Accessibility
· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.FHeading HierarchyAction31 headings, 4 skip(s)FIX
- H2 Where Curiosity Meets Passion
- H4 Using the power of science, exploration, education, and storytelling to illuminate and protect skipped
- H4 the wonder of our world
- H3 Investing in a global community of changemakers
- H5 Bold Explorers skipped
- H5 Impactful Programs
- H5 Connection & Education
- H5 Responsible Stewardship
- H3 National Geographic Museum of Exploration
- H3 Maximizing impactin six key areas
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Revealing and protecting underwater worlds
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Preserving and protecting land environments
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Protecting and conserving wildlife
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Understanding our past and protecting our future
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Protecting the planet
- H5 (empty)
- H5 Exploring what's beyond our world
- H3 Your impact begins today!
- H3 Supporting future changemakers
- H3 Meet Our Explorers
- H3 Meet Our Explorers
- H3 Our Funding Strategy
- H3 Our Funding Strategy
- H3 Latest perspectives, news, and stories
- H2 National Geographic Headquarters
- H6 Connect With Us skipped
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
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.
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
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
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
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
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
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
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
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.
Source: WCAG 2.4.6
FLink & Button QualityAction21 issue(s) across 106 links and 9 buttonsFIX
| Element | Text | Issue | Suggested Fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | Privacy Policy | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://account.nationalgeographic.org/ | My Account | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | Get Email Updates | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| https://moe.nationalgeographic.org/ | Museum of Exploration | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| https://news.nationalgeographic.org/ | Visit Newsroom | img no alt | Add alt attribute to the image |
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | Learn More | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: Learn More Suggested: Earth Day | |||
| /society/our-story/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/ocean/ | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Ocean | |||
| /society/our-focus/land/ | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Land | |||
| /society/our-focus/wildlife/ | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Wildlife | |||
| /society/our-focus/human-histories-and-c… | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Human Histories And Cultures | |||
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Planetary Health | |||
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | LEARN MORE | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: LEARN MORE Suggested: Space | |||
| https://youtu.be/-dKLQXDlrkQ?list=PLdiqW… | Watch how our Explorers are us… | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impac… | Read More | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: Read More Suggested: Impact | |||
| /society/grants-and-investments | Learn More | generic text | Replace with descriptive text |
Before: Learn More Suggested: Grants And Investments | |||
| https://www.nationalgeographic.org/socie… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/ocean/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/land/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/wildlife/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/human-histories-and-c… | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/planetary-health/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| /society/our-focus/space/ | (empty) | empty | Add link text or aria-label |
| https://www.facebook.com/InsideNatGeo/ | Facebook-official | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.instagram.com/insidenatgeo/ | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text | |
| https://www.youtube.com/insidenatgeo/ | Youtube | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text |
| https://www.linkedin.com/company/nationa… | new tab | Add '(opens in new tab)' to text | |
| <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 |
Links without text are announced as raw URLs by screen readers.
/society/our-story/; https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/sign-up/; /society/our-focus/ocean/; /society/our-focus/land/; /society/our-focus/wildlife/; /society/our-focus/human-histories-and-cultures/; /society/our-focus/planetary-health/; /society/our-focus/space/
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://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/earth-day/ ("Learn More"); /society/our-focus/ocean/ ("LEARN MORE"); /society/our-focus/land/ ("LEARN MORE"); /society/our-focus/wildlife/ ("LEARN MORE"); /society/our-focus/human-histories-and-cultures/ ("LEARN MORE"); https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/our-focus/planetary-health/ ("LEARN MORE"); https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/our-focus/space/ ("LEARN MORE"); https://www.nationalgeographic.com/impact ("Read More"); /society/grants-and-investments ("Learn More")
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
Image-only links need alt text on the image (or aria-label on the link) so screen readers can announce them.
a[href="https://account.nationalgeographic.org/"]; a[href="https://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/sign-up/"]; a[href="https://moe.nationalgeographic.org/"]; a[href="https://news.nationalgeographic.org/"]
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://www.nationalgeographic.org/society/privacy-notice/; https://youtu.be/-dKLQXDlrkQ?list=PLdiqWK-4jVXrqyCJlV7wMNdum6PNakQUE; https://www.facebook.com/InsideNatGeo/; https://www.instagram.com/insidenatgeo/; https://www.youtube.com/insidenatgeo/; https://www.linkedin.com/company/national-geographic-society/
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.aa-SubmitButton (#412 on page); button.aa-ClearButton (#422 on page); button.aa-SubmitButton (#452 on page); button.aa-ClearButton (#462 on page)
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
F404 Error PageActionSoft 404 detectedFIX
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.
FWeb ManifestActionInvalid JSONFIX
Manifest contains invalid JSON.
DDark Mode SupportActionNo dark mode signalsFIX
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.
DPrint StylesheetActionNo print stylesFIX
BLandmark Structure7 landmarksREVIEW
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
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
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
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
BForm Accessibility2 of 2 controls have issuesREVIEW
| Control | Type | Label | Method |
|---|---|---|---|
| #autocomplete-0-input | search | (none) | none |
| #autocomplete-0-input | search | (none) | none |
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
<input type="search" id="autocomplete-0-input">; <input type="search" id="autocomplete-0-input">
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
BFavicon & Branding4 icon(s) detectedREVIEW
CColor Contrast (Screenshot)Action20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AAREVIEW
Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.
1 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 (20)
| Element | Ratio | Required | FG | BG | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| h3 Investing in a globa… | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 National Geographic … | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Maximizing impact | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 in six key areas | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Your impact begins t… | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Supporting future ch… | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Meet Our Explorers | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Meet Our Explorers | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Our Funding Strategy | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Our Funding Strategy | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| h3 Latest perspectives,… | 1.32:1 | 3.0:1 | #000000 | #222222 | Fail |
| title Home - National Geog… | 1.10:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #0F0F0F | Fail |
| span Opens in a new windo… | 1.10:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #0F0F0F | Fail |
| span Opens an external we… | 1.10:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #0F0F0F | Fail |
| span Opens an external we… | 1.61:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #2B3236 | Fail |
| span This website utilize… | 1.63:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #33322C | Fail |
| a Privacy Policy | 1.50:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #352A1E | Fail |
| button Accept | 1.52:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #2F2E18 | Fail |
| button Deny Non-Essential | 1.26:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #2A1A1B | Fail |
| button Manage Preferences | 1.13:1 | 4.5:1 | #000000 | #1B100E | 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.
BLighthouse Accessibility AuditsScore 82/100 — 6 failing, 27 passedREVIEW
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
Some ARIA parent roles must contain specific child roles to perform their intended accessibility functions. Learn more about roles and required children elements.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
OCEAN
LAND
WILDLIFE
HUMAN HISTORIES
& CULTURES
PLANETARY
HEALTH
SPACE
Revea… div.elementor-widget-wrap > div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs |
When an element doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it with a generic name, making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make command elements more accessible.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
body.home > div.sfm-rollback > div.sfm-navicon-button body.home > div.sfm-rollback > div.sfm-navicon-button |
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.
Contrast
Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
LEARN MORE div#elementor-tab-content-2471 > p > a > u |
These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.
Navigation
A value greater than 0 implies an explicit navigation ordering. Although technically valid, this often creates frustrating experiences for users who rely on assistive technologies. Learn more about the `tabindex` attribute.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
OCEAN div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2471 |
LAND div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2472 |
WILDLIFE div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2473 |
HUMAN HISTORIES
& CULTURES div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2474 |
PLANETARY
HEALTH div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2475 |
SPACE div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-title-2476 |
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.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
Using the power of science, exploration, education,
and storytelling to illumin… div.elementor-widget-wrap > div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > h4.elementor-heading-title |
Bold Explorers div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-icon-box-wrapper > div.elementor-icon-box-content > h5.elementor-icon-box-title |
div.elementor-tabs > div.elementor-tabs-content-wrapper > div#elementor-tab-content-2471 > h5 |
CONNECT WITH US div.elementor-widget-wrap > div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > h6.elementor-heading-title |
These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.
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.
Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.
| Failing Elements |
|---|
div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-icon-wrapper > a.elementor-icon div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > div.elementor-icon-wrapper > a.elementor-icon |
div.elementor-widget-wrap > div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > a div.elementor-widget-wrap > div.elementor-element > div.elementor-widget-container > a |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link div#opal-img-layers-wrapper > ul.opal-img-layers-list-wrapper > li.opal-img-layers-list-item > a.opal-img-layers-link |
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.