Web Accessibility & Quality Glossary
Plain-language definitions for the terms you'll encounter in accessibility compliance, web analytics, and site quality management.
A
Accessibility Audit
An accessibility audit evaluates a website or application against accessibility standards to identify barriers for people with disabilities.
Read more →Accessibility Statement
An accessibility statement describes a website's accessibility status, identifies known barriers, and provides contact information for users who need help.
Read more →Alt Text
Alt text is a short description in an image's HTML that conveys its content or function to screen reader users and search engines.
Read more →ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications)
ARIA is a W3C specification defining HTML attributes that communicate the role, state, and properties of interactive web elements to assistive technologies.
Read more →Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is any hardware or software that helps people with disabilities interact with computers and digital content.
Read more →B
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate is the percentage of website sessions in which a visitor leaves after viewing only a single page, without triggering any further interaction.
Read more →Broken Link
A broken link is a hyperlink on a web page that no longer points to a valid destination, typically resulting in a 404 Not Found error.
Read more →C
Cognitive Accessibility
Cognitive accessibility is designing digital content so that people with cognitive, learning, and neurological disabilities can understand and use it.
Read more →Color Contrast Ratio
Color contrast ratio measures the luminance difference between text and background colors to evaluate readability for people with low vision.
Read more →Content Audit
A content audit is a systematic review of all website content to evaluate its quality, accuracy, performance, and alignment with business goals.
Read more →Conversion Rate
The percentage of website visitors or users who complete a defined goal action, such as making a purchase, submitting a form, or signing up for a service.
Read more →Cookie-Free Analytics
Cookie-free analytics tracks website visitor behavior without browser cookies, using aggregated data techniques that respect user privacy by default.
Read more →Core Web Vitals
Core Web Vitals are Google-defined performance metrics that measure real-world user experience for loading speed, interactivity, and visual stability.
Read more →H
Heatmap
A heatmap visualizes user interaction data on a web page, using color gradients to show where visitors click, move, or focus their attention.
Read more →HTTP Status Codes
HTTP status codes are three-digit codes returned by a web server indicating whether a request was successful, redirected, or resulted in an error.
Read more →P
Page Views
A page view is a recorded instance of a user loading or reloading a page on a website, and is one of the foundational metrics in web analytics.
Read more →Plain Language
Plain language is a writing approach where content is designed so readers can find what they need, understand it on first reading, and act on it.
Read more →R
Reaction Buttons
Reaction buttons are one-click feedback widgets embedded in web content that let visitors express approval or disapproval without leaving the page.
Read more →Readability Score
A readability score is a numerical measure of how easy text is to read, calculated using formulas that analyze sentence length and word complexity.
Read more →Redirect Chain
A redirect chain is a sequence of two or more consecutive HTTP redirects that a browser or crawler must follow before reaching a final destination URL.
Read more →S
Screen Reader
A screen reader converts on-screen text, images, and interface elements into speech or braille, enabling blind or low-vision users to use digital content.
Read more →Scroll Map
A scroll map is a type of heatmap that visualizes how far down a web page the average visitor scrolls, identifying where users stop reading or abandon the page.
Read more →Section 508
Section 508 is a US federal law requiring federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities.
Read more →Session Duration
Session duration is the total elapsed time of a single user session on a website, measured from the first page view to the last recorded interaction.
Read more →U
User Feedback
Structured or unstructured input collected from website visitors and application users to evaluate their experience, satisfaction, and unmet needs.
Read more →User Satisfaction
How well a digital product meets user expectations, typically assessed through surveys, behavioral signals, or composite metrics.
Read more →W
Web Accessibility Directive
The Web Accessibility Directive requires EU public sector bodies to make their websites and mobile apps accessible and publish accessibility statements.
Read more →Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
WCAG is an internationally recognized set of technical standards for making web content accessible to people with disabilities, published by the W3C.
Read more →Get a free accessibility report
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