Accessibility monitoring for small online stores
See what's stopping people from using your site
FairSiteHQ checks your pages on a schedule, explains each issue in plain words, and suggests what to fix first. Nothing to install on your site.
Pre-launch. Join the waitlist for a 30-day free trial when we open.
https://demo-outdoor-shop.example/
38 pages scanned · Oct 7, 2026
- 6critical
- 14serious
- 21moderate
- 3minor
Fix these first
- Form elements must have labels
4 checkout fields. A screen reader says “edit text” with no hint of what goes there.
- Buttons must have discernible text
“Place order” has no name a screen reader can say.
- Elements must meet minimum color contrast ratio thresholds
Pale gray fine print on 31 pages.
The same layout people see after they sign in.
Why it matters
Most sites have problems a scan can find
They're usually small things: a button with no name, a form field with no label, pale gray text. Each one can stop someone from finishing a purchase.
- 95.9%
of the top million home pages had accessibility failures an automated scan detected, at 56.1 per page on average.
WebAIM Million, 2026
- 1 in 4
More than 1 in 4 U.S. adults has some type of disability. Many shop online with a screen reader, a keyboard or zoomed-in text.
CDC
- 79%
of U.S. digital accessibility lawsuits in the first half of 2026 named e-commerce sites, and 68% named companies with under $50 million in revenue.
UsableNet 2026 midyear report
Sources: WebAIM Million 2026 · UsableNet 2026 midyear report (filings through June 14, 2026) · CDC.
Reading a report
What a finding means for a real visitor
Every issue in a report comes with a plain-language explanation of what it means and who it affects, and the most common ones include a sample fix. Here are three of the most common, from the visitor's side of the screen.
Try the color-vision views. With Deuteranopia, the most common type, sold-out and in-stock sizes on the left turn the same olive.
color-contrast · WCAG 1.4.3 · and 1.4.1 Use of Color
Who hits this
About 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women have a color vision deficiency. Add everyone with low vision, older eyes or a phone in bright sun.
The fix
- Body text needs 4.5:1 contrast (7:1 for AAA).
- Never use color as the only signal: add a word, an icon or a strike-through.
/* before: 2.2:1 */
.fine-print { color: #B0B0B0; }
/* after: 7.5:1 */
.fine-print { color: #555555; }Can a scan catch it? Contrast, yes. Color used as the only signal usually needs a person.
What a sighted shopper sees
- "Image, I-M-G underscore 4471 dot J-P-G"
- "Button"
- "Button"
- "Link, click here"
- "Edit text, blank"
- "Red canvas trail sneaker, side view, image"
- "Save Trail Runner 2 to wishlist, button"
- "Add Trail Runner 2 to cart, button"
- "Trail Runner 2 size guide, link"
- "Email for restock alerts, edit text"
Uses your device’s built-in voice. Real screen readers word things a little differently.
image-alt · button-name · link-name · label · WCAG 1.1.1, 2.4.4, 4.1.2
Who hits this
People who are blind or have low vision and use a screen reader. Most of them move around a page by headings, then rely on each control's name.
The fix
- Every icon button and link needs a text name.
- Alt text says what the image is for, not its file name.
- Every field gets a real label, not just placeholder text.
<!-- before -->
<button><svg>…</svg></button>
<!-- after -->
<button aria-label="Add Trail Runner 2 to cart">
<svg aria-hidden="true">…</svg>
</button>Can a scan catch it? Partly. A missing name, every time. Whether the name is useful takes a person.
Same checkout, Tab key only
Press Tab to start.
Press Tab to start.
Try it for real: press Tab anywhere on this page and follow the outline.
Keyboard checks · WCAG 2.1.1, 2.4.3, 2.4.7
Who hits this
Anyone who can't use a mouse: people with tremors or limited hand movement, many screen reader users, and people who simply prefer the keyboard.
The fix
- Use real buttons and links. A clickable div is invisible to the Tab key.
- Never remove the focus outline without replacing it.
<!-- before -->
<div class="pay" onclick="pay()">Pay now</div>
<!-- after -->
<button type="submit" class="pay">Pay now</button>Can a scan catch it? Partly. FairSiteHQ looks for focus traps, controls you can't reach with the keyboard and missing focus outlines, and lists them under “Needs a person to check” for you to confirm by pressing Tab yourself.
What FairSiteHQ does
Built for the person who has to fix it
Scans run in a real browser with axe-core, the open-source engine many developers already use.
Every page, on a schedule
Crawls from your address up to your plan’s page limit: 50 pages on Solo, 250 shared across 5 sites on Studio. Weekly or daily scans and email alerts once you verify you own the site; manual scans work right away.
Pages behind a login
Checkout, account and booking pages, scanned with a test account you provide. Needs the same ownership check: a meta tag, a file or a DNS record.
Fix these first
The top issues in a suggested order, ranked by how much each one gets in visitors’ way. A starting point, not a verdict.
Plain words and sample fixes
A plain-language explanation for every issue: what it means and who it affects. Sample fixes for the most common issues, as examples to adapt and have someone review.
Needs a person to check
What the scan found but couldn’t decide on its own, including keyboard checks (focus traps, controls you can’t reach, missing focus outlines), color vision checks (items that differ only by color) and screen reader compatibility checks. Listed separately; not counted in the totals or alerts.
Overlay tool detection
Reports say when a site uses an accessibility overlay tool. More on overlays below.
Coming soon:Slack alertsTeam seatsNot live yet.
Overlays
Why FairSiteHQ isn't an overlay
An overlay is a script added to your site that claims to fix accessibility automatically. FairSiteHQ adds nothing to your site. It shows your developer what's wrong in the code, so it can be fixed there.
FairSiteHQ doesn't use AI to change or judge your site. It checks published accessibility rules and shows you the code.
- 2025
The FTC ordered an overlay vendor to pay $1 million over claims that its overlay could make any website WCAG-compliant.
FTC final order, approved April 22, 2025
- 2026
In a small florist's class action against an overlay vendor, a federal magistrate judge recommended that its consumer-fraud and negligent-misrepresentation claims go forward.
U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, report and recommendation, Feb 13, 2026. The district judge has yet to rule on it, as far as we found.
- 2026
Lawsuits against companies already running an accessibility widget keep rising.
UsableNet 2026 midyear report
How it works
Four steps
Add your site
Enter the address. No code to install and nothing to embed.
Run a scan
Manual scans work right away and cover every page up to your limit.
Verify you own it
A meta tag, a file or a DNS record turns on scheduled scans, alerts and logged-in scanning.
Fix and track
Start with “Fix these first”, then watch the trend as each release goes out.
Pricing
Two plans
Prices at launch. Billing isn’t live yet.
Solo
$19 a month, or $190 a year
- 1 site, 50 pages
- Weekly scheduled scans
- 3 manual scans a day
- Email alerts
- Logged-in scanning
- 12 months of history
Studio
$49 a month, or $490 a year
- 5 sites, 250 pages shared across them
- Daily scheduled scans
- 5 manual scans a day
- Email alerts
- Logged-in scanning
- 24 months of history
Coming soon: Slack alerts, team seats.
Join the waitlistMore than 5 sites?
Talk to us about what you need.
hello@fairsitehq.com
No credits. Your plan's scans are your plan's scans.
Scheduled scans, alerts and logged-in scanning need a quick check that you own the site.
FAQ
Questions
Is FairSiteHQ an accessibility overlay?
No. It adds no code to your site and doesn’t claim to fix anything automatically. It scans your site and reports what it finds, so your team can fix the code.
Does FairSiteHQ use AI?
No. Each page we scan is checked in a real browser with axe-core, the open-source rule engine also used inside Chrome DevTools, plus a few checks of our own that follow fixed rules. Every finding names the rule it failed (a WCAG success criterion or a widely used best practice) and shows the code it found. Your site’s code isn’t sent to any AI service. Automated checks still find only part of the issues, so the report marks what a person should confirm.
Does using FairSiteHQ mean I won’t get sued?
No tool can honestly promise that, and we won’t. FairSiteHQ gives you an accurate, ongoing picture of the issues a scan can find. Fixing them is the work that makes your site easier to use and lowers risk over time.
Can an automated scan find everything?
No. Automated checks find only part of the issues, about 57% by volume in Deque’s study. Whether alt text is useful, or whether a keyboard user gets stuck, needs a person. Reports keep those findings in a separate “Needs a person to check” section.
My developer isn’t an accessibility expert. Is that a problem?
That’s who the explanations are for. Every issue comes with a plain-language explanation of what it means and who it affects. The most common issues also include a sample fix: an example to adapt and have someone review, not a fix written for your site.
What does it scan?
Every page it can reach from your address, up to your plan’s page limit, in a real browser. On verified sites it can also scan pages behind a login with a test account you provide.
Do I need to prove I own my site?
Only for scheduled scans, email alerts and logged-in scanning. Add a meta tag, upload a file or add a DNS record. Manual scans work without it.
What happens when my trial ends?
Scans pause and your reports stay readable. Choose a plan any time to pick up where you left off.
Can I scan a client’s or prospect’s site?
Yes, as one-off manual scans within your daily limit, as long as you have permission. Monitoring and logged-in scanning need the site owner to verify it.
When can I sign up?
We’re finishing the product before opening billing. Join the waitlist now, then sign up with the same email when we open, and your free trial is 30 days instead of 14.
Source for the 57% figure: Deque automated coverage report.
Get early access
Join now, then sign up with the same email when we open: your free trial is 30 days instead of 14.