Why Screen Reader Users Still Hate Your Website—and What to Fix First

Why do screen reader users still struggle with most websites?

Ask any screen reader user, and they'll tell you the same thing: the biggest barrier isn't the assistive technology—it's the website itself. In WebAIM's 2024 Screen Reader User Survey, 85.9% of users said that better (more accessible) websites, rather than better assistive technology, would have the bigger impact on improving web accessibility (WebAIM). That's a stunning vote of no confidence in our industry's output. We've spent years polishing our designs, but we've neglected the foundations.

As developers and designers, we often reach for flashy ARIA roles or complex widgets, thinking we're helping. But the data tells a different story. The WebAIM Million analysis of one million home pages found that pages with ARIA present actually averaged more detectable errors (59.1) than pages without ARIA (42) (WebAIM Million). It's time to step back and fix the basics.

What do screen reader users actually encounter on your site?

Let's paint a picture. A screen reader user lands on your homepage. They're not going to listen to every word—they'll navigate by headings. According to WebAIM, 71.6% of screen reader users first navigate through headings when finding information on a lengthy page, and 88.8% find heading levels very or somewhat useful (WebAIM). If your headings are vague or poorly structured, they're lost.

Then there's the alt text. The WebAIM Million found that 16.2% of all home page images (10.8 per page on average) have missing alternative text, and 45% of those missing alt text are linked images (WebAIM Million). That means a user might hear "link" with no idea where it goes.

Forms are another minefield. One third (33.1%) of the 6.9 form inputs on the average home page are not properly labeled (WebAIM Million). Without labels, screen reader users can't tell what a field expects.

Why do we keep failing at these basics?

It's not because we don't care. It's because we're not testing with real users. We rely on automated tools, which can only catch a fraction of issues. The WebAIM Million found that 95.9% of home pages have detectable WCAG 2 failures, averaging 56.1 errors per page (WebAIM). And the situation is getting worse—errors increased 10.1% since 2025, from an average of 51 to 56.1 per page (WebAIM Million).

We also underestimate the diversity of our users. Among screen reader users, 76.6% are blind, 19.9% have low vision, and 5.3% are both deaf and blind (WebAIM). They use a variety of tools—JAWS (40.5% primary), NVDA (37.7%), VoiceOver (70.6% on mobile) (WebAIM). If you only test with one tool, you'll miss problems.

What should we prioritize to make a real difference?

Here's our recommendation: focus on the six most common failures, which account for 96% of all detected errors on home pages (WebAIM Million). They are:

• Low contrast text (83.9%)
• Missing image alt text (53.1%)
• Missing form input labels (51%)
• Empty links (46.3%)
• Empty buttons (30.6%)
• Missing document language (13.5%)

These are not exotic issues. They're things we can fix with a code review or a bit of CSS. For example, check your color contrast. The WebAIM Million found that low contrast text is the most common failure, affecting 83.9% of home pages (WebAIM Million). That's a design issue we can solve with a simple palette check.

But don't just fix the code—test with real assistive technology. Run a quick session with NVDA (free, open source, used by people in more than 175 countries) or VoiceOver (built into Apple devices). You'll be surprised what you find.

How do we make accessibility stick?

Accessibility isn't a one-time project; it's a habit. Start by making your home page conform to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which is the current standard (W3C). The U.S. Department of Justice has adopted WCAG 2.1 AA for state and local governments under Title II, and the European Accessibility Act applies from June 2025 (European Accessibility Act). Even if you're not legally required to comply yet, it's smart to get ahead.

But don't stop at the home page. The WebAIM Million shows that government home pages have the fewest errors (42.4 per page), but that's still too many (WebAIM Million). We need to aim for zero.

Takeaway

Screen reader users are not asking for miracles—they're asking for the basics. If we fix the headings, alt text, labels, and contrast, we'll remove the biggest barriers. And we'll do it by listening to the people who matter most. Start today: run a quick audit of your site's home page, fix the top six errors, and test with a real screen reader. Your users will thank you.

Sources

• WebAIM Screen Reader User Survey - https://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey10/
• WebAIM Million - https://webaim.org/projects/million/
• W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WCAG) - https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
• European Accessibility Act - https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32019L0882