How to audit your website for accessibility with an AI-driven SEO lens

Why audit your website for accessibility matters for SEO

Accessibility and SEO share the same technical foundations: clear semantics, predictable navigation, optimized images, and fast, reliable pages. An accessibility-focused audit surfaces issues that hurt organic rankings, on-page SEO signals, and user conversion. Layzr.ai combines AI website audit capabilities with SEO audit thinking to inspect accessibility issues in a way that directly ties fixes to search performance.

A practical audit approach that aligns accessibility with SEO goals

This step-by-step method fits into regular SEO audit cycles and keeps fixes prioritized by impact.

• Set objectives and scope: pick high-traffic landing pages, conversion flows, and templates that shape most of the site’s traffic.
• Run an AI website audit pass: use Layzr.ai's AI website audit to scan pages for markup problems, missing alternative text, heading structure issues, and common accessibility flags that also affect SEO. For a dedicated entry point, see Layzr.ai AI website audit.
• Perform targeted manual checks: keyboard navigation, tab order, focus states, and basic screen reader walkthroughs on prioritized pages.
• Map accessibility issues to SEO metrics: link missing alt attributes, poor heading hierarchy, and non-semantic HTML to on-page SEO losses and user friction.

Automated checks to run first

Automated tools catch a large portion of issues quickly. Use AI scanning to flag:

• Missing or generic alt text on images and icons
• Incorrect headings or heading skips that confuse semantic structure
• Forms without proper labels or accessible error handling
• Color contrast failures that reduce readability and affect engagement
• ARIA misuse that can break both assistive tech and search crawlers

Manual checks that matter

Automated scans miss context. Manual checks to include:

• Keyboard-only navigation through primary conversion flows
• Screen reader review for crucial pages to confirm content order and labeling
• Mobile accessibility checks for touch targets and viewport behavior
• Real-user testing with simple assistive tech setups

On-page SEO fixes that improve accessibility

Many accessibility fixes also boost on-page SEO. Focus on these shared wins:

• Alt text: craft descriptive, concise alt attributes that help both assistive tech and image search.
• Headings: use logical H1 to H3 structure for content scannability and keyword relevance.
• Link text: prefer descriptive anchor text instead of generic phrases for clarity and SEO.
• Semantic HTML: use proper elements (nav, main, article) so both assistive tech and search engines understand page structure.

Technical SEO and accessibility intersections

Technical issues that harm accessibility often affect crawling and indexing:

• Incorrectly implemented ARIA or JavaScript that hides content from screen readers and search bots
• Slow-loading assets that reduce usability for keyboard and assistive tech users
• Missing skip links and focus management that impede content reachability

Prioritization framework for fixes

Not every issue needs immediate developer time. Prioritize based on:

• Impact on conversions and organic traffic
• Severity for core users (keyboard-only and screen reader users)
• Effort required and dependencies across templates

Workflow tips for teams

Make accessibility part of the regular SEO and release workflow:

• Integrate accessibility checks into standard SEO audits and sprint reviews
• Create content templates with accessible components and SEO-friendly markup
• Track fixes against traffic and engagement metrics so gains are measurable

Measuring success after an accessibility audit

Measure outcomes that reflect both accessibility and SEO wins:

• Improved index coverage and reduced crawl errors tied to inaccessible content
• Higher image search traffic from better alt text practices
• Better engagement metrics on pages where navigation and readability improved

Quick accessibility audit checklist for SEO teams

• Run AI scan for missing alt text, heading issues, ARIA misuse, and contrast failures
• Manually validate keyboard navigation and screen reader flow on top pages
• Fix on-page SEO items: alt text, headings, semantic HTML, and link text
• Address technical issues: focus management, JavaScript-rendered content visibility, and performance
• Prioritize by impact on traffic and conversions
• Schedule recurring audits as part of SEO audit cadence

Where to go next

For an AI-first audit that connects accessibility problems with on-page SEO and technical SEO priorities, use Layzr.ai for a combined AI website audit and SEO audit approach. Layzr.ai helps make accessibility work measurable and tied to search performance through focused, repeatable audits. For direct access to an AI website audit, start at Layzr.ai AI website audit.