Accessibility

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

SCORE

GRADE

FIX

REVIEW

PASS

INFO

Checks

5 PASS 4 REVIEW 4 FIX

Form Accessibility

Action

7 of 15 controls have issues

FIX

7 of 15 controls have issues

5 control(s) without accessible label

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

Got: <input type="submit" name="submit" id="ssSubmit">; <input type="submit" name="submit" id="ssSubmitMobile">; <input type="text" name="query" id="q">; <select name="level" id="l">; <input type="submit" id="s">

2 control(s) rely on placeholder only

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

Got: <input type="text" name="query" id="ssKeywords">; <input type="text" name="query" id="ssKeywordsMobile">

8 control(s) properly labeled

15 controls

8 labeled

2 placeholder only

5 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#gu_analytics_switch_on	radio	I'm happy with analytics data being recorded	for/id
#gu_analytics_switch_off	radio	I do not want analytics data recorded	for/id
#gu_ads_switch_on	radio	I’m happy to get personalised ads	for/id
#gu_ads_switch_off	radio	I do not want personalised ads	for/id
#analyticsallowed	checkbox	Switch analytics	none
#hotjarallowed	checkbox	Switch clarity	none
#surname	text	surname	aria-label
#staffsearchsubmit	submit	search staff	aria-label
#ssKeywords	text	(Search)	placeholder only
#ssKeywordsMobile	text	(Search)	placeholder only
#q	text	(none)	none
#l	select	(none)	none
#s	submit	(none)	none
#ssSubmit	submit	(none)	none
#ssSubmitMobile	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

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: #003865

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.

Link & Button Quality

5 issue(s) across 165 links and 9 buttons

REVIEW

5 issue(s) across 165 links and 9 buttons

5 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: a#d.en.500239; https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/575/; a#d.en.500255; a#d.en.500298; a#d.en.506934

160 link(s) with descriptive text

165 links

5 empty

0 generic text

0 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/575/	(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

169 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

a#d.en.500239; https://www.gla.ac.uk/explore/575/; a#d.en.500255; a#d.en.500298; a#d.en.506934

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

404 Error Page

HTTP 404, custom page

REVIEW

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

404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page

Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Menu icon bar 3 ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✗

Favicon & Branding

3 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

3 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

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 1 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

19 pass 1 fail WCAG AA

h3 Cookies

1.09:1

#000000

#000B2F

needs 3.0:1 (large text)

19px · top of page (header area)

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 University of Glasgo…	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 We use cookies	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 STUDY SEARCH	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 International studen…	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Flexible study	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Student life	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Research	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Explore	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Connect	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 University	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Glasgow	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Legal	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Current students	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h2 Staff	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h3 Cookies	1.09:1	3.0:1	#000000	#000B2F	Fail
h3 Necessary cookies	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h3 Analytics cookies	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h3 Clarity	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h3 World-changing resea…	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	Pass
h3 Centres for Doctoral…	6.16:1	3.0:1	#000000	#8B8B8B	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

8 landmarks

PASS

8 landmarks

<main> landmark present

4 <nav> landmark(s) found

1 of 4 <nav> elements are unlabeled

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

No banner (header) landmark

Skip navigation link 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+

Heading Hierarchy

46 headings

PASS

46 headings

Single H1 present

H3 Cookies
H4 Analytics
H4 Personalised advertising
H2 We use cookies
H3 Necessary cookies
H3 Analytics cookies
H3 Clarity
H1 University of Glasgow
H2 STUDY SEARCH
H2 International students
H2 Flexible study
H2 Student life
H2 Research
H3 World-changing research
H3 Centres for Doctoral Training
H3 Postgraduate research
H3 Research A-Z
H3 Research strategy
H2 Explore
H3 Information A-Z
H3 Visit us
H3 Discover
H3 World top 100
H3 World top 30 for sustainability
H3 Campus development
H3 Glasgow: our city, our partner
H3 Global partnerships
H3 News
H4 ‘Voices from Gaza’ provides creative platform for young Palestinian writers
H4 Global university leaders gather in Glasgow for landmark summit
H4 3M study led by patient voices targets pain in inflammatory arthritis
H2 Connect
H3 Staff A-Z
H3 Support us
H3 Alumni
H3 Business and innovation
H3 Contact us
H2 STUDY
H2 RESEARCH
H2 EXPLORE
H2 CONNECT
H2 JOBS AT GLASGOW
H2 University of Glasgow
H2 Legal
H2 Current students
H2 Staff

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 29 images OK

PASS

All 29 images OK

2 decorative image(s) correctly marked

27 image(s) with good alt text

29 images 27 good alt text 2 decorative

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Print Stylesheet

Print styles detected

PASS

Print styles detected

External print stylesheet detected

Got: https://www.gla.ac.uk/3t4/css/print.css

Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized

Print stylesheet https://www.gla.ac.uk/3t4/css/print.css ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 97/100 — 1 failing, 31 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
div.tile > div.container > div#uofg-575 > a.no-tile-wrap `div.tile > div.container > div#uofg-575 > a.no-tile-wrap`

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

●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.

●Select elements have associated label elements.

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

●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

●`<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.

●`[lang]` attributes have a valid value

●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

○Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` 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 type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

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

○`<object>` elements have alternate text

○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.

○`<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.