We have been blogging about the role of AI in the business since Ryan took over the site a decade ago. One of the most popular areas of focus is how companies use IT to improve website performance and customer experience.
You might think that every business is already using AI to improve the way their websites work, but the facts are more complicated. Surveymonkey found that 56% of brand leaders said their companies are actively using AI, but 44% are still waiting for more data. Continue reading to learn more.
Personalized customer experience
AI can make a website feel more personal. You can track how users behave on the website and adjust suggestions in real time. It is this fast feedback loop that helps customers feel that the website understands their needs. You don’t have to redesign the entire platform to achieve this either.
You can also use AI to determine which design makes people spend longer on the page. There are subtle patterns in how users scroll or click a person may miss, but the algorithm can detect. This is one of the easiest ways to spot a design problem before becoming an expensive error.
There are still significant gaps in how U.S. companies use these tools. Lornah Ngugi reports that 60% of businesses have used AI to personalize their experiences, but only 26% are using it to improve their content ranking on search engines. You should use this as a sign that there is still time to lead your competitors.
This involves not only customer-facing improvements. You can also use the same tools to test backend issues such as server response time or code changes. There are reports that AI can help mark errors before making production, which can save a lot of time and money.
As a digital access expert, I have been on a large Drupal project for the past few years, building internal quality inspection workflows and helping teams understand how accessibility can quietly enhance their products or fully stock their user experience.
The biggest change I’ve seen recently? Enterprises are finally beginning to see web accessibility as an optional add-on, but rather as a core requirement. It is driven by a growing, evolving technology stack and – frankly – an imminent legal deadline.
If you don’t run the proper web accessibility assessment in 2025, you’re either lucky or overdue. And if you don’t use the right tools, you’re not only wasting time – you’re shipping products that aren’t suitable for real people.
In this article, I want to take you through the top free tools I use when testing my website for accessibility. These are the browser extensions and utilities I rely on when clients say “We think our website is good – can you view it quickly?” ”
I’ll explain these tools able What to do, what they can’t do and how to use them wisely – whether you’re a developer, a product owner or just want to know where your website is.
Why network accessibility is more important than ever
Before digging into the tool, let’s zoom in.
When I explain network accessibility to my clients, I will simply say: It’s about making everyone use the website. These include users with permanent disabilities (such as visual or motor disorders), people who are temporarily challenged (such as wrist or eye fractures), and people in a restrained environment – bright sunshine, low bandwidth, noisy rooms.
But here is what I emphasize most: Everyone can ultimately benefit from accessibility.
This includes your attempt to book a flight on your phone in your car. Or your parents struggle to drive an app with small touch targets. Accessibility is more than just “other”. It’s about being a human being.
In 2025, this is also related to legal compliance. this European accessibility Effective in June this year, digital products in many industries are needed to meet strict network accessibility assessment criteria. Failure to comply can mean fines, litigation and reputational hazards, especially for companies engaged in finance, e-commerce, travel, health care or public services.
So if your team hasn’t started building accessibility workflows yet, the next best time is now.
I see this often: a team installed a beautiful web accessibility checker tool, ran it once, got a list of warnings, fixed some projects – and assumed the work was done.
Spoiler: No.
No matter how advanced, every automated web accessibility tool has limitations. They are crucial to coverage and consistency, but they won’t capture everything.
What is a great tool:
- Tag missing tags or attributes
- Identify corrupted title hierarchy
- Detect low color contrast
- Emphasize missing characters and landmarks.
This is what they won’t tell you:
- Does your keyboard navigation make sense
- If your focus order is intuitive
- Whether custom components are available for assistive technology
- If your error status is accessible and cleared.
That’s why I think of the tool as the first step, not the final answer. They are network accessibility testing tools, not alternatives to actual user testing.
With this in mind, the tools I recommend and why.
If I had to choose a web accessibility assessment tool to recommend to any team, it would be AX DevTools from Deque Systems.
This Chrome Extension integrates directly into your browser’s DevTools panel and allows you to scan for accessibility-violating content in seconds. It checks:
- Missing or deformed ARIA properties
- Color comparison failed
- Improper semantic structure
- Unreachable elements, such as buttons or links, have no name.
The free version is enough to accommodate small projects or quick scans. The Pro version adds reports, team collaboration, and CI/CD integration, but you can still do a lot without it.
Why use it: It is fast, reliable and respected in the accessibility community. Additionally, it marks WCAG 2.1 A/AA violations and best practice issues.
What it misses: anything involving keyboard navigation, focused state visibility, or complex interactions.
Verdict: Developers who want to capture the basics quickly and cleanly are the best all-round network accessibility tool.
2. Title diagram: Check your title structure now
The title hierarchy of your page is more important than you think. It guides the screen reader, defines the document structure and affects SEO. But many sites interrupt their titles: jump from H1 to H4, skip levels or just use the title for layout.
HeadingSmap is a lightweight chrome extension that displays the full outline of the title on any page. Its color codes are issues like skipping levels or repeating labels.
Why use it: It provides instant feedback. Without checking the code, you can see structural issues at a glance.
What it misses: It doesn’t capture visually-only “titles” (like
Verdict: Basic network access evaluation tools for examining semantic structures, especially on content-rich pages.
3. TABA11Y: Test your label order with one click
Keyboard accessibility is the foundation. If the user cannot navigate your website with just the “tab key), it will not be accessible – period.
TABA11Y simulates the tab through the page and displays the focus order visually. It highlights the path to the table, reveals skipped elements, and helps detect focus traps.
Why I use it: It’s fast, visual, and reveals that sometimes it even goes through a developer’s focus loop.
What it misses is: it can’t tell you if the focus looks correct (i.e. see the indicator). You still need to test manually.
Conclusion: An intelligent, simple web accessibility testing tool that confirms navigation – ideal for developers and QA.
Built by Webaim, Wave is often referenced in discussions about which tool is integrated into Chrome’s developer tools to audit web accessibility? It is not built-in, but has been widely used.
It combines several tests in one interface: structure, contrast, aria characters, alternative text, etc.
Why I use it (very rarely): It provides an extensive overview, especially when starting a new project.
Why I don’t rely on it: The UI is outdated, the result can be overwhelming and the signal-to-noise ratio is not high. Some teams prefer to put everything in one place, though.
Judgment: Decent backup or supplement. Best for audits that require a general overview or work with teams already in use.
Even the best web accessibility checker tools will miss certain issues. That’s why I always do manual testing with automatic testing. Here is what I manually checked in each project:
- Keyboard Navigation Only: Can I reach each interactive element using only tabs, Shift+Tab and Enter?
- Focus state: Are they clearly visible on buttons, links, and tables?
- Screen Reader Behavior: Do titles, characters, and tags make sense when reading aloud?
- Form Verification: Is the error message announced correctly?
- Modal behavior: Is the focus trapped inside, and does it return to the trigger when closed?
During our Drupal QA process, these checks are baked into our workflow and they find problems without tools.
These tools are not only suitable for developers. I encourage every team member to use them. Why:
Developer:
Please capture the problem before handing it to a quality inspection. Confirm that your mark is valid. Build muscle memory in arias and semantics.
QA tester:
Add automatic scans to your test plan. Use the Tab Order Tool to verify keyboard coverage. Surface regression earlier.
Product Manager:
Install AX DevToolsscan the home page and conduct a reality check. You will learn how real users may struggle and how to prioritize fixes.
Marketing staff:
Do you think accessibility doesn’t care about you? Think about it. Inclusive design is now part of the brand’s reputation. And, if your website fails, your budget will shrink when legal troubles come across.
A simple record for those designed for older users: Accessibility is more than just disability, it’s about natural limitations as you age. This includes slower reaction times, reduced vision and less comfort for complex UIs.
While there are no age-specific tools, the combination of axe, title map, and TABA11Y provides excellent coverage. They help ensure your website:
- Have a clear structure
- Use readable contrast
- Support keyboard usage
- Minimize complex interactions.
These are key elements in building an inclusive, age-friendly interface.
When will consultants be introduced
Even if you are using the best web accessibility AI tools or the highest automated web accessibility tools, you still need help.
Good consultants do not only scans. We simulated real-world scenarios:
- Users only use keyboard navigation
- People use screen readers or magnifying glasses
- Low frequency bandwidth or only movement
- Users under cognitive or emotional stress.
We can also help you move from responsiveness to proactive – embed accessibility into your design reviews, planning meetings, and code reviews. If this sounds like where you want to go, then our Drupal service is a great place to start.
You don’t need to fix all the issues immediately. But you do need to start, especially with legal and moral expectations looming in 2025.
Here is your starter plan:
- Install AX DevTools, HeadingSmap and Taba11y
- Quickly scan your homepage
- Record the problems you found
- Test your tables and patterns using only the keyboard
- Ask your team: What is needed to fix these by June?
That’s it. No budget approval is required. No waiting for the sprint.
Every small improvement you make will open the door to people who cannot enter. This is true network accessibility: large-scale empathy. These tools? They are the first step in building a network that suits everyone.
