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

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-1gn07o

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://startpage.com/manifest.json contains invalid JSON. Browsers cannot parse it.

Got: https://startpage.com/manifest.json

Manifest contains invalid JSON.

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

Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)

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

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

3 landmarks

REVIEW

3 landmarks

<main> landmark present

No <nav> landmark found

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

Link & Button Quality

1 issue(s) across 24 links and 2 buttons

REVIEW

1 issue(s) across 24 links and 2 buttons

1 link(s) with no accessible text

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

Got: https://www.startpage.com/?t=light

10 link(s) open in new tab without warning

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

Got: https://www.startpage.com/do/settings; https://www.startpage.com; https://app.startpage.com?source=home-hamburger; https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/startpage-%E2%80%94-private-searc/f…; https://vanish.startpage.com/en/?source=default; /en/about-us/; /en/privacy-policy/; /privacy-please/press; https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us; https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us/articles/4521527855636-Impressum

13 link(s) with descriptive text

24 links

1 empty

0 generic text

10 new tab

0 empty buttons

Element	Text	Issue	Suggested Fix
https://www.startpage.com/do/settings	Settings	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.startpage.com	Startpage Search	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://app.startpage.com?source=home-ha…	Mobile Browser	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detai…	Browser Extension	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://vanish.startpage.com/en/?source=…	Vanish Private AI	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/en/about-us/	About Us	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/en/privacy-policy/	Privacy Policy	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
/privacy-please/press	Press	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us	Support	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us/a…	Imprint	new tab	Add '(opens in new tab)' to text
https://www.startpage.com/?t=light	(empty)	empty	Add link text or aria-label

15 links and buttons have descriptive text

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

https://www.startpage.com/?t=light

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

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

https://www.startpage.com/do/settings; https://www.startpage.com; https://app.startpage.com?source=home-hamburger; https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/startpage-%E2%80%94-private-searc/f…; https://vanish.startpage.com/en/?source=default; /en/about-us/; /en/privacy-policy/; /privacy-please/press; https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us; https://support.startpage.com/hc/en-us/articles/4521527855636-Impressum

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

15 icon(s) detected

REVIEW

15 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

Dark Mode Support

Dark mode detected

REVIEW

Dark mode detected

Dark-specific theme-color detected

A theme-color with media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)' adapts the browser toolbar for dark mode.

prefers-color-scheme CSS detected in inline styles

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles

External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.

Dark Mode✓ Dark Mode Supported

color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color #6573ff ✓CSS indicators Detected ✓

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

Heading Hierarchy

4 headings, 1 skip(s)

PASS

4 headings, 1 skip(s)

Single H1 present

Heading level skipped: H1 → H4 (missing H2)

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

H1 Your connection has been suspended.
H4 Search skipped
H4 Products
H4 Resources

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

A+

Alt Text Quality

All 3 images OK

PASS

All 3 images OK

3 image(s) with good alt text

3 images 3 good alt text

All images have appropriate alt text.

A+

Form Accessibility

All 7 controls labeled

PASS

All 7 controls labeled

7 control(s) properly labeled

7 controls

7 labeled

0 placeholder only

0 unlabeled

Control	Type	Label	Method
#vpn	checkbox		none
#tor	checkbox		none
#proxy	checkbox		none
#shared-network	checkbox		none
email	email	Email (optional)	none
description	text	Description of the issue (optional)	none
#captcha-input	text	captcha input	aria-label

A+

Color Contrast (Screenshot)

20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA

PASS

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

20 pass

Show all checked elements (20)

Element	Ratio	Required	FG	BG	Result
h1 Your connection has …	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
title Startpage Blocked	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h4 Search	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Settings	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h4 Products	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Startpage Search	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Mobile Browser	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Browser Extension	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Vanish Private AI	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
h4 Resources	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p About Us	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Privacy Policy	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Press	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Support	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Imprint	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p We're sorry for the …	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p VPN users can often …	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
b If you find that you…	21.00:1	3.0:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
p Please consider prov…	21.00:1	4.5:1	#000000	#FFFFFF	Pass
div Are you using any of…	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+

Lighthouse Accessibility Audits

Score 96/100 — 2 failing, 23 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.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Hide promotional messaging `div#home-hide-promo-container > div.hide-promo > div.css-zhw45g > span.hide-promo-text`
MIS Professor of Social and Ethical Issues of the Internet `div.quote-card > div.css-s5xdrg > div.details > p`
President of Freedom of the Press Foundation `div.quote-card > div.css-s5xdrg > div.details > p`
Founder of NOYB - European Center for Digital Rights `div.quote-card > div.css-s5xdrg > div.details > p`

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

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
Learn more about how to be private online. Visit our privacy blog `div.footer-container > footer.css-1h47swe > div.css-1m2xh37 > a.css-kztwvx`

○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.

●`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

●Document has a `<title>` element

●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute

●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute

●Links have a discernible name

●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

○`[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 buttons have discernible text.

○`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text

○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

○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.

○Identical links have the same purpose.

○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.