Bears NFL Draft target?
H4 Illinois Democrats mull Chicago Bears stadium bills in tense week
H3 Chicago Real Estate
H4 ‘Candyland' house in Chicago featured on HGTV's ‘Ugliest House in America'
H4 Suburban mansion breaks record for highest sale price in Chicago area
H4 Unique ‘spaceship' house for sale in Chicago suburb for $3.25M. See inside
H3 Chicago Politics
H4 Students tasked with helping Illinois decide official state colors
H4 Chicago mayoral election 2027: Alexi Giannoulias has huge fundraising edge
H4 Darren Bailey blasts Trump's remarks on Pope Leo amid controversy
H3 Matt in the Morning
H4 Matt in the Morning visits Movement in Lincoln Park to rock climb
H4 U of I band departs from school, heads out for Final Four matchup
H4 A sneak peek into the new Andretti Indoor Karting & Games, opening in Schaumburg
H4 Follow Us

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

Form Accessibility

Action

4 of 6 controls have issues

REVIEW

4 of 6 controls have issues

4 control(s) without accessible label

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Got: <input type="submit">; <input type="range" id="seek">; <input type="range">; <input type="submit">

2 control(s) properly labeled

6 controls

2 labeled

0 placeholder only

4 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
s	search	Search for:	none
s	search	Search for:	none
#seek	range	(none)	none
input	range	(none)	none
input	submit	(none)	none
input	submit	(none)	none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

Link & Button Quality

Action

2 issue(s) across 260 links and 10 buttons

REVIEW

2 issue(s) across 260 links and 10 buttons

2 link(s) with no accessible text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

Got: https://www.nbcchicago.com/watch/; https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/?__osource=wtvj_weather_widget

10 link(s) open in new tab without warning

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

Got: http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago; https://instagram.com/nbcchicago; https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago; https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago; https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/?brandA=Owned_Stations&intake=NBC_Chicago/; https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/cookies#accordionheader2; http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago; https://instagram.com/nbcchicago; https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago; https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago

248 link(s) with descriptive text

260 links

2 empty

0 generic text

10 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.nbcchicago.com/watch/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/?__os…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago	Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://instagram.com/nbcchicago	Instagram	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago	TikTok	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago	Youtube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/?br…	Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/coo…	Ad Choices	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago	Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://instagram.com/nbcchicago	Instagram	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago	TikTok	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago	Youtube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

258 links and buttons have descriptive text

Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.

https://www.nbcchicago.com/watch/; https://www.nbcchicago.com/weather/?__osource=wtvj_weather_widget

Why this matters

Links with no accessible text (empty <a></a>, image-only no alt, icon-only no aria-label) are unidentifiable to screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

Add '(opens in new tab)' to link text or aria-label.

http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago; https://instagram.com/nbcchicago; https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago; https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago; https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/?brandA=Owned_Stations&intake=NBC_Chicago/; https://www.nbcuniversal.com/privacy/cookies#accordionheader2; http://www.facebook.com/nbcchicago; https://instagram.com/nbcchicago; https://www.tiktok.com/@nbcchicago; https://www.youtube.com/@NBCChicago

Why this matters

Links with target="_blank" without rel="noopener" leak the originating page's window context — security and UX issue.

Learn more ▾

Without rel="noopener", the new tab can navigate the original tab via window.opener (tab-nabbing attack). Modern browsers default to noopener for target=_blank but only since recent versions. Always set rel="noopener noreferrer" explicitly.

Source: MDN target / OWASP

Favicon & Branding

4 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

4 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 4 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

16 pass 4 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only

span Search

2.44:1

#000000

#294B86

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

span Search for:

2.37:1

#000000

#284983

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a Local

2.37:1

#000000

#284982

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a Weather

2.33:1

#000000

#284880

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Top Videos	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 U.S. & World	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Entertainment News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Chicago Politics	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Health & Wellness	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Chicago Sports	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 NBA News & Highlight…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Investigations	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 NBC 5 Responds	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Local	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 Most Read	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h3 More	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title NBC 5 Chicago – Lo…	18.76:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F2F2F2	Pass
a Skip to content	18.76:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F2F2F2	Pass
span Main Navigation	6.32:1	4.5:1	#000000	#798EB1	Pass
span Search	2.44:1	4.5:1	#000000	#294B86	Fail
span Search for:	2.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#284983	Fail
a Local	2.37:1	4.5:1	#000000	#284982	Fail
a Weather	2.33:1	4.5:1	#000000	#284880	Fail

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 85/100 — 5 failing, 26 passed

REVIEW

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.