Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

4 PASS 6 REVIEW 3 FIX

Link & Button Quality

Action

13 issue(s) across 300 links and 23 buttons

FIX

13 issue(s) across 300 links and 23 buttons

1 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: a#main-content

3 image-only link(s) without alt text

Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.

Got: a[href="/multimedia/global-imbalances-redux"]; a[href="/multimedia/stablecoins-and-global-imbalances"]; a[href="/multimedia/rebalancing-chinese-economy"]

2 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWr97P2KJbodVRFitPCRDg82jvV3KwasgYD…; https://cepr-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/T4_Q_YAuQ6uWgoRZL1wXSA#/

12 button(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#66 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#82 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#100 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#124 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#140 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#158 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#267 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#283 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#301 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#325 on page) (+2 more)

294 link(s) with descriptive text

300 links

1 empty

0 generic text

2 new tab

12 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/multimedia/global-imbalances-redux	Global Imbalances Redux	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
/multimedia/stablecoins-and-global-imbal…	Stablecoins and Global Imbalan…	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
/multimedia/rebalancing-chinese-economy	Rebalancing the Chinese econom…	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
/events/5th-finance-and-productivity-fin…	24 April	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQ…	Register now	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/events/session-11-julia-fonseca-steg-pe…	24 April	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
https://cepr-org.zoom.us/meeting/registe…	Register now	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/events/eabcn-training-school-energy-and…	27 April	img no alt	Add alt attribute to the image
<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

305 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

a#main-content

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

Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.

a[href="/multimedia/global-imbalances-redux"]; a[href="/multimedia/stablecoins-and-global-imbalances"]; a[href="/multimedia/rebalancing-chinese-economy"]

Why this matters

Image-only links with no alt are unidentifiable to screen-reader users — link's destination is invisible.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

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

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdWr97P2KJbodVRFitPCRDg82jvV3KwasgYD…; https://cepr-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/T4_Q_YAuQ6uWgoRZL1wXSA#/

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.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#66 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#82 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#100 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#124 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#140 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#158 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#267 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#283 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#301 on page); button.c-main-menu__expand-sub-nav (#325 on page) (+2 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

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: #bb0f33

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 ✗

Heading Hierarchy

Action

47 headings, 1 skip(s)

REVIEW

47 headings, 1 skip(s)

No H1 heading found

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

Heading level skipped: H3 → H6 (missing H4)

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

H2 Themes
H2 Main navigation
H2 Secondary Menu
H2 User account menu
H2 Secondary Menu
H2 User account menu
H2 Themes
H2 Research Excellence, Policy Relevance
H2 Focus on...
H3 Trump & Tariffs
H3 Artificial Intelligence
H3 Europe-Asia Initiative
H2 NEW PUBLICATION | Paris Report 4: The New Global Imbalances
H3 Paris Report 4: The New Global Imbalances
H3 Policy Insight 148: The new global imbalances: Why care, why now and what should be done?
H3 Why global imbalances matter again – and what to do about them
H3 Global Imbalances Redux
H3 Stablecoins and Global Imbalances
H3 Rebalancing the Chinese economy
H2 Recent VoxEU Columns
H3 Mobile seniors and local economic development
H3 Central bank independence: An update
H3 Air service liberalisation and carbon dioxide emissions
H2 NEW EBOOK | World War Trade
H2 Latest announcements about publications, events, and Researcher activities
H3 Adrien Bilal Recipient of the 2026 Best Young French Economist Award
H3 Hélène Rey appointed as Economic Adviser and Head of Monetary and Economic Department of the BIS
H3 New CEPR Initiative launched. Europe 2050: Geometries of peace, power, and prosperity
H3 Barbara Petrongolo appointed Co-Editor of the American Economic Review
H3 New Discussion Papers: Week Ending 19 April
H3 New Discussion Papers: Week Ending 12 April
H2 Explore further...
H3 Find out more about CEPR & what it does
H3 CEPR Discussion Papers – 21,000+ Working Papers
H3 CEPR Policy Insights – tightly argued policy essays
H3 CEPR Women in Economics
H3 Paris Symposium 2025
H3 Subscribe to CEPR Newsletters
H2 Upcoming Events – Register Now
H3 5th Finance and Productivity (FINPRO) Conference - Corporate Finance and Productivity in Times of Geopolitical Fragmentation
H4 Register now
H3 Session 11 (Julia Fonseca) - STEG-PEDL Virtual Course on 'Private Enterprises, Productivity, and Economic Growth'
H4 Register now
H3 EABCN Training School: Energy and Commodity Prices
H6 Sign up to our newsletter skipped
H6 follow us
H2 We use cookies on this site to enhance your user experience

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

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

Form Accessibility

Action

3 of 3 controls have issues

REVIEW

3 of 3 controls have issues

1 control(s) without accessible label

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

Got: <input type="submit" name="sign up" id="mc-embedded-subscribe">

2 control(s) rely on placeholder only

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

Got: <input type="search" name="search">; <input type="email" name="EMAIL" id="mce-EMAIL">

3 controls

0 labeled

2 placeholder only

1 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
search	search	(Search term)	placeholder only
#mce-EMAIL	email	(Your email address)	placeholder only
#mc-embedded-subscribe	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

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

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

Favicon & Branding

Action

5 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

5 icon(s) detected

No favicon.ico at site root

Some older browsers, bookmark tools, and RSS readers look for /favicon.ico. Add one as a fallback.

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

Multiple icon sizes detected

✗ favicon.ico Missing

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✓ Manifest Icons Present

✓ Multiple Sizes Present

Web Manifest

Action

Valid manifest

REVIEW

Valid manifest

No name or short_name

Add a name field to identify the app.

192x192 icon present

512x512 icon present

Display mode: standalone

PWA Install Criteria Not Installable

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

Display Mode standalone Theme Color #bb0f33 Background Color #bb0f33 Icons 2 icon(s)

Navigation UX

Action

2 navigation pattern(s)

REVIEW

2 navigation pattern(s)

Search functionality detected

Got: role-search

Skip navigation link detected

8 navigation landmark(s) detected

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

Breadcrumbs

Search role='search' landmark

Skip Link Skip link detected

Labeled Navigation 8 <nav> element(s)

Hamburger Menu

Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)

4 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

20 pass 9 pass AA only

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h2 Themes	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 Main navigation	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 Secondary Menu	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 User account menu	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 Secondary Menu	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 User account menu	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 Themes	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 NEW EBOOK \| World Wa…	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
h2 We use cookies on th…	3.23:1	3.0:1	#000000	#BB0F33	Pass
title Home \| CEPR	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	Pass
a Skip to main content	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	Pass
span Mobile menu	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Search	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a VoxEU	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Search All Columns	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a VoxTalks	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a VideoVox	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	Pass
a About VoxEU	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	Pass
a Research	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	Pass
a Programme Areas	16.36:1	4.5:1	#000000	#E3E3E3	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.

Landmark Structure

15 landmarks

PASS

15 landmarks

<main> landmark present

8 <nav> landmark(s) found

1 of 8 <nav> elements are unlabeled

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

Skip navigation link present

Search landmark present

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

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 28 images OK

PASS

All 28 images OK

1 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters

6 decorative image(s) correctly marked

21 image(s) with good alt text

28 images 21 good alt text 6 decorative

Issue	Count
too long	1 image(s)

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 Page not found | CEPR ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 92/100 — 3 failing, 27 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.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
SIGN UP TO OUR NEWSLETTER `div.c-footer__bottom > div.c-footer__bottom-inner > div.c-footer__sign-up-wrapper > h6.c-footer__header`

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

Tables and lists

Screen readers have a specific way of announcing lists. Ensuring proper list structure aids screen reader output. Learn more about proper list structure.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`
![](../../../../../../../../../../var/folders/34/zq18d8kx7kbgby0j06p_j6t40000gn… `div.c-card__content-wrapper > div.c-card__theme-wrapper > div.c-card__taxonomy-wrapper > ul.c-card__taxonomy-list`

These are opportunities to improve the experience of reading tabular or list data using 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
Lionel Fontagné `div.c-card__content-wrapper > ul.c-card__meta-wrapper > li.c-card__meta-text > a.c-card__meta-text--link`
Gianluca Santoni `div.c-card__content-wrapper > ul.c-card__meta-wrapper > li.c-card__meta-text > a.c-card__meta-text--link`

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

●Input buttons have discernible text.

●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.

●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.

●Links have a discernible name

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

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

●Document has a main landmark.

●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used

●ARIA IDs are unique

●Identical links have the same purpose.

○`[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

○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 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.

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