A CAPTCHA nobody can pass
A “type the distorted letters” or “select all images with…” challenge is impossible for someone who can't see the screen. If you must verify visitors, offer another method, and make sure it really works.
Risks
Security and accessibility
Some website features are added with the best intentions: to protect a form, grab attention or secure a login. Yet they end up shutting the door on some visitors. Below are the most common traps of this kind and how to avoid them without giving up on security.
Protection that a real person can't get past doesn't protect your site from bots. It protects it from visitors.
About this section: we describe risks in general terms and don't name specific services or products. Make security decisions together with whoever maintains your site, but keep in mind the people that protection might block.
Risks
Situations that most often turn an ordinary website into a dead end for some people.
Messages that disappear on their own
A notification that vanishes after a couple of seconds is too fast for slower readers and isn't always announced by screen readers. Keep important messages on screen until the user acts.
Flashing content
Harsh flashes and rapid blinking make it hard to concentrate and may be unsafe for some visitors. Avoid them, and let people pause any animation.
Short session timeouts
If a form resets after a few minutes of inactivity, someone who types slowly may not finish in time. Warn them in advance and let them extend the time in one step without losing what they entered.
Images instead of document text
A scanned document is an image: a screen reader can't read it, you can't search its text, and it can't be enlarged without getting blurry. Publish documents as real text.
Photo descriptions (in Russian)
Overlays that promise to fix everything
Ready-made add-ons that install with one line of code and promise to make a site accessible don't fix the pages themselves and can interfere with visitors' own assistive technology.
Why usability and security can go hand in hand
Site owners often worry that simplifying a login or dropping a strict check will open the door to spam and attackers. In reality, many security measures work quietly in the background and don't demand sharp eyesight or quick reflexes from anyone.
A good rule of thumb: picture a visitor who uses your site with only a keyboard or only by ear, and follow their path from start to finish. If they get stuck at any step, the protection needs a different approach.
If you're not sure about a solution, ask your users. A short, clearly visible invitation to report problems does more good than any amount of guessing.
Related reading
- Fixes
What to do when focus is invisible, text breaks on zoom, a button has no label, form errors make no sense or a video has no captions.
- Guides
Step-by-step guides to making text readable, organizing a page with clear headings and building a contact form that works for everyone. Plus the article catalogue.
- Tools
How to check a site yourself: browser zoom, the keyboard, high contrast mode, the built-in screen reader, color contrast checks and a markup validator.
- Questions
Answers to common questions about this reference, text and images, forms and video, and how to check your own site's accessibility without an expert.
- Glossary
Key terms explained: accessibility, WCAG, GOST R 52872-2019, contrast, alt text, focus, screen readers, captions and plain language.
Sources
- W3C: WCAG 2.2 Recommendation
- GOST R 52872-2019 (Russian national standard)
- Wpget editorial materials
This information is stated in general terms as of the preparation date. Guidelines, browsers and reader habits change over time, so when in doubt, check the primary sources: the text of the WCAG guidelines and, for Russia, the current GOST R 52872-2019 standard.