The same words are used throughout this report. Here is what each one means.
- Test
- A single automated check run against your pages, for example “images must have alternative text”.
- Rule
- The standard a test measures against. Each rule can produce many errors.
- Element
- One individual thing on a page — a link, a button, a heading, an input field.
- Error
- One element that failed one rule. 42 errors across 6 failed rules means the same six problems repeat in 42 places.
- Failed test
- A rule your pages did not meet. These are the fixes listed under “What we found”.
- Approved test
- A rule your pages met. Nothing to do.
- Incomplete test
- A test the engine could not decide automatically — usually because of a gradient, image or overlay behind the element. A person has to finish it by hand.
- Inapplicable rule
- A rule that does not apply because your pages don’t use the feature it tests. It starts being tested if you add that feature.
- Severity
- How much a finding hurts a user. Serious can stop someone completing a task, Moderate makes the site harder to use, Minor is annoying but rarely blocking.
- Effort
- How much work a fix takes. Quick is under a day, Medium is a template or design-token sweep, Project needs writing, review and sign-off.
- Compliance (C)
- How much of WCAG 2.2 AA your site meets — the technical half of the score.
- Maturity (M)
- Your published accessibility documentation: statement, policy and governance.
- Tier
- The badge level your total score earns: Neutral, Bronze, Silver or Gold.