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https://soundcloud.com

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
71
GRADE
C
FIX
3
REVIEW
5
PASS
5
INFO
0
Checks
13
5 PASS 5 REVIEW 3 FIX
D
Landmark Structure
Action
1 landmarks
FIX
1 landmarks
Critical::
No <main> landmark found
Screen reader users cannot quickly navigate to the primary content. Wrap your main content in <main>.
Warning::
No <nav> landmark found
Info::
No contentinfo (footer) landmark
Warning::
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
BANNER header MAIN (missing!) CONTENTINFO (missing!)

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

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

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
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 ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
0 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Heading Hierarchy
No headings
REVIEW
No headings
Warning::
No headings found
Headings (H1-H6) create the document outline for screen reader navigation.

No headings found

Headings create the document outline for screen reader navigation.

Headings (H1-H6) create the document outline for screen reader navigation.

Why this matters

A page with zero headings is unnavigable by assistive tech and reads as one undifferentiated wall of text.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between H1-H6 elements. A page with no headings has no skip targets — users have to read every word linearly. Adding a heading hierarchy (one H1, then H2 sections, optional H3 subsections) makes the page skimmable for both AT and human readers.

Source: WCAG 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
Info::
Homepage link present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title SoundCloud - Hear the world’s sounds ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗
B
Favicon & Branding
7 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
7 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
B
Dark Mode Support
Dark mode detected
REVIEW
Dark mode detected
Info::
Dark-specific theme-color detected
A theme-color with media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)' adapts the browser toolbar for dark mode.
Info::
prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color #333 ✓CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
13 text elements analyzed, 10 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

3 pass 10 fail WCAG AA 1 pass AA only
title Stream and listen to music online for fr…
1.59:1
#000000
on
#303030
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a SoundCloud
3.09:1
#000000
on
#5B5B5B
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area) · over background image/gradient
p Your current browser isn't compatible wi…
1.12:1
#000000
on
#121212
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
a Chrome
1.72:1
#000000
on
#2C3926
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Firefox
1.48:1
#000000
on
#1E2F22
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a Safari
1.29:1
#000000
on
#172319
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
a Edge
2.15:1
#000000
on
#3A473E
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
p Sorry! Something went wrong
1.24:1
#000000
on
#141F13
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold
p Is your network connection unstable or b…
1.54:1
#000000
on
#2A3021
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold · over background image/gradient
a Popular searches
1.43:1
#000000
on
#262A19
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · above the fold

4 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 (13)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
title Stream and listen to…1.59:14.5:1
#000000
#303030
Fail
a SoundCloud3.09:14.5:1
#000000
#5B5B5B
Fail
p Your current browser…1.12:14.5:1
#000000
#121212
Fail
p Please download one …11.97:14.5:1
#000000
#CAC2BE
Pass
a Need help?15.39:14.5:1
#000000
#E1DCD4
Pass
a Chrome1.72:14.5:1
#000000
#2C3926
Fail
a Firefox1.48:14.5:1
#000000
#1E2F22
Fail
a Safari1.29:14.5:1
#000000
#172319
Fail
a Edge2.15:14.5:1
#000000
#3A473E
Fail
p Sorry! Something wen…1.24:14.5:1
#000000
#141F13
Fail
p Is your network conn…1.54:14.5:1
#000000
#2A3021
Fail
a I need help5.71:14.5:1
#000000
#838779
Pass
a Popular searches1.43:14.5:1
#000000
#262A19
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.

A+
Alt Text Quality
No images
PASS
No images
Info::
No images on this page
No images on this page.
A+
Form Accessibility
No form controls
PASS
No form controls
Info::
No form controls on this page
No form controls found.
A+
Web Manifest
PWA-ready
PASS
PWA-ready
Info::
Meets PWA install criteria
Info::
Name present: SoundCloud
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: minimal-ui
PWA Install Criteria ✓ Installable
Name SoundCloud ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL /discover ✓Display Mode minimal-ui ✓
Name SoundCloud Display Mode minimal-ui Theme Color #FF5500 Background Color #FF5500 Icons 4 icon(s)
A
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 91/100 — 2 failing, 24 passed
PASS
91

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.

ARIA

ARIA dialog elements without accessible names may prevent screen readers users from discerning the purpose of these elements. Learn how to make ARIA dialog elements more accessible.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
body.ot-hide-banner > div#__next > div.Modal_ModalOverlay__Z9tIa body.ot-hide-banner > div#__next > div.Modal_ModalOverlay__Z9tIa
body.ot-hide-banner > div#__next > div.Tooltip_TooltipOverlay__3xO1- body.ot-hide-banner > div#__next > div.Tooltip_TooltipOverlay__3xO1-

These are opportunities to improve the usage of ARIA in your application which may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

Best practices

Disabling zooming is problematic for users with low vision who rely on screen magnification to properly see the contents of a web page. Learn more about the viewport meta tag.

Why this matters

Informational: a Permissions-Policy directive showing feature -> allowed origins.

Source: MDN Permissions-Policy

Failing Elements
head > meta head > meta

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○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
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●`[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
●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links have a discernible name
●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
○`[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
○`<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
○`<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.
○Identical links have the same purpose.
○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○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.

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