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

Landmark Structure

Action

17 landmarks

FIX

17 landmarks

No <main> landmark found

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

15 <nav> landmark(s) found

15 of 15 <nav> elements are unlabeled

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

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

Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.

Why this matters

Without a <main> landmark, screen-reader users can't skip past the navigation to the page content — every page starts with re-reading the menu.

Learn more ▾

The <main> element marks the page's primary content area. Assistive tech offers a 'jump to main' shortcut — but only if <main> exists. Without it, every page navigation forces re-reading the header. Wrap your primary content in a single <main>.

Source: WAI-ARIA / WCAG 2.4.1

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

Link & Button Quality

Action

18 issue(s) across 264 links and 43 buttons

FIX

18 issue(s) across 264 links and 43 buttons

4 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: /; /; /; /

14 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/; https://twitter.com/IndieWire; https://www.instagram.com/indiewire/?hl=en; https://www.pinterest.com/indiewire/; https://www.youtube.com/indiewire; https://pmc.com/terms-of-use; https://pmc.com/privacy-policy; https://policies.google.com/privacy; https://policies.google.com/terms; https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/ (+4 more)

14 button(s) with no accessible text

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

Got: button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#253 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#258 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#304 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#422 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#478 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#510 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#558 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#606 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#634 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#662 on page) (+4 more)

246 link(s) with descriptive text

264 links

4 empty

0 generic text

14 new tab

14 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/	Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://twitter.com/IndieWire	X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.instagram.com/indiewire/?hl=…	.st0{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-ru…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.pinterest.com/indiewire/	Pinterest	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/indiewire	YouTube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://pmc.com/terms-of-use	Terms of Use	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://pmc.com/privacy-policy	Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://policies.google.com/privacy	Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://policies.google.com/terms	Terms of Service	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/	Facebook	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://twitter.com/IndieWire	X	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.instagram.com/indiewire/?hl=…	.st0{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-ru…	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.pinterest.com/indiewire/	Pinterest	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.youtube.com/indiewire	YouTube	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label
<button>	(empty)	empty	Add button text or aria-label

275 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

/; /; /; /

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.

https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/; https://twitter.com/IndieWire; https://www.instagram.com/indiewire/?hl=en; https://www.pinterest.com/indiewire/; https://www.youtube.com/indiewire; https://pmc.com/terms-of-use; https://pmc.com/privacy-policy; https://policies.google.com/privacy; https://policies.google.com/terms; https://www.facebook.com/indiewire/ (+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

Icon-only buttons need an aria-label so screen readers can announce them.

button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#253 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#258 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#304 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#422 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#478 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#510 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#558 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#606 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#634 on page); button._inner_1tc6x_1 (#662 on page) (+4 more)

Why this matters

Buttons with no accessible text (icon-only, no aria-label) can't be activated by voice control or understood by screen readers.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 4.1.2

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 ✗

Navigation UX

Action

No navigation patterns

FIX

No navigation patterns

15 navigation landmark(s) detected

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 15 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

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

Heading Hierarchy

3 headings

REVIEW

3 headings

No H1 heading found

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

H2 Latest News
H2 Most Popular
H2 You may also like

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

404 Error Page

Action

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

HTTP 404, custom page

Correct 404 status code returned

Got: HTTP 404

Custom styled 404 page

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found – IndieWire ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✗Homepage Link ✗Search Form ✗

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

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

Name present: IndieWire

No 192x192 icon

A 192px icon is required for PWA installation.

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

Name IndieWire ✓192×192 icon ✗512×512 icon ✗Start URL / ✓Display Mode standalone ✓

Name IndieWire Display Mode standalone

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 6 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

14 pass 6 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only

a Video

1.92:1

#000000

#023F69

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a Future of Filmmaking

2.40:1

#000000

#194F71

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

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

a Toolkit

2.84:1

#000000

#245B77

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

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

span Open Search

1.79:1

#000000

#053C57

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

span Close

1.44:1

#000000

#022B49

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · above the fold

a News

1.12:1

#000000

#02112B

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · mid-page

2 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
h2 Latest News	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 Most Popular	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h2 You may also like	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title IndieWire – The Vo…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Got a Tip?	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Newsletters	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Open Menu	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Close	19.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F7F7F7	Pass
a News	19.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F7F7F7	Pass
a Film	19.60:1	4.5:1	#000000	#F7F7F7	Pass
a Awards	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Video	1.92:1	4.5:1	#000000	#023F69	Fail
a Future of Filmmaking	2.40:1	4.5:1	#000000	#194F71	Fail
a Toolkit	2.84:1	4.5:1	#000000	#245B77	Fail
span Open Search	1.79:1	4.5:1	#000000	#053C57	Fail
span Close	1.44:1	4.5:1	#000000	#022B49	Fail
a News	1.12:1	4.5:1	#000000	#02112B	Fail
a Film	4.52:1	4.5:1	#000000	#677688	Pass
a Awards	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Video	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.

Alt Text Quality

All 47 images OK

PASS

All 47 images OK

11 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

1 decorative image(s) correctly marked

35 image(s) with good alt text

47 images 35 good alt text 1 decorative

Issue	Count
too long	11 image(s)

A+

Form Accessibility

All 7 controls labeled

PASS

All 7 controls labeled

7 control(s) properly labeled

7 controls

7 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
s	search	Search for:	none
input	submit	Search	aria-label
s	search	Search for:	none
input	submit	Search	aria-label
#nova-newsletter-email-input-69e7f9c98cf2a7.36932066	email	Email address to subscribe to newsletter.	for/id
#nova-newsletter-email-input-69e7f9c9a4cd00.54971126	email	Email address to subscribe to newsletter.	for/id
#nova-newsletter-email-input-69e7f9c98eb7f6.48799543	email	Email address to subscribe to newsletter.	for/id

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 93/100 — 2 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.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
IndieWire is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2026 IndieWire Media, LLC. A… `div._footerWrapper_1o0kf_1 > div._footerCopyright_akspj_1 > div._inner_akspj_1 > div._text_y7yck_1`
List of Partners (vendors) `div.ot-dpd-container > div.ot-dpd-content > p.ot-dpd-desc > button.ot-link-btn`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

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
div._headerMobile_1bjnv_1 > div._inner_1bjnv_1 > div._logo_1bjnv_1 > a `div._headerMobile_1bjnv_1 > div._inner_1bjnv_1 > div._logo_1bjnv_1 > a`
ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1 `ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1`
ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1 `ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1`
ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1 `ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1`
ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1 `ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1`
ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1 `ul._list_hgv74_1 > li > div._button_1tc6x_1 > a._inner_1tc6x_1`

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

●Form elements have associated labels

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

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

●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

●Document has a `<title>` element

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

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

●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.

●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

●Identical links have the same purpose.

●Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.

○`[accesskey]` values are unique

○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

○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

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

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

○All heading elements contain content.

○Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements

○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.