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4.5Quick Wins: Most Common WCAG Violations

These five violations account for the majority of accessibility failures found in automated scans:

Missing alt text (WCAG 1.1.1) -- Every meaningful image needs descriptive alt text
Insufficient color contrast (WCAG 1.4.3) -- Text must have 4.5:1 contrast against background
Missing form labels (WCAG 1.3.1) -- Every input needs an associated <label>
Empty links (WCAG 2.4.4) -- Links must have discernible text
Missing document language (WCAG 3.1.1) -- <html lang="en"> must be present

Fixing these five issues eliminates the majority of automated accessibility violations. They are simple to fix and easy to test.

<!-- Fix #1: Add alt text -->
<img src="product.jpg" alt="Blue running shoes, size 10">

<!-- Fix #2: Use sufficient contrast -->
<style>
    /* BAD: #999 on white = 2.85:1 ratio */
    .label { color: #999; }
    /* GOOD: #595959 on white = 7:1 ratio */
    .label { color: #595959; }
</style>

<!-- Fix #3: Associate labels with inputs -->
<label for="email">Email address</label>
<input id="email" type="email" name="email">

<!-- Fix #4: Give links meaningful text -->
<!-- BAD -->
<a href="/products">Click here</a>
<!-- GOOD -->
<a href="/products">View all products</a>

<!-- Fix #5: Set document language -->
<html lang="en">

These fixes take minutes each and have an outsized impact on accessibility compliance scores and real user experience.