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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
61
GRADE
D
FIX
5
REVIEW
5
PASS
3
INFO
0
Checks
13
3 PASS 5 REVIEW 5 FIX
F
404 Error Page
Action
Soft 404 detected
FIX
Soft 404 detected
Critical::
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-7wu5ns
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.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
Theme color only
FIX
Theme color only
Info::
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: #0f0
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
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.

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::
1 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
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 1 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
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.
B
Heading Hierarchy
38 headings
REVIEW
38 headings
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
  • H2 AI Memory Systems: The Approaches You Need to Know
  • H2 The $12.6 Million "Patient Zero": Healthcare’s Identity Crisis
  • H2 Inside PEAK’s Daily Map Generation System
  • H2 Native JSON Streaming in Symfony: How to Bypass Memory Limits and More
  • H2 AI Coding Tip 015 - Force the AI to Obey You
  • H2 AI Memory Systems: The Approaches You Need to Know
  • H2 The $12.6 Million "Patient Zero": Healthcare’s Identity Crisis
  • H2 Inside PEAK’s Daily Map Generation System
  • H2 Native JSON Streaming in Symfony: How to Bypass Memory Limits and More
  • H2 AI Coding Tip 015 - Force the AI to Obey You
  • H3 Boosted
  • H2 You Are Part of the Harness: Building a 100+ Agent Swarm in Web3 (Part 4)
  • H2 How Deepgram and Modulate Benchmark Against Real-World Audio
  • H2 I Thought My VPN Was Enough (Until I Looked Closer)
  • H2 How to Build a Real-Time Voice Agent with Pipecat
  • H3 Trending Stories
  • H3 Stories By Category
  • H3 Poll of the Week
  • H3 Stories Published On This Day
  • H3 Published recently
  • H2 The HackerNoon Newsletter
  • H2 about
  • H2 read
  • H2 write
  • H2 Business
  • H2 HACKERNOON
  • H3 Trending Stories
  • H3 Categories
  • H3 Trending Topics
  • H2 Light-Mode
  • H3 Classic
  • H3 Newspaper
  • H3 Minty
  • H2 Dark-Mode
  • H3 Neon Noir
  • H3 Minty
  • H3 HN StartUps
  • H2 Notice

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

B
Form Accessibility
2 of 3 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 3 controls have issues
Warning::
2 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="email">; <input type="search">
Info::
1 control(s) properly labeled
3 controls
1 labeled
2 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
inputcheckboxnone
inputemail(name@company.com)placeholder only
inputsearch(DISCOVER ANYTHING)placeholder only

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

<input type="email">; <input type="search">

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

C
Favicon & Branding
Action
12 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
12 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
No apple-touch-icon detected
iOS devices use this when users add your site to their home screen. Add <link rel='apple-touch-icon' sizes='180x180' href='/apple-touch-icon.png'>.
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
favicon.ico Present
PNG Icons Present
Apple Touch Missing
SVG Favicon Missing
Manifest Icons Present
Multiple Sizes Present
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 18 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

2 pass 18 fail WCAG AA
h2 The HackerNoon Newsletter
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 HACKERNOON
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Light-Mode
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Dark-Mode
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Notice
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h3 Boosted
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Trending Stories
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Stories By Category
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Poll of the Week
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Stories Published On This Day
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Published recently
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Classic
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Newspaper
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Minty
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Neon Noir
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Minty
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 HN StartUps
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
span Hackernoon
3.16:1
#000000
on
#1D6854
needs 4.5:1 (normal text)
16px · top of page (header area)
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 The HackerNoon Newsl…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 HACKERNOON1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Light-Mode1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Dark-Mode1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Notice1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Boosted1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Trending Stories1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Stories By Category1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Poll of the Week1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Stories Published On…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Published recently1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Classic1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Newspaper1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Minty1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Neon Noir1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Minty1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 HN StartUps1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
title HackerNoon - read, w…16.14:14.5:1
#000000
#61FF83
Pass
button Discover Anything9.30:14.5:1
#000000
#46C370
Pass
span Hackernoon3.16:14.5:1
#000000
#1D6854
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.

B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 89/100 — 3 failing, 26 passed
REVIEW
89

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

When a button doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it as "button", making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make buttons more accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.btn header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.btn
header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.flex header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.flex
div.transition-all > div.z-20 > div.lg:hidden > button.bg-dark div.transition-all > div.z-20 > div.lg:hidden > button.bg-dark
div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent
div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent
section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2 section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2
section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2 section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2
section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2 section#about > div > div.grid > button.px-2

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.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2
div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2 div.max-w-[1400px] > div.border-t > div.flex-1 > a.m-2

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.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Go to slide 1 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 2 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 3 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 4 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 5 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3

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
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
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
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
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.
`[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.
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.
A
Landmark Structure
4 landmarks
PASS
4 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
1 <nav> landmark(s) found
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 NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

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

A+
Alt Text Quality
All 90 images OK
PASS
All 90 images OK
Info::
42 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
48 image(s) with good alt text
90 images 48 good alt text 42 decorative
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Web Manifest
PWA-ready
PASS
PWA-ready
Info::
Meets PWA install criteria
Info::
Name present: HackerNoon
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: fullscreen
PWA Install Criteria Installable
Name HackerNoon 192×192 icon 512×512 icon Start URL / Display Mode fullscreen
Name HackerNoon Display Mode fullscreen Theme Color #00ff00 Background Color #1a1a19 Icons 8 icon(s)
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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