Frequently Asked Questions

Halytic uses two different methods to find accessibility issues, each with specific advantages:

Example: Your homepage's initial HTML might have 1 issue (missing alt on a static image). But after JavaScript loads your navigation menu, form, and modal dialogs, client verification finds 5 total issues.

💡 Pro tip: Always run "Verify Now" on important pages for the most accurate results before exporting PDFs!

This is expected behavior and shows that our verification system is working correctly!

Initial Scan: Aggregates multiple instances of the same rule into one report.

Verification: Uses axe-core to count each individual violation separately.

Example: If your page has two heading-order violations (e.g., two <h3> tags after <h1>), the scan reports "1 issue (heading-order)" but verification finds "2 violations" (both instances).

The verification system is more granular and accurate. It counts every individual violation, not just rule types.

Not all accessibility issues can be fixed with snippets or automated tools. Some require manual source code changes.

Issues that CAN be fixed automatically:

• Missing alt text (can be added via snippet)
• Missing aria-labels (can be added via snippet)
• Focus indicators (can be added via CSS)
• Color contrast (can be improved via CSS)

Issues that REQUIRE manual fixes:

• Heading hierarchy (requires changing <h3> to <h2> in HTML)
• Missing landmarks (requires adding <main>, <nav>, etc.)
• Semantic HTML structure (requires restructuring HTML)
• Complex ARIA patterns (requires careful implementation)

For manual fixes, we provide guided instructions with before/after code examples.

This is a known bug in the scanner that we're working to fix.

What's happening: The scanner is scanning the 404 error page itself (which may be accessible) instead of detecting that the page doesn't exist.

Expected behavior: The scanner should either skip 404 pages or report them as errors, not as 100% accessible.

We're prioritizing a fix for this issue. In the meantime, only scan pages that actually exist on your site.

Our scanner uses axe-core, the industry-standard accessibility testing engine used by Google, Microsoft, and thousands of companies worldwide.

What it tests: WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA criteria, including keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, color contrast, and semantic HTML.

Limitations: Automated scanning can't catch everything. Some issues require manual testing with assistive technologies (screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, etc.).

For comprehensive compliance, we recommend combining automated scanning with periodic manual audits and user testing.

Snippet Fixes (automatic):

• Applied via JavaScript snippet in your HTML
• Can add attributes (aria-label, alt, etc.)
• Can improve visual accessibility (focus indicators, contrast)
• Safe to run multiple times (idempotent)
• No source code changes required

Manual Fixes (requires code changes):

• Require editing your HTML source code
• Fix structural issues (heading hierarchy, landmarks)
• Fix semantic HTML issues
• We provide guided instructions with before/after code
• Must be tested after applying

For manual fixes, we provide step-by-step instructions and code examples to make implementation easy.

Verification runs axe-core scans on your page before and after applying fixes to measure actual improvement.

Before scan: Baseline accessibility violations

Apply fixes: Snippet fixes are applied to the page

After scan: Accessibility violations after fixes

Delta: Improvement = (Before - After) violations

If verification shows no improvement, it means the fixes didn't resolve the issues (common for manual fixes that require source code changes).

"WARN" status means verification completed but didn't detect significant improvement.

Common reasons:

• Manual fixes were identified but not yet applied to source code
• Snippet fixes can't resolve structural issues
• Verification is more granular than initial scan (counts individual violations)

This is normal for structural issues like heading hierarchy or landmarks. Follow the guided instructions to apply manual fixes.

Some accessibility issues require structural HTML changes that cannot be fixed with CSS/JavaScript snippets.

Issues that CAN be fixed automatically:

• Missing alt text (can be added via snippet)
• Missing aria-labels (can be added via snippet)
• Focus indicators (can be added via CSS)
• Color contrast (can be improved via CSS)

Issues that REQUIRE manual fixes:

• Landmark structure (multiple banners, nested landmarks)
• Heading hierarchy (requires changing <h3> to <h2> in HTML)
• Missing landmarks (requires adding <main>, <nav>, etc.)
• Semantic HTML structure (requires restructuring HTML)

For manual fixes, we provide detailed instructions with before/after code examples. These require direct changes to your website's source code.

Verification artifacts are JSON files that show exactly what axe-core found before and after applying fixes.

Before scan results: All violations found in the original page

After scan results: All violations found after applying fixes

Verification diff report: Comparison showing what changed

These artifacts provide an audit trail for compliance teams and can be used to demonstrate improvements to legal or regulatory bodies.

Yes! Our scanner tests against WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA criteria, and our fixes are designed to address these standards.

What we test:

• Perceivable (alt text, captions, color contrast)
• Operable (keyboard navigation, focus indicators, no seizures)
• Understandable (language, labels, error messages)
• Robust (valid HTML, ARIA usage)

Our reports map issues to specific WCAG 2.2 criteria for easy reference.

We provide verifiable artifacts and mappings to ADA, Section 508, and EN 301 549 standards.

What we provide:

• Detailed accessibility reports
• Before/after verification artifacts
• WCAG 2.2 criteria mapping
• Evidence trail for audits

Important: We provide tools and evidence, but final compliance responsibility remains with the site owner.

We recommend consulting with legal counsel for specific compliance requirements.

Our scanning and fixes align with:

• WCAG 2.2 - Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (Level A & AA)
• ADA - Americans with Disabilities Act
• Section 508 - US federal accessibility standards
• EN 301 549 - European accessibility standards

Our reports provide mappings to these standards for compliance documentation.

Our scanner uses a combination of automated tools and AI-powered analysis:

1. Crawl: Discover all pages on your site
2. Scan: Run axe-core tests on each page
3. Analyze: Use AI to understand context and generate fixes
4. Report: Provide detailed results with WCAG 2.2 mappings

The entire process is automated and typically completes in minutes.

axe-core is the industry-standard accessibility testing engine developed by Deque Systems.

Used by: Google, Microsoft, IBM, and thousands of companies worldwide

What it does: Tests for WCAG 2.2 compliance, keyboard navigation, screen reader compatibility, and more

We chose axe-core because it's the most accurate and widely-trusted accessibility testing tool available.

Currently, Halytic can only scan publicly accessible websites. We cannot scan sites that require login credentials.

What you can scan:

• Public websites (no login required)
• Websites with public pages
• Staging environments (if publicly accessible)

Coming soon: We're working on adding support for authenticated scans. If you need this feature, please contact us and we'll notify you when it's available.

Scan speed depends on the size of your site:

• Small sites (1-10 pages): 1-2 minutes
• Medium sites (10-50 pages): 5-10 minutes
• Large sites (50+ pages): 15-30 minutes

Deep scans (up to 25 pages) take longer but provide more comprehensive coverage.

Yes. We take security seriously:

• Encryption: All data encrypted in transit (HTTPS) and at rest
• Access control: Least-privilege access, role-based permissions
• Compliance: GDPR-aligned data subject rights, preparing for SOC 2
• Data retention: You control how long we keep your scan data

We never sell or share your data with third parties.