Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

3 PASS 5 REVIEW 5 FIX

Link & Button Quality

Action

6 issue(s) across 182 links and 7 buttons

FIX

6 issue(s) across 182 links and 7 buttons

5 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/

1 link(s) with generic text

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

Got: # ("More")

14 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://popularmechanics.com/email/popularmechanics-newsletter; https://www.popularmechanics.com/about/a40180523/pop-mech-pro-membership-news…; /adventure/; https://shop.popularmechanics.com/?source=pop_hamburger; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-privacy-notice; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-terms-of-use; /about/a34246962/how-to-pitch-popular-mechanics/; /promotions/a40118846/download-exclusive-pop-mech-digital-issues/; /about/a46147319/pop-mech-pro-membership/; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-privacy-notice (+4 more)

162 link(s) with descriptive text

182 links

5 empty

1 generic text

14 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://popularmechanics.com/email/popul…	Newsletter	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.popularmechanics.com/about/a…	Pop Mech Pro	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/adventure/	Adventure	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://shop.popularmechanics.com/?sourc…	Shop	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-pr…	Privacy Notice	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-te…	Terms Of Use	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
#	More	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: More Suggested: #
https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefin…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefin…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefin…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefin…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefin…	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/about/a34246962/how-to-pitch-popular-me…	Writer Guidelines	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/promotions/a40118846/download-exclusive…	Digital Issues	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/about/a46147319/pop-mech-pro-membership…	PopMech Pro Membership Perks	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-pr…	Privacy Notice	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-pr…	CA Notice at Collection	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-pr…	Your CA Privacy Rights/Shine t…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-pr…	DAA Industry Opt Out	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-te…	Terms of Use	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

169 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/; https://www.popularmechanics.com/undefined/

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

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

# ("More")

Why this matters

Generic anchor text ('click here', 'read more', 'learn more') tells screen readers and search engines nothing about the destination.

Learn more ▾

Out-of-context lists of links read by AT (one navigation pattern) become useless when every link says 'click here'. Use the destination's title or topic as anchor text. Doubles as SEO win — Google passes anchor-text relevance to the destination.

Source: WCAG 2.4.4 / Google Search Central

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

https://popularmechanics.com/email/popularmechanics-newsletter; https://www.popularmechanics.com/about/a40180523/pop-mech-pro-membership-news…; /adventure/; https://shop.popularmechanics.com/?source=pop_hamburger; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-privacy-notice; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-terms-of-use; /about/a34246962/how-to-pitch-popular-mechanics/; /promotions/a40118846/download-exclusive-pop-mech-digital-issues/; /about/a46147319/pop-mech-pro-membership/; https://www.hearst.com/-/us-magazines-privacy-notice (+4 more)

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

Web Manifest

Action

Not found

FIX

Not found

No web manifest found

No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

Dark Mode Support

Action

Theme color only

FIX

Theme color only

Theme-color present but no dark variant

A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.

Got: #000000

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 ModePartial Dark Mode

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 ✗

Navigation UX

Action

No navigation patterns

FIX

No navigation patterns

2 navigation landmark(s) detected

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected

These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.

Breadcrumbs

Skip Link

Labeled Navigation 2 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

2 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.

Landmark Structure

5 landmarks

REVIEW

5 landmarks

<main> landmark present

2 <nav> landmark(s) found

1 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

No banner (header) landmark

Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more ▾

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

Heading Hierarchy

97 headings

REVIEW

97 headings

No H1 heading found

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

H3 Construction Workers Discovered Not One, Not Two, But Six Centuries-Old Shipwrecks
H3 U.S. Airmen Accidentally Leak Top-Secret Nuke Info
H3 Moss Helped the FBI Solve a Grave-Robbing Case
H3 How Deadly Smog in Pennsylvania Changed History
H3 Metal Detectorists Found an Ancient Hoard
H2 What's Trending
H3 Leonardo da Vinci’s Human Heart Mystery, Solved
H3 Yes, You Can Hike in Trail Running Shoes
H3 The Best Jackery Portable Power Stations
H3 Mayan Vase Found Via Maryland Thrift Store
H2 The Astounding Pop Mech Show
H3 The Astounding Pop Mech Show: The Mushroom That Makes You Hallucinate Armies of Tiny Elves
H2 Science News
H2 Science
H3 This 100-Year-Old's Blood Has a Superpower
H3 Experts Found an Odd Object in an Ancient Church
H3 Ostentatious Roman Tomb Found in Bavaria
H3 Is Sugar the Secret to Hair Regrowth?
H2 Space
H3 Black Holes Are Defying Their Own Rules of Physics
H3 Why the Hubble Tension Remains So Puzzling
H3 Dark Matter May Be Filling Our Galaxy With Light
H3 How This 400-Year-Old Error Solved a Solar Mystery
H2 Our Planet
H3 The World Is Running Out of People
H3 Taking a Closer Look at the Flora of Hiroshima
H3 Ocean Explorers Find Massive Underwater Mountain
H3 Experts Modeled Early Earth and Watched Life Form
H2 Military
H3 The Soviets Abandoned a Top-Secret Bioweapons Testing Ground. 34 Years Later, ‘Anthrax Island’ Is Waking Up.
H3 The Titanic Discovery Was a Navy Cover-Up
H3 Why Did the U.S. Army Bomb a Volcano in 1935?
H3 AI Is Becoming the Backbone of Drone Warfare
H3 Stealth Fighters Tried to Sneak Across Austria
H3 Download The Latest Pop Mech Digital Issue
H2 Consciousness
H3 This Superintelligent Brain Sleeps, Develops a Personality—And Eventually Dies. Is the Singularity Here?
H3 Could Advanced, Lab-Grown Brains Become Conscious?
H3 Consciousness Persists After Death
H3 Sitting in This Chair Can Alter Your Consciousness
H3 Now We Have Proof That Ancient Egyptians Got High
H2 Gear Reviews
H3 The Ultimate Camping Gear Guide
H3 The Best Cheap Washing Machines
H3 The Best Window Air Conditioners
H3 The 5 Best Radar Detectors of 2026
H2 Home
H3 The 7 Best Robot Vacuums We’ve Tested
H3 Bluetti Apex 300 Power Station Review
H3 The 9 Best Multitools for Fixing Things in a Pinch
H3 The 9 Best Smokers to Cook Low and Slow
H2 Tech
H3 The Best TVs of 2026, From Entry-Level to High-End
H3 The 8 Best Electric Scooters
H3 The Best 3D Printers for Every Kind of Maker
H3 Netgear Gets Exemption From U.S. WiFi Router Ban
H2 Outdoor Gear
H3 The 8 Best Pocket Knives
H3 Unigear Hexagon Camping Tarp Review 2026
H3 The 5 Best Portable Refrigerators
H3 The 8 Best Family Tents
H3 Popular Mechanics Explains Precognition
H2 More Great Stuff
H2 Math
H3 Scientists Finally Figured Out Color Perception
H3 The Mystery of How Smoke Particles Move—Solved
H3 Mathematicians Found a New Kind of Prime Number
H3 The Russian Way to Multiply Numbers
H2 Cars
H3 The 7 Best Portable Jump Starters
H3 The Best Portable Tire Inflators
H3 Nab a $1,200 Gift Card Using Amazon's Secret Car Section
H3 Airmoto Portable Air Compressor Review
H2 Flight
H3 Plane Flown by 'Ace of Aces' Pilot Finally Found
H3 The DJI Mini 4K is Over $100 Off Right Now
H3 A Pilot Is Pretty Sure He Found Amelia Earhart
H3 NASA Once Wanted to Build a Jetport on Lake Erie
H2 Pop Mech Exclusives
H3 They Froze a Brain to −196°C. Then Brought It ‘Back to Life’ in a Groundbreaking New Study.
H3 Iran’s Drones Will Get ‘Significantly Deadlier.’
H3 Bad Luck Starts in Your Own Brain, Scientists Say
H3 Time Isn’t Real, Physicist Claims
H3 Hidden Rules of Physics May Be Controlling Reality
H2 The Latest
H3 The Best Electric Scooters for Kids
H3 The Best 4K TVs
H3 Experts Found a Trove of Ancient ‘Sticky Notes’
H3 Over Five Million Bees Live in a New York Cemetery
H3 Experts Discovered an Entire Hidden Supervolcano
H3 The FBI Releases Bigfoot's File
H3 Christianity’s Roman Empire History Upended
H3 Coway Airmega Mighty2 Air Purifier Review
H3 Reviewed: Nomad Tracking Card Pro
H3 Why Modern Genetics Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story
H3 The Best Gaming Desktops Level Up Your Play
H3 TCL QM8L 4K SQD Mini LED TV Review

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

Alt Text Quality

5 of 159 images have issues

REVIEW

5 of 159 images have issues

5 image(s) with generic alt text

6 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

147 image(s) with good alt text

159 images 147 good alt text 1 decorative 5 generic

Issue	Count
generic	5 image(s)
too long	6 image(s)

Favicon & Branding

Action

3 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

3 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✗ Multiple Sizes Missing

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 4 pass AA only

title Popular Mechanics - Product Reviews, How…

1.00:1

#000000

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Home and DIY

4.48:1

#000000

#4D76A9

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient

a Space

3.23:1

#000000

#4A6077

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page · over background image/gradient

a Gifts

2.10:1

#000000

#254561

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page · over background image/gradient

3 contrast failures on background images/gradients

These failures are invisible to CSS-based accessibility tools like Lighthouse. The text may be fine on a solid background, but fails when rendered over an image or gradient.

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
title Popular Mechanics - …	1.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#000000	Fail
span Search	16.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E5E5E5	Pass
a Newsletter	16.67:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E5E5E5	Pass
a Pop Mech Pro	8.73:1	4.5:1	#000000	#A7A7A7	Pass
a Subscribe	4.72:1	4.5:1	#000000	#5C79A3	Pass
a Home and DIY	4.48:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4D76A9	Fail
a Power Tools	17.39:1	4.5:1	#000000	#D8EDF8	Pass
a Cars	18.47:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E4F3F8	Pass
a Technology	18.64:1	4.5:1	#000000	#EAF3F5	Pass
a Military	12.04:1	4.5:1	#000000	#B0C7DB	Pass
a Science	8.33:1	4.5:1	#000000	#8AA6C4	Pass
a Adventure	6.65:1	4.5:1	#000000	#7B94A9	Pass
a Sci-Fi	6.28:1	4.5:1	#000000	#768FAA	Pass
a Airplanes	6.56:1	4.5:1	#000000	#7A92AF	Pass
a Space	3.23:1	4.5:1	#000000	#4A6077	Fail
a Gifts	2.10:1	4.5:1	#000000	#254561	Fail
a Deals	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Visual Stories	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Promotions	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Shop	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass

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.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 1 controls labeled

PASS

All 1 controls labeled

1 control(s) properly labeled

1 controls

1 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#global-nav-search-input-input	text	Search	for/id

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

PASS

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

Navigation links present on 404 page

Homepage link present on 404 page

Search form present on 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title 404 | Popular Mechanics ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 1 failing, 28 passed

PASS

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.

Names and labels

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
a.ee4ms354 > div.css-t2molx > div.css-7jpcm8 > a.css-1irizb1 `a.ee4ms354 > div.css-t2molx > div.css-7jpcm8 > a.css-1irizb1`
a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1 `a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1`
a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1 `a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1`
a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1 `a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1`
a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1 `a.ee4ms354 > div.css-b6s0n0 > div.css-tcu1vv > a.css-1irizb1`

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

○Interactive controls are keyboard focusable

○Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state

○The page has a logical tab order

○Visual order on the page follows DOM order

○User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region

○The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page

○HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation

○Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology

○Custom controls have associated labels

○Custom controls have ARIA roles

●`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`

●`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes

●`[role]` values are valid

●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values

●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled

●Buttons have an accessible name

●Image elements have `[alt]` attributes

●`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.

●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role

●Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.

●`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents

●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes

●Background and foreground colors have a sufficient contrast ratio

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).

●List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements

●No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0

●Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.

●Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`

●Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

●Identical links have the same purpose.

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names

○ARIA input fields have accessible names

○ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names

○Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.

○`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element

○Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.

○ARIA toggle fields have accessible names

○ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names

○ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names

○The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region

○`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.

○Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements

○ARIA IDs are unique

○No form fields have multiple labels

○`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title

○`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.

○Input buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○Form elements have associated labels

○Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

○The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○Select elements have associated label elements.

○Skip links are focusable.

○Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.

○`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.

○`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

○Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.

○All heading elements contain content.

○Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.

○Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.

○`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.

All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.