Questions and answers
What does AccessDiff check?
Automated checks against WCAG 2.2 level A and AA, using the axe-core rule set, plus a few labelled best-practice checks such as heading order. Each issue in a report names the rule, the WCAG success criterion, the element on the page and how to fix it.
Does AccessDiff tell me whether my site meets legal requirements?
No. AccessDiff finds and tracks the issues that automated checks can find and tells you how to fix them. Automated checks find a portion of accessibility issues; a review by a person is needed to find the rest, and AccessDiff does not assess legal obligations. Treat the report as a to-do list, not as an assessment.
A report says zero issues. Is my site accessible?
It means the automated checks found nothing on the pages scanned. Many accessibility problems (keyboard traps, confusing link text, video captions, meaningful alt text) need a person to judge. A clean report is a good sign, not a finish line.
How many pages are scanned?
Up to 25 per site per scan: the homepage first, then pages from your sitemap with the shallowest paths first, then pages we find by following links on the same site. Assets (PDFs, images), pages blocked by robots.txt and pages behind a login are skipped. Larger budgets are available on request.
How does the weekly diff work?
Each issue gets a stable identity from its rule, its place on the page and the element itself. Next week we compare: issues that disappeared are "fixed", issues we have not seen before are "new", and the rest are "unchanged". If a page could not be scanned this week, its previous issues are neither fixed nor unchanged; the report says so.
What is the score?
A 0 to 100 health score for the site, averaged over the pages we scanned. Each page starts at 100 and loses points per failing rule by impact (critical 10, serious 5, moderate 2, minor 1), with a smaller penalty for each additional element failing the same rule, capped per rule. The formula is printed at the bottom of every report. Use it to watch the trend, not as a pass mark.
What do critical, serious, moderate and minor mean?
They are the impact levels from the axe-core rule set, describing how much an issue is likely to affect people using assistive technology. Critical issues (a form field with no label, an image with no text alternative) block people; minor ones are rough edges.
Can I scan a site that is not mine?
You can scan any public site your account is allowed to add. Our crawler follows the site's robots.txt and loads two pages at a time with pauses, so it behaves like a careful visitor. If a site's robots.txt disallows us, the report will say the site could not be scanned.
Can you scan pages behind a login or on a staging server?
Not yet. We only scan pages reachable without signing in. Staging servers that are reachable from the internet and allow our crawler work fine; firewalled ones do not.
Which browser and screen size do you use?
Headless Chromium at 1280 x 800, with a short pause for client-side rendering. Mobile viewports are on the roadmap.
Why did an issue show up as both "fixed" and "new"?
Usually a layout change moved the element inside the page (for example a new wrapper), so its identity changed. Same rule, same element, different position: fix it once and it disappears from both lists next week.
Why does the report list fewer pages than my site has?
The plan's budget is 25 pages per site. We pick the homepage, then the shallowest sitemap pages, then linked pages. Add the pages that matter most to your sitemap, or exclude sections so the budget goes further.
What data do you store?
Page URLs and titles, the issues found (rule, selector, a short element snippet), the scores, and the reports we generated. We do not log in, keep cookies, or collect anything about your visitors.
How do I forward a report?
Every weekly email has the PDF attached and a link to the HTML version. Both carry your brand (name, logo, colour) on the Agency plan. Forward the email, send the link, or use Email this report on the site's page.
Can I change how often you scan?
Weekly is the default and the only schedule today. You can also run a scan on demand from the dashboard whenever you deploy.
Does the instant scan on the homepage use the same checks?
Yes, on one page only, with a 20-second limit. The weekly scan covers up to 25 pages and produces the diff and the full report.
How do I cancel?
From the account page, any time. Your reports stay available until the end of the paid period.