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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
54
GRADE
F
FIX
6
REVIEW
4
PASS
3
INFO
0
Checks
13
3 PASS 4 REVIEW 6 FIX
D
Alt Text Quality
Action
2 of 28 images have issues
FIX
2 of 28 images have issues
Critical::
2 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Critical::
2 image-in-link without alt text
An image inside a link with no alt creates an empty link.
Info::
1 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
4 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
21 image(s) with good alt text
28 images 21 good alt text 4 decorative 2 missing
IssueCount
missing2 image(s)
too long1 image(s)

Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.

Why this matters

Each image without alt text is a WCAG 1.1.1 failure — invisible to screen-reader users, lost from Google Image Search.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.1 Level A requires text alternatives for non-decorative images. Empty alt='' is fine for decorative; meaningful images need descriptive text. Common fixes: CMS audit + bulk add, build-time linter (alt-text-required ESLint rule), CI gate on Lighthouse a11y score.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.1.1 / WebAIM Million Report

An image inside a link with no alt creates an empty link.

Why this matters

Image-only links with no alt create empty links — screen-reader users hear 'link' with no destination context.

Learn more ▾

An <a><img></a> with no img alt is the worst-case for accessibility: AT announces the link but can't describe where it goes. Either add alt to the image OR add aria-label to the link.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.4

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-actgs5
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.

F
Web Manifest
Action
Invalid JSON
FIX
Invalid JSON
Warning::
Manifest contains invalid JSON
Manifest at https://penguin.co.uk/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.
Got: https://penguin.co.uk/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
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 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.

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
33 headings
REVIEW
33 headings
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
Warning::
1 empty heading(s)
Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.
  • H2 Emerald Fennell on the Penguin Podcast
  • H2 90 Little Book Stops
  • H2 Work with us
  • H2 Discover your next read
  • H2 Our readers' favourite classics
  • H2 Getting published
  • H2 Must-read books of 2026
  • H2 Visit the Penguin Shop
  • H2 What do you want to read?
  • H2 Trending books
  • H2 Penguin is home to the best authors of fiction, non-fiction and children's books.
  • H2 Popular on Penguin
  • H3 Quiz: How many classics have you read?
  • H3 Popular reads for your book club in 2026
  • H2 Sign up to the Penguin newsletter
  • H2 Penguin Shop
  • H2 (empty)
  • H3 Penguin 90th tote bag
  • H3 Penguin Archive Collection
  • H3 Penguin Clothbound Classics pick & mix
  • H3 The Romantics: Vintage Collector's Classics
  • H3 Penguin Modern Classics collection
  • H3 Vintage Heroines series
  • H2 Children's books
  • H3 Puffin Books
  • H3 Ladybird Books
  • H3 About us
  • H3 Work with us
  • H3 Stay connected
  • H4 Follow penguin
  • H4 Follow ladybird
  • H4 Follow puffin
  • H2 Sign up to the Penguin newsletter

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

Empty headings appear in the document outline but provide no information.

Why this matters

Empty <hN> tags break the document outline — screen-reader users navigating by heading hit dead silence.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6

B
Form Accessibility
2 of 4 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 4 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" name="email" id="email-input">; <input type="email" name="email" id="email-input">
Info::
2 control(s) properly labeled
4 controls
2 labeled
2 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
#header-search-inputsearchSearchfor/id
#header-search-inputsearchSearchfor/id
#email-inputemail(Enter your email address)placeholder only
#email-inputemail(Enter your email address)placeholder only

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

<input type="email" name="email" id="email-input">; <input type="email" name="email" id="email-input">

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

B
Favicon & Branding
4 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
4 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✓ Apple Touch Present
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✗ Manifest Icons Missing
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 20 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

0 pass 20 fail WCAG AA
h2 Emerald Fennell on the Penguin Podcast
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · mid-page
h2 90 Little Book Stops
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · mid-page
h2 Work with us
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · mid-page
h2 Discover your next read
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · mid-page
h2 Our readers' favourite classics
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · mid-page
h2 Getting published
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Must-read books of 2026
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Visit the Penguin Shop
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 What do you want to read?
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Trending books
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Popular on
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Sign up to the Penguin newsletter
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Children's books
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Sign up to the Penguin newsletter
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h3 Quiz: How many classics have you read?
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Popular reads for your book club in 2026
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Penguin 90th tote bag
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Penguin Archive Collection
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Penguin Clothbound Classics pick & mix
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 The Romantics: Vintage Collector's Class…
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 Emerald Fennell on t…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 90 Little Book Stops1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Work with us1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Discover your next r…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Our readers' favouri…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Getting published1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Must-read books of 2…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Visit the Penguin Sh…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 What do you want to …1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Trending books1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Popular on1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Sign up to the Pengu…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Children's books1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Sign up to the Pengu…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Quiz: How many class…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Popular reads for yo…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Penguin 90th tote ba…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Penguin Archive Coll…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Penguin Clothbound C…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 The Romantics: Vinta…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
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.

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" 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+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 95/100 — 2 failing, 30 passed
PASS
95

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

Informative elements should aim for short, descriptive alternate text. Decorative elements can be ignored with an empty alt attribute. Learn more about the `alt` attribute.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe > div.ContentCard_image-wrapper__b8M1p > img div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe > div.ContentCard_image-wrapper__b8M1p > img
div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe > div.ContentCard_image-wrapper__b8M1p > img div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe > div.ContentCard_image-wrapper__b8M1p > img

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.

Visible text labels that do not match the accessible name can result in a confusing experience for screen reader users. Learn more about accessible names.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Sign up div.SiteHeader_container__SWf9N > div.SiteHeader_right-wrapper__Hb_4M > nav.Nav_nav__6Jhmc > a.Nav_menu-button__FfaoR
Opens in a new tab Penguin 90th tote bag £20 Shop now div > div.ContentCard_wrapper__0IFJq > div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe
Opens in a new tab Penguin Archive Collection 5 for £25 Shop now div > div.ContentCard_wrapper__0IFJq > div.ContentCard_card-wrapper__k_0P_ > a.ContentCard_link__cLKXe
Cookie Policy div#onetrust-group-container > div#onetrust-policy > div#onetrust-policy-text > a.ot-cookie-policy-link
○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
●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
●`[role]` values are valid
●`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
●`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
●Buttons have an accessible name
●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
●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
●ARIA IDs are unique
●All heading elements contain content.
●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 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 buttons have discernible text.
○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
○Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
○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>`.
○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.

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