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

404 Error Page

Action

Soft 404 detected

FIX

Soft 404 detected

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-5uw8ql

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.

Web Manifest

Action

Invalid JSON

FIX

Invalid JSON

Manifest contains invalid JSON

Manifest at https://metacpan.org/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.

Got: https://metacpan.org/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

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

2 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 2 <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.

Landmark Structure

4 landmarks

REVIEW

4 landmarks

<main> landmark present

2 <nav> landmark(s) found

All <nav> elements are properly labeled

No banner (header) landmark

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

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

Heading Hierarchy

2 headings

REVIEW

2 headings

No H1 heading found

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

H4 A search engine for CPAN
H4 Keyboard Shortcuts

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

Link & Button Quality

Action

3 issue(s) across 37 links and 6 buttons

REVIEW

3 issue(s) across 37 links and 6 buttons

2 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: /; /

1 link(s) with generic text

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

Got: https://security.metacpan.org/docs/report.html?utm_source=perl-ads&utm_medium… ("Learn more")

11 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.perl.org/learn.html; https://www.bytemark.co.uk/; https://www.datadoghq.com/; https://deriv.com/careers/; https://www.elastic.co/; https://www.fastly.com/; https://geocode.xyz; https://www.iban.com/; https://www.liquidweb.com/; https://opencagedata.com (+1 more)

23 link(s) with descriptive text

37 links

2 empty

1 generic text

11 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
/	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label
https://security.metacpan.org/docs/repor…	Learn more	generic text	Replace with descriptive text
Before: Learn more Suggested: Report.Html?Utm Source=Perl Ads&Utm Medium=Banner&Utm Campaign=Cpansec&Utm Content=Metacpan.Org
https://www.perl.org/learn.html	free learning resources	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.bytemark.co.uk/	Bytemark	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.datadoghq.com/	Datadog	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://deriv.com/careers/	Deriv	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.elastic.co/	Elastic	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.fastly.com/	Fastly	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://geocode.xyz	Geolytica	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.iban.com/	IBAN	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.liquidweb.com/	Liquid Web	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://opencagedata.com	OpenCage	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.perlfoundation.org/	The Perl and Raku Foundation	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text

29 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

Generic link text like 'click here' doesn't describe the destination.

https://security.metacpan.org/docs/report.html?utm_source=perl-ads&utm_medium… ("Learn more")

Why this matters

Generic anchor text ('click here', 'read more', 'learn more') tells screen readers and search engines nothing about the destination.

Learn more ▾

Out-of-context lists of links read by AT (one navigation pattern) become useless when every link says 'click here'. Use the destination's title or topic as anchor text. Doubles as SEO win — Google passes anchor-text relevance to the destination.

Source: WCAG 2.4.4 / Google Search Central

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

https://www.perl.org/learn.html; https://www.bytemark.co.uk/; https://www.datadoghq.com/; https://deriv.com/careers/; https://www.elastic.co/; https://www.fastly.com/; https://geocode.xyz; https://www.iban.com/; https://www.liquidweb.com/; https://opencagedata.com (+1 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

Favicon & Branding

Action

3 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

3 icon(s) detected

favicon.ico present at site root

HTML icon links detected

Apple touch icon present

✓ favicon.ico Present

✓ PNG Icons Present

✓ Apple Touch Present

✗ SVG Favicon Missing

✗ Manifest Icons Missing

✗ Multiple Sizes Missing

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

Action

20 text elements analyzed, 4 fail WCAG AA

REVIEW

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

16 pass 4 fail WCAG AA

title Search the CPAN - metacpan.org

1.32:1

#000000

#222222

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Identities

1.32:1

#000000

#222222

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Profile

2.99:1

#000000

#006081

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

a Favorites

2.99:1

#000000

#006081

needs 4.5:1 (normal text)

16px · top of page (header area)

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
title Search the CPAN - me…	1.32:1	4.5:1	#000000	#222222	Fail
a Identities	1.32:1	4.5:1	#000000	#222222	Fail
a Profile	2.99:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006081	Fail
a Favorites	2.99:1	4.5:1	#000000	#006081	Fail
button Logout	7.24:1	4.5:1	#000000	#66A0B3	Pass
a GitHub	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Google	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
b CPAN Security Tip #3…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Get help with report…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Learn more	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h4 A search engine for	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a CPAN	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Keyboard Shortcuts	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Help us - Sponsor Me…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span Just getting started…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a free learning resour…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
span from the Perl commun…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a About	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a Sponsor	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
a grep::cpan	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.

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 12 images OK

PASS

All 12 images OK

12 image(s) with good alt text

12 images 12 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

Form Accessibility

1 of 1 controls have issues

PASS

1 of 1 controls have issues

1 control(s) rely on placeholder only

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

Got: <input type="text" name="q" id="metacpan_search-input">

1 controls

0 labeled

1 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#metacpan_search-input	text	(Search the CPAN)	placeholder only

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

A+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 100/100 — 0 failing, 25 passed

PASS

100

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.

○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.

●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.

●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

●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

○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 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.

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

○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.