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https://thisoldhouse.com

Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
59
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
5
PASS
4
INFO
0
Checks
13
4 PASS 5 REVIEW 4 FIX
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
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.

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
1 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
1 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 2 <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
Alt Text Quality
2 of 155 images have issues
REVIEW
2 of 155 images have issues
Critical::
2 image(s) missing alt attribute
Images without alt text are invisible to screen readers.
Info::
1 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
152 image(s) with good alt text
155 images 152 good alt text 1 decorative 2 missing
IssueCount
missing2 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

C
Form Accessibility
Action
4 of 10 controls have issues
REVIEW
4 of 10 controls have issues
Critical::
4 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="submit">; <input type="submit">; <input type="checkbox" id="zoomCheck">; <input type="submit" name="couponBtn" id="couponBtn">
Info::
6 control(s) properly labeled
10 controls
6 labeled
0 placeholder only
4 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
ssearchSearch for:none
ssearchSearch for:none
#c-tv-listing-zipcodetextZip Code (required)for/id
#field_EmailemailEmail (required)for/id
#field_EmailemailEmail (required)for/id
#couponEmailtextEmail (required)for/id
inputsubmit(none)none
#zoomCheckcheckbox(none)none
inputsubmit(none)none
#couponBtnsubmit(none)none

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

<input type="submit">; <input type="submit">; <input type="checkbox" id="zoomCheck">; <input type="submit" name="couponBtn" id="couponBtn">

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

C
404 Error Page
Action
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
404 Page Quality Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 Page Title Page not found - This Old House Custom Styling Navigation Homepage Link Search Form
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
A
Landmark Structure
5 landmarks
PASS
5 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
2 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
2 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

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
42 headings, 1 skip(s)
PASS
42 headings, 1 skip(s)
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
  • H1 This Old House
  • H3 S47 E20: Let it Show skipped
  • H3 S24 E20: Install Shades; Steep Landscaping
  • H3 Watch the Trailer: ‘This First House’ Coming to The Roku Channel April 27
  • H2 Spring Home Maintenance
  • H3 Spring Home and Lawn Maintenance: Tips for a Beautiful Property
  • H3 How To Restore Outdoor Furniture
  • H3 Early-Spring Pruning Primer: A Comprehensive Guide
  • H3 Watch
  • H3 This Old House
  • H3 Ask This Old House
  • H2 Cast
  • H3 Kevin O’Connor
  • H3 Richard Trethewey
  • H3 Jenn Nawada
  • H3 Tom Silva
  • H3 TV Listings
  • H2 This Old House Radio Hour
  • H3 Clean Smarter, Not Harder + Chris Hayes’ Dream Cabin + Vintage Toilet Showdown
  • H2 Home Improvement A-Z
  • H3 Bathrooms
  • H3 Electrical
  • H3 Flooring
  • H3 Heating & Cooling
  • H3 Home Finances
  • H3 Kitchens
  • H3 Landscaping
  • H3 Painting
  • H3 Plumbing
  • H3 Windows
  • H2 Sign up for the Newsletter
  • H2 Home Service Reviews
  • H2 Home Improvement Cost Guides
  • H2 Latest Videos
  • H3 How to Landscape a Steep Front Yard
  • H3 Common Toilet Tank Failures
  • H3 Install Top-Down Bottom-Up Shades
  • H2 Trending Articles
  • H2 Product Reviews
  • H2 Sign up for the Newsletter
  • H3 Unlock Exclusive Access
  • H2 Save 10% on This Old House Merch

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+
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)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 This Old House21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Spring Home Maintena…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 This Old House Radio…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Home Improvement A-Z21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Newsletter21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Home Service Reviews21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Home Improvement Cos…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Latest Videos21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Trending Articles21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Product Reviews21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Newsletter21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Save 10% on This Old…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 TV Listings21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Unlock Exclusive Acc…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
title Home Improvement and…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Skip to content20.82:14.5:1
#000000
#FEFEFE
Pass
a Log In20.47:14.5:1
#000000
#FCFCFC
Pass
a Join Insider21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
div This Old House main …21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Plan Project21.00:14.5:1
#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 100/100 — 0 failing, 30 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
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
No form fields have multiple labels
Identical links have the same purpose.
Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
`[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
`<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.
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.
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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