WCAG document checklist: does your PDF meet the basics?

Want to quickly find out whether your PDF documents meet the basic principles of accessibility? Then a practical checklist helps. With a few checks you can quickly see where there is room for improvement and avoid common mistakes.

Why this check matters

A PDF can look good visually, yet still be hard to use technically. For example, for people who use a screen reader or navigate with a keyboard.

By checking regularly, you improve the user experience for everyone and reduce the chance of rework afterwards.

Checklist for accessible PDF documents

Go through the points below:

• Do you use headings and subheadings?
• Is the structure logical and clear?
• Do images have alt text?
• Do tables have clear headers?
• Is the document language set?
• Does the document have a clear title?
• Are links clearly described?
• Is there sufficient contrast between text and background?

Where does it often go wrong?

Many documents miss one or more of these elements. Think of links that only say “click here”, images without a description or a document without a title.

That may seem small, but it makes a document less accessible and less pleasant to use.

Smart checking works faster

Make this checklist part of your standard publication process. Check documents before publication, not only afterwards. This keeps quality high and saves you time.

If you work with many documents, you can also partly automate the checks with specialised tooling.

Conclusion

With this checklist you avoid many common mistakes and quickly take steps towards more accessible PDF documents. Small adjustments often already make a big difference.