Checks

Checks are the individual tests that produce findings. Modules and criteria organize checks into scores and concerns; each check's article explains what is tested, why it matters, how to fix it, and when it can safely be .

To investigate a particular finding on a page, open it in the Inspector. To enable, disable, or reprioritize checks for your account, see Checks administration.

Accessibility159

Title	Standard	Summary
Accessibility overlay		Silktide detects when a page loads a third-party accessibility overlay - a widget that promises to make a website accessible automatically, usually through a floating button offering controls for font size, contrast, and similar adjustments. Detecting one is not a claim that your site is inaccessible; it is a prompt to verify that your site works without it.
Accessible login	WCAG 2.2 AA 3.3.8	Silktide finds login forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that signing in does not force visitors to remember, transcribe, or puzzle out information. Tests of memory or problem-solving are only acceptable when an alternative or assistance is offered.
Accessible login (no exception)	WCAG 2.2 AAA 3.3.9	Silktide finds login forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that signing in never requires visitors to remember, transcribe, or puzzle out information. This is the strictest version of the accessible login requirement, allowing no exceptions for image recognition or user-provided content.
Accesskey attribute	WCAG 2.1 A 2.1.4	Silktide finds elements that declare an accesskey, an old way of giving an element its own keyboard shortcut. These shortcuts are always active and cannot be turned off by the visitor, which causes more problems than it solves.
Adjacent links	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds pairs of links that sit right next to each other and point to the same destination. These duplicates should almost always be combined into a single link.
Alternative text for live audio	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.2.9	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that live audio-only broadcasts, such as radio streams, offer an equivalent in text. Whether a stream is live and what accompanies it can only be verified by a person.
Animation from interactions	WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.3.3	Silktide prompts you to verify that motion animation triggered by user interaction - scrolling parallax, hover transforms, click transitions - can be turned off, unless the motion is essential. This is WCAG success criterion 2.3.3 (level AAA).
Applet or plugin focus	WCAG 2.0 A 2.1.2	Silktide finds pages with embedded content, such as plugins or media objects, and asks you to confirm that a keyboard user can move in and out of them freely. Embedded content that captures the keyboard and won't let go traps the user on that part of the page.
Appropriate alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide lists the images on your pages that have alternative text, so you can confirm the text genuinely conveys what each image shows or does. Whether a description is accurate is a human judgment that no automated test can make.
Appropriate headings and labels	WCAG 2.0 AA 2.4.6	Silktide highlights pages that contain headings or form labels so you can confirm the wording describes the topic or purpose of what follows. Whether a heading truly describes its section is a judgment only a person can make.
Appropriate page title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide lists the title of each page so you can confirm it describes what the page contains. The title is shown in browser tabs and search results and is the first thing screen readers announce, so it needs to make sense on its own.
Avoid labels on non-labelable controls	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks form labels that point at another element by ID, and reports labels aimed at elements that should not have one - buttons, button-like inputs, and elements that cannot take a label at all. These elements are named by their own text or value, and a separate label creates conflicting names.
Background audio	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.4.7	Silktide finds pages that play audio and asks you to confirm that any speech in it is not competing with background sound. Background music or noise behind speech makes the words hard to follow for many listeners.
Captions for live audio	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.2.4	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that any live broadcasts provide real-time captions. Whether a stream is live, and whether captions run during it, cannot be determined automatically.
Captions for prerecorded audio / video	WCAG 2.0 A 1.2.2	Silktide tests whether the audio and video players on your pages declare a captions track. Captions let people who are deaf or hard of hearing follow recorded media.
Cell headers	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks table cells that name their headings using the headers attribute, and verifies that every ID they reference actually exists. A reference to a missing ID silently breaks the connection between a cell and its heading.
Character key shortcuts	WCAG 2.1 A 2.1.4	Silktide finds pages that register a keyboard listener on the whole page - the document, window, or <body>/<html> - and asks you to check whether any single-character shortcuts need an escape hatch.
Clear focus	WCAG 2.2 AAA 2.4.13	Silktide tests that controls on your page - links, buttons, and form fields - change their appearance clearly enough when selected with the keyboard. It is not enough for the change to merely exist; it must be large and high-contrast enough to actually see.
Concurrent input	WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.5.6	Silktide looks for styles that switch off touch input for the whole page, or that hide buttons and links from people using a particular kind of pointer, such as a mouse or a touch screen. Pages should let visitors use whatever input their device offers.
Conflicting ARIA role	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks elements that declare an explicit role against the meaning they already have in HTML. It reports roles that are not allowed on that element, and roles that merely restate what the element already means.
Consistent help	WCAG 2.2 A 3.2.6	When your pages offer a way to get help, such as a contact link or help button, it should appear in the same place on every page. Silktide finds these links and records where each one sits, so you can confirm the location is consistent across your website.
Consistent identification	WCAG 2.0 AA 3.2.4	Elements that do the same thing across your website should be labeled the same way each time - a search box always called "Search", a contact link always called "Contact". This check asks you to review your pages for consistency, because recognizing that two differently labeled elements do the same job requires human judgment.
Consistent navigation	WCAG 2.0 AA 3.2.3	Navigation that repeats across your website, such as menus, search boxes, and skip links, should appear in the same relative order on every page. This check asks you to review your pages for consistency, because judging what counts as the same navigation across pages requires human judgment.
Content on hover or focus	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.13	Silktide prompts you to verify that content revealed by hovering or keyboard focus - tooltips, dropdown menus, preview cards - behaves the way WCAG success criterion 1.4.13 (level AA) requires.
Context-sensitive help	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.3.5	Silktide finds forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that help is available where visitors might need it - either for the page as a whole or for individual fields. Context-sensitive help explains how to complete a field at the point where the visitor is filling it in.
Decorative images	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds images that are marked as decorative with empty alternative text, so you can confirm they are genuinely safe for assistive technology to skip. An image marked decorative is invisible to people using screen readers.
Definitions of unusual words	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.1.3	Readers should be able to find definitions for words and phrases used in an unusual or specialized way, including idioms and jargon. This check asks you to review each page for undefined terms, because judging what counts as unusual for your audience is not something an automated test can do reliably.
Delayed meta refresh	WCAG 2.0 A 2.2.1	Silktide checks your pages for code that automatically reloads the page or redirects visitors to another page after a countdown. Visitors have no way to pause or extend this countdown, so pages should not use it.
Deprecated ARIA attribute	ARIA 1.2	Silktide checks your pages for ARIA attributes that the standard has deprecated. These attributes remain in the specification only for backward compatibility and should no longer be used.
Descriptions for prerecorded media	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.2.5	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded videos provide an audio description of their visual content. Whether a description exists, and whether it covers what matters, is something only a person can verify.
Descriptions or text alternatives for prerecorded media	WCAG 2.0 A 1.2.3	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded videos offer either an audio description or a full text alternative. Only a person can verify that one of these exists and covers the content.
Dialog labels	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that dialogs - pop-up windows that appear over the page - declare a name that can be read out by assistive technology, so people know what has just opened.
Drag and drop alternative	WCAG 2.2 AA 2.5.7	Where a page lets visitors drag something from one place to another, the same action should also be possible without dragging, for example with buttons or menu options. This check asks you to review each page for dragging features, because dragging cannot be reliably detected automatically.
Duplicate alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds linked images whose alternative text repeats the text right next to them. When an image and its neighboring text say the same thing, people using a screen reader hear the same words twice.
Duplicate IDs	WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.1	Silktide finds pages where the same id value is used on more than one element. IDs must be unique within a page, because anything that refers to an ID - form labels, ARIA relationships, in-page links - can only find one of the duplicates.
Easy to understand content	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.1.5	Silktide measures how difficult the writing on each page is to read, and reports pages that demand an advanced reading ability. Content should be understandable by someone with a lower secondary education, roughly nine years of schooling.
Error identification	WCAG 2.0 A 3.3.1	Silktide examines required form fields that appear to use custom validation instead of the browser's built-in checking, and warns when there is no apparent way for the error message to reach people using assistive technology.
Error prevention mechanism (AA)	WCAG 2.0 AA 3.3.4	Silktide finds forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that submissions with serious consequences can be reversed, checked, or confirmed before they take effect. This applies to forms that create legal or financial commitments, change or delete a user's stored data, or submit test responses.
Error prevention mechanism (AAA)	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.3.6	Silktide finds forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that submissions can be reversed, checked, or confirmed before they take effect. At this level the requirement applies to every form that requires the user to submit information, not just those with legal or financial consequences.
Explain opening new tabs	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.2.5	Silktide finds links that open in a new tab or window and reports the ones that don't say so. Visitors should be warned before a link takes them out of the page they are on.
Extended descriptions for prerecorded media	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.2.7	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded videos provide extended audio descriptions where ordinary ones cannot keep up. Judging whether the dialogue leaves enough room for description is something only a person can do.
Field labels	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every form field and button on your pages has a name that software can read. People who cannot see the form rely on these names to know what each field is asking for.
Fieldset grouping	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that groups of related radio buttons or checkboxes are wrapped in a fieldset. The fieldset tells assistive technology that the options belong together and form a single question.
Fieldset legends	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every group of form fields declared with a fieldset also includes a legend describing what the group is for. The legend gives the whole group a name, so each option is heard in context.
Flashing content (A)	WCAG 2.0 A 2.3.1	Silktide asks you to confirm that nothing on your pages flashes more than three times per second. Rapid flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy, so this is checked by a human review of each page.
Flashing content (AAA)	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.3.2	Silktide asks you to confirm that nothing on your pages flashes more than three times per second, with no exceptions of any kind. Rapid flashing can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy, so this is checked by a human review of each page.
Focus not obscured	WCAG 2.2 AA 2.4.11	Silktide tests that when a control is selected with the keyboard, it is not completely hidden behind other content such as a cookie banner or a sticky header. A keyboard user who cannot see the selected control has no way of knowing where they are on the page.
Focus not partly obscured	WCAG 2.2 AAA 2.4.12	Silktide tests that when a control is selected with the keyboard, no part of it is hidden behind other content such as a cookie banner or a sticky header. Even a partly covered control can leave a keyboard user unsure of where they are on the page.
Focus order	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.3	Silktide finds elements that override the order in which keyboard users move through the page. By default, pressing Tab steps through links and form controls in the order they appear in the page's code; a positive tabindex attribute forces a custom order, which is almost always a mistake.
Form control contrast	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.11	Silktide checks that form fields, such as text boxes and dropdown menus, stand out visually from the area around them. A field that blends into the page is hard for people with reduced vision to find and use.
Form instructions	WCAG 2.0 A 3.3.2	Silktide finds form fields that could need an explanation, such as free-text fields, and asks you to decide whether each one needs instructions describing what to enter. Fields that do need instructions should have them attached in code, not just placed nearby.
Form submit button	WCAG 2.0 A 3.2.2	Silktide examines the forms on your pages and reports any that have fillable fields but no submit button. Without one, some visitors have no way to send the form, and others cannot predict when it will act.
Frame title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.1	Silktide tests that every visible frame embedded in your pages has a readable title describing what it contains. Frames without titles force people using assistive technology to enter and explore them just to find out what they are.
Frame titles	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.1	Silktide lists the titles of the frames embedded in your pages so you can confirm each title describes what its frame contains. A frame's title is what people hear when navigating between frames, so a vague or misleading one leaves them guessing.
Heading text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every heading on your pages contains readable text. An empty heading announces a section that isn't there, and often hides content that was meant to be a title.
High text contrast	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.4.6	Silktide measures the difference in color between the text on your pages and the background behind it, and reports text that falls short of the strictest accessibility standard for contrast. This goes further than the legally required minimum, so that people with significant visual impairments can read your content.
Icon-only control		Silktide looks for buttons and links that are labeled only by an icon - such as a close cross, a hamburger menu, or a search magnifier - with no text name attached for people who cannot see the icon.
Identical table summary and caption	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks tables that have both a summary attribute and a caption, and reports the ones where the two say exactly the same thing. Each serves a different purpose, so duplicating one into the other only creates repetition.
Identifiable abbreviations	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.1.4	Readers should be able to find out what the abbreviations and acronyms on a page stand for. This check asks you to review each page for unexplained abbreviations, because judging whether an abbreviation needs explaining is not something an automated test can do reliably.
Identify purpose	WCAG 2.1 AAA 1.3.6	Silktide prompts you to verify that the purpose of regions, icons, and controls on the page can be determined programmatically - so user agents can adapt the page for the visitor. This is WCAG success criterion 1.3.6 (level AAA).
Image button alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds image buttons in your forms that have no alternative text. An image button with no text alternative gives people who cannot see it no way to know what pressing it will do.
Image in link alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds links that contain an image but no readable text of any kind. Such a link has no name, so people who cannot see the image have no way to know where it leads.
Images of text	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.4.9	Silktide asks you to confirm that any pictures containing words on your pages are purely decorative, or that showing the words as a picture is truly essential. Wherever words carry information, they should be real text rather than an image of text.
Interactive component distance	WCAG 2.2 AA 2.5.8	Silktide measures the size and spacing of buttons, links, and form controls on your pages. Small controls packed closely together are easy to press by mistake, so each one should either be at least 24 by 24 pixels or have enough clear space around it.
Invalid ARIA attribute value	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks the value of every ARIA attribute on your pages against the values the standard allows for it. An attribute with a wrong value, such as a checkbox state of "yes" instead of "true", is ignored by browsers, so the state it describes is never announced.
Invalid ARIA role	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks every role attribute on your pages against the list of roles the ARIA standard defines. A role that is misspelled, made up, empty, or reserved for internal use is silently ignored by browsers, so the element's intended meaning never reaches the people who depend on it.
Invalid language for page	WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1	When a page declares its language, the language code must be written correctly. Silktide reports pages whose declared language is empty or not a recognizable code, which stops browsers and assistive technologies from using it.
Invalid language for part of page	WCAG 2.0 AA 3.1.2	When part of a page is marked as being in a different language, such as a quote in French on an English page, the language code must be written correctly. Silktide reports elements whose declared language is empty or not a recognizable code.
Keyboard (no exception)	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.1.3	Silktide prompts you to verify that every function on the page can be operated from a keyboard alone, with no exceptions. This is WCAG success criterion 2.1.3 (level AAA) - the stricter form of 2.1.1 Keyboard.
Keyboard support	WCAG 2.0 A 2.1.1	Silktide finds parts of your pages that respond to a mouse or touch screen - clicking, hovering, dragging - but may not work for someone using only a keyboard. Everything a visitor can do with a mouse should also be possible with a keyboard.
Label in name	WCAG 2.1 A 2.5.3	Silktide compares the text visitors can see on buttons and links with the name assistive technology uses for the same control. When the two disagree, people who operate websites by voice cannot activate the control by saying what they see.
Large enough controls	WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.5.5	Silktide measures the buttons, links, and form controls on your pages and reports any smaller than 44 by 44 pixels. Larger controls are easier for everyone to press accurately, especially on touch screens.
Link contrast	WCAG 2.0 A 1.4.1	Silktide finds links inside your text that are distinguished from the words around them by color alone, with too little color difference for people with impaired color vision to spot. Links need to be recognizable as links, or readers cannot use them.
Link purpose	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4	Silktide tests that the text of each link explains where the link goes. Links that read "click here" or "learn more", or that contain only symbols, give no clue about their destination.
Link purpose (link only)	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.4.9	Silktide prompts you to verify that the purpose of each link is clear from its text alone - without reading the surrounding sentence or heading. This is WCAG success criterion 2.4.9 (level AAA), the stricter form of 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context).
Links with different destinations	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4	Silktide finds links on a page that share the same text but point to different destinations. When two identical-looking links lead to different places, people cannot tell them apart without following each one.
Location	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.4.8	Silktide prompts you to verify that visitors can tell where they are within the site - typically through breadcrumbs, a highlighted current item in navigation, or a sitemap. This is WCAG success criterion 2.4.8 (level AAA).
Meaningful sequence (HTML)	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.2	Each page should still make sense when its content is experienced in a straight line, from top to bottom of the underlying code. Silktide cannot judge this automatically, so this check asks you to verify it yourself.
Missing alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds images on your pages that have no alternative text at all. Alternative text is the written description read aloud in place of an image, so images without it are meaningless to people who cannot see them.
Missing anchor	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.1	Silktide tests links that point to a specific part of the same page - such as #content - and reports the ones whose target does not exist. Clicking such a link silently does nothing, leaving the user where they were.
Missing ARIA child role	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks container widgets built with ARIA roles, such as tab strips, menus, and listboxes, and verifies that each one contains the kind of items it is supposed to hold. A tab strip with no tabs, or a menu with no menu items, is announced as a widget but offers nothing to operate.
Missing ARIA description IDs	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks elements that attach extra descriptive text to themselves by referring to other elements by ID, and reports references to IDs that don't exist on the page. A broken reference silently drops the description.
Missing ARIA label IDs	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks elements that take their accessible name from other elements by ID, and reports references to IDs that don't exist on the page. A broken reference leaves the element without the name it was meant to have.
Missing ARIA parent role	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks elements whose ARIA role only makes sense inside a specific kind of container, such as a tab that must sit inside a tab strip, and verifies that the required container is present.
Missing aria-activedescendant ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-activedescendant attribute on your pages and verifies that the element ID it points to actually exists. This attribute tells assistive technology which item inside a widget, such as a dropdown list, is currently highlighted.
Missing aria-controls ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-controls attribute on your pages and verifies that the element IDs it lists actually exist. This attribute declares which part of the page a control operates on, such as the panel a tab shows or the menu a button opens.
Missing aria-details ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-details attribute on your pages and verifies that the element ID it points to actually exists. This attribute links an element to a fuller explanation elsewhere on the page, such as a chart linked to its underlying data table.
Missing aria-errormessage ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-errormessage attribute on your pages and verifies that the element ID it points to actually exists. This attribute connects a form field to the message that explains what is wrong with the value entered in it.
Missing aria-flowto ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-flowto attribute on your pages and verifies that the element IDs it lists actually exist. This attribute offers assistive technology an alternative reading order that differs from the order of the page's code.
Missing aria-owns ID	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks every aria-owns attribute on your pages and verifies that the element IDs it lists actually exist. This attribute adopts elements from elsewhere on the page as children of a widget, even though the code places them somewhere else.
Missing H1	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every page has a main heading, known as an H1, and that it contains readable text. The H1 states what the page is about, for visitors, assistive technology, and search engines alike.
Missing required ARIA attribute	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks elements that declare an ARIA role and verifies they also provide the attributes that role requires. Some roles are unusable without their attributes, such as a slider that never says what value it is set to.
Missing title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide checks that every page defines a title, and that the title is not empty. The title is what browsers show in tabs and bookmarks, search engines show in results, and screen readers announce first when a page opens.
Mobile horizontal scrolling	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.10	Silktide checks whether your pages scroll sideways on mobile phones. Content should fit the width of a small screen, so visitors only ever scroll down.
Mobile zoom and scrolling	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.10	Silktide checks that your pages work on small screens without forcing visitors to zoom in and drag the page around in two directions to read it. Pages that fail here usually haven't been designed for mobile devices at all.
Modal focus trap		Silktide identifies pages that contain a modal dialog - a popup that blocks interaction with the rest of the page - and asks you to verify that keyboard focus is managed correctly while the dialog is open. This is a manual review: automated testing can find the dialog, but not observe how it behaves when opened and closed.
Motion actuation	WCAG 2.1 A 2.5.4	Silktide detects pages that respond to a device being moved, shaken, or tilted. Anything a page does in response to motion should also be possible through ordinary controls, and it should be possible to turn the motion feature off.
Multiple ways to access a page	WCAG 2.0 AA 2.4.5	Silktide asks you to confirm that visitors have more than one way to find each page on your website, such as navigation menus, a search feature, or a site map. Whether the ways your site offers are sufficient is a judgment only a person can make.
Nested aria-hidden	ARIA 1.2	Silktide checks for content marked as visible to assistive technology inside a container that is marked as hidden from it. Hiding wins: the inner marking has no effect, and the content stays hidden.
Not timing dependent	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.2.3	Silktide asks you to confirm that nothing on your pages requires visitors to act within a time limit. Timing should never be an essential part of using your website, except for real-time events and non-interactive media.
Obsolete scope attribute	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks for scope attributes placed on ordinary table data cells. The scope attribute describes what a heading applies to, so it belongs on heading cells only; on a data cell it is obsolete and can mislead assistive technology.
On focus	WCAG 2.0 A 3.2.1	Simply moving to an element, for example by pressing Tab, should never trigger a major change like loading a new page, submitting a form, or opening a popup.
Orientation lock	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.3.4	Silktide checks that your pages don't force visitors to hold their device a particular way. A page should work in both portrait and landscape, because some people cannot rotate their screen.
Page interruptions	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.2.4	Silktide asks you to confirm that interruptions on your pages, such as pop-ups, alerts, and automatic content updates, can be postponed or turned off by visitors. Emergencies, such as safety warnings, are the only exception.
Page language	WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1	Every page should declare what language it is written in, so that browsers and assistive technologies know how to read it. Silktide reports pages that do not declare a language at all.
PDF bookmarks	WCAG 2.0 AA 2.4.5	Silktide tests that long PDF documents include bookmarks - the clickable outline shown in a PDF viewer's sidebar. Bookmarks let readers jump straight to a section instead of scrolling through the whole document.
PDF default language	WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1	Silktide checks that each of your PDF documents declares its main language. The main language is a document-level property (for example English, or French) that tells software how the text should be read. It is separate from any language the text visibly happens to be written in.
PDF first heading	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that the first heading in each of your PDF documents is a top-level heading (H1), usually the document's title.
PDF heading levels	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that the headings in your PDF documents follow a logical hierarchy, without skipping a level on the way down. An H1 should be followed by an H2 before any H3 appears, and so on.
PDF headings	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that your PDF documents contain headings in their accessibility structure. Headings give a document an outline that people and software can navigate, rather than a single unbroken stream of text.
PDF reading order	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.2	Each PDF document should read in a sensible order when experienced linearly, from start to finish. Silktide cannot judge this automatically, so this check asks you to verify it yourself.
PDF structure tags	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that your PDF documents contain accessibility tags. Tags describe the document's structure - headings, paragraphs, lists, tables - so software can read it as more than a picture of a page.
PDF text contrast	WCAG 2.0 A 1.4.3	Silktide asks you to confirm that the text in your PDF documents has enough color contrast against its background to read comfortably. This cannot be measured automatically inside a PDF, so each document is flagged for a manual review.
PDF title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide tests that each PDF document has a title set in its document properties. This title is what PDF viewers can show in the window or tab, and what assistive technology announces when the document opens.
Pinch-to-zoom enabled	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.4	Silktide checks that your pages allow visitors on mobile devices to zoom in with a pinch gesture. Zooming is how many people make text large enough to read, and pages can, regrettably, switch it off.
Pointer cancellation	WCAG 2.1 A 2.5.2	Silktide detects buttons and links that act the moment they are pressed down, rather than when the press is released. Acting on release gives people a chance to recover from pressing the wrong thing by sliding away before letting go.
Pointer gestures	WCAG 2.1 A 2.5.1	Silktide identifies pages that appear to use custom touch or pointer gestures, such as pinching to zoom or swiping along a path, and asks you to confirm that each gesture can also be performed with simple taps or clicks.
Potential headings	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide looks for text that appears to be a heading - short and displayed in large type - but is not marked as one in the page's code. Text that only looks like a heading works for sighted visitors but is invisible as a heading to everyone else.
Presentation role on interactive element	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks for interactive elements, such as buttons, links, and form fields, that have been marked as purely decorative. Marking an interactive element this way strips its meaning for assistive technology while leaving it clickable on screen.
Programmatic field purpose	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.3.5	Silktide checks that form fields collecting personal information, such as a name, email address, or phone number, declare their purpose in code. This lets browsers and assistive tools fill the field in automatically and present it in ways each person understands.
Prohibited ARIA attribute	ARIA 1.2 / WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide checks that every ARIA attribute on your pages is one the element's role actually supports. Attributes that a role does not support, and attributes that are not part of the ARIA standard at all, are ignored by browsers - the behavior the author intended never happens.
Readable PDF text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide tests whether the text in your PDF documents exists as real text, rather than only as pictures of text. A scanned page looks identical to a typed one, but software can only read the typed one.
Redundant entry	WCAG 2.2 A 3.3.7	Silktide finds forms on your pages and asks you to confirm they never make visitors type the same information twice. Anything asked for earlier in a process should be filled in automatically, or offered for the visitor to select, rather than requested again.
Required audio controls	WCAG 2.0 A 1.4.2	Silktide finds pages that play audio and asks you to confirm listeners can pause or stop it, or control its volume. This matters most when audio starts playing automatically.
RP and RT elements	WCAG 2.0 AAA 3.1.6	Silktide examines ruby annotations, the small pronunciation hints written above East Asian text, and reports any that are missing the elements that carry the pronunciation or provide a fallback for older browsers.
Screen reader links	WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.2	Silktide finds link elements that are malformed in ways that break them for assistive technology - links with no readable text, links with no destination, and stray empty link tags left in the page.
Section headings	WCAG 2.0 AAA 2.4.10	Silktide prompts you to verify that content organized into sections has headings that introduce those sections. This is WCAG success criterion 2.4.10 (level AAA).
Semantic links	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide looks for groups of links that behave like a menu or navigation section but are not marked up as a list. It also finds single-column tables being used to lay out what is really a list of items.
Semantic lists	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide looks for text written as a list - lines starting with bullets or numbers - that is not marked up as a list in the page's code. Real list markup lets assistive technology treat the items as a group instead of a run of unrelated lines.
Semantic lists	WCAG 2.0 A 4.1.1	Silktide tests that list elements on your pages contain only list items as their direct children. When other elements are placed directly inside a list, assistive technology can misreport how many items the list contains.
Sensory characteristics	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.3	Silktide prompts you to verify that instructions do not identify what to click or press only by how it looks - its color, shape, size, or position on screen. Instructions like "click the green button" assume the reader can see the page.
Session timeout	WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.2.6	Silktide asks you to confirm that visitors are warned how long inactivity can last before they are signed out and lose unsaved work. This applies to pages that appear to be part of a sign-in or authenticated area.
Sign language for prerecorded media	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.2.6	Silktide finds the video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded videos with dialogue provide a sign language interpretation. Whether an interpreter appears in or alongside the video is something only a person can verify.
Skip to content	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.1	Silktide tests that each page gives visitors a way to jump straight to its main content, past repeated headers and navigation. This is usually a "skip to content" link at the top of the page, or a main content landmark.
Small desktop text		Silktide measures the size of the text people see when your pages are viewed on a desktop screen, and reports text that is rendered smaller than 12 pixels. Text this small is difficult or impossible for many people to read.
Status messages	WCAG 2.1 AA 4.1.3	Silktide prompts you to verify that status messages - toasts, snackbars, notification banners, success and error feedback - are set up so screen readers announce them when they appear.
Submit button alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds image buttons whose alternative text does not appear to describe what the button does. A button labeled with a filename or a generic word tells people who cannot see it nothing about its purpose.
Suggested form corrections	WCAG 2.0 AA 3.3.3	Silktide finds forms on your pages and asks you to confirm that when a visitor's input is rejected, the error message suggests how to fix it. "Enter a date in the format dd/mm/yyyy" helps; "Invalid input" does not.
Summaries for tables	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide looks for data tables that carry no summary describing their purpose and structure. A summary gives people who cannot see the table an overview before they start reading it, so they know what to expect and how it is organized.
Table header IDs	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks tables that connect their cells to headings using the headers attribute. In these tables, every heading cell needs its own ID, or the connections cannot work.
Table headers	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that tables presenting data define header cells. Headers tell people using assistive technology what each row and column means, something sighted readers infer from the table's layout.
Table heading scopes	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every table heading cell declares what it is a heading for - a column, a row, or a group of them. This tells assistive technology which cells each heading applies to.
Text alternative for prerecorded audio	WCAG 2.0 A 1.2.1	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded audio-only content, such as podcasts and recorded interviews, comes with a text version. Whether an equivalent text exists is something only a person can verify.
Text alternative for prerecorded media	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.2.8	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded media offers a full text alternative describing everything that is said and shown. Whether such a document exists and truly covers the media is something only a person can verify.
Text alternative for prerecorded video	WCAG 2.0 A 1.2.1	Silktide finds the audio and video players on your pages so you can confirm that prerecorded video without sound, such as silent demonstrations and animations, offers its information another way. Whether an equivalent exists is something only a person can verify.
Text contrast	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.3	Silktide measures the difference in color between the text on your pages and the background behind it, and reports text that is too close in color to its background to read comfortably. This is the minimum contrast standard that most accessibility laws require.
Text contrast over images	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.3	Silktide finds text that is placed directly over an image or gradient, where the contrast between the text and its background cannot be measured automatically. These places need a human eye to confirm the text is readable.
Text information	WCAG 2.0 AA 1.4.5	Silktide asks you to confirm that information on your pages is conveyed with real text rather than pictures of words. Real text can be resized, restyled, translated, and read aloud; words baked into an image cannot.
Text spacing	WCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.12	Silktide finds elements whose inline styles lock their text spacing - letter-spacing, word-spacing, or line-height - with !important at a value below the WCAG minimum, so users cannot adjust it.
Time limited data loss	WCAG 2.1 AAA 2.2.5	Silktide asks you to confirm that when your website signs someone out after a period of inactivity, they can sign back in and continue where they left off without losing anything they entered.
Title attribute labeling		Silktide checks the buttons and links on your pages for controls that depend on the title attribute to explain what they do. Browsers show title only as a delayed tooltip when a mouse pointer hovers over the element, so most people never see it.
Title on empty alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide finds images that are marked as decorative with empty alternative text but also carry a title. The two attributes contradict each other, and assistive technology handles the conflict unpredictably.
Unavoidable animation	WCAG 2.0 A 2.2.2	Silktide asks you to confirm that visitors can pause, stop, or hide anything on your pages that moves, blinks, scrolls, or updates by itself. This applies to content that moves for more than five seconds, or that updates automatically alongside other content.
Unclear PDF title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide tests that the title set in each PDF document's properties is meaningful - not a file name, a generic placeholder, or a couple of characters. This title is what PDF viewers can show and what assistive technology announces when the document opens.
Unique label associations	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks form labels that name their field using an ID, and reports labels that share the same ID with another label. Each field should have exactly one label pointing at it, so it is always announced the same way.
User control of text	WCAG 2.0 AAA 1.4.8	Silktide asks you to confirm that readers can adapt how blocks of text are presented - colors, line length, spacing, and size - to suit their own needs. This is a manual review, because these qualities depend on how your design behaves rather than anything a scan can measure directly.
Valid label IDs	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks form labels that name their field using an ID, and verifies that the ID exists on the page and belongs to an element that can actually take a label. A label pointing at nothing, or at the wrong kind of element, silently leaves a field unnamed.
Valid label IDs for fragments	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks form labels that refer to another element by ID, and reports labels whose ID does not exist anywhere on the page. A label that points at nothing cannot name anything.
Visible focus	WCAG 2.0 AA 2.4.7	Silktide tests that controls on your page - links, buttons, and form fields - visibly change when selected with the keyboard. Without a visible change, keyboard users cannot tell where they are on the page.

AI readiness6

Title	Standard	Summary
AI crawler access		AI assistants like ChatGPT, Claude, and Perplexity read the web using their own automated crawlers. Silktide checks whether your website tells those crawlers to stay out, which usually means AI assistants cannot read, cite, or recommend your content.
AI crawler blocking		Silktide tests whether requests that identify as the major AI crawlers actually get through to your website. A site can welcome these crawlers on paper while a firewall or security product turns them away at the door.
AI schema signals		Silktide checks that pages which already describe themselves with structured data include two fields AI assistants and search engines rely on: when content was last updated, and links to your organization's verified profiles.
Content dates		Silktide checks that your longer, article-style pages declare when they were published or last updated in a way machines can read. AI assistants and search engines use these dates to judge whether content is current enough to cite.
Content without JavaScript		Silktide checks that the text of your pages is present in the HTML your server sends, rather than being assembled in the browser by JavaScript. Most AI crawlers do not run JavaScript, so content that depends on it is invisible to them.
llms.txt		Silktide checks whether your website publishes an llms.txt file, a short curated index at the site root that tells AI assistants what your site contains and where its most important content lives. It also checks that the file starts with the required title heading.

Best practice11

Title	Standard	Summary
404 page		Silktide checks that your website responds correctly when someone asks for a page that does not exist. The correct response is an error page served with the special "404 Not Found" status code, which tells browsers and search engines the page is genuinely missing.
Adobe Flash		Silktide checks your pages for embedded Adobe Flash content. Flash was once widely used for animation, video, and interactive content, but it has been discontinued and no modern browser can play it.
Analytics		Silktide checks that every page of your website includes an analytics solution. Analytics tools measure who visits your site and how they behave, and they can only measure pages they are installed on.
Duplicate website addresses		Silktide checks that your website is served from a single web address. A common mistake is for the same site to be available at several addresses, such as with and without "www", or over both secure and insecure connections, without redirecting to one preferred version.
Favicon		Silktide checks that every page of your website has a favicon, the small icon browsers show for your site in tabs, bookmarks, and on phone home screens.
Favicons		Silktide lists the favicons your website uses. Favicons are the small icons browsers show for your site in tabs, bookmarks, and on phone home screens.
Favicons		Silktide shows you every favicon your website uses so you can confirm each one is correct and current. Favicons are the small icons browsers show for your site in tabs and bookmarks, and it is common for parts of a website to carry old or incorrect ones.
File extensions for pages		Silktide finds pages whose web addresses end in a file extension, such as .html, .php, or .aspx. Page addresses work without extensions, and cleaner addresses are easier to share, easier to remember, and reveal less about how your website is built.
Placeholder pages		Silktide finds pages that appear to be unfinished, such as pages saying "under construction" or still containing "lorem ipsum" filler text. These pages are usually created with good intentions and then forgotten.
Review analytics solutions used		Silktide lists the analytics solutions detected on each page of your website so you can confirm they are what you expect. Analytics tools measure who visits your site and how they behave.
Website address variations		Silktide checks that the common variations of your website's address all work. Visitors may type your domain with or without "www", and their browser may try a secure or insecure connection, so all four combinations should load your site.

Checks you define3

Title	Standard	Summary
Content policy		A content policy is a check you create yourself. You define phrases to look for, and Silktide reports every page where they appear. What a match means - and what to do about it - is defined by whoever created the policy.
Custom JavaScript		Custom JavaScript is a check you create yourself. You write a snippet of JavaScript, Silktide runs it in the browser on every page it tests, and whatever your snippet reports becomes findings on those pages.
Text match		Text match is a check you create yourself. You give it one or more phrases, and Silktide finds every place those phrases appear across your pages. What it means when a phrase appears - and what to do about it - is up to you.

Content quality14

Title	Standard	Summary
AI artifacts		Silktide finds fragments of raw AI output that were published by accident, such as "As an AI language model..." or an unfilled placeholder like "[insert name]". These fragments are essentially never part of intentional writing, so each one is reported individually with the exact text highlighted.
AI clichés		Silktide measures how often each page uses phrases strongly associated with unedited AI writing, such as "delve into" or "in today's fast-paced world". Pages where these phrases are unusually concentrated are flagged so you can review and rewrite them.
AI grammar		Silktide uses AI to read the visible text of your pages and report likely grammatical mistakes, each with a suggested correction.
Amount of content		Silktide counts the words on your website and tracks the total word count and the average words per page over time. This is a measurement rather than a test - it does not flag problems on individual pages.
Grammar		Silktide reads the visible text of your pages and reports likely grammatical mistakes, such as repeated words, wrong verb forms, or mismatched plurals. Grammar has more legitimate exceptions than spelling, so you review each finding and either correct it or approve it.
Readability		Silktide measures how easy your written content is to understand, and expresses the result as a reading age - the age at which a typical reader could comfortably follow the text. Long sentences and long words push the score up; most websites should aim for a reading age of around 13.
Social description		When a page is shared on social networks or in messaging apps, the preview usually shows a sentence or two of description under the headline. Silktide checks that each page provides this description and that it summarizes the page it belongs to.
Social image		The social image is the picture shown when a page is shared on social networks and in messaging apps. Silktide checks that each page specifies one, that the image actually loads, and that its declared size suits a preview card.
Social image alt text		Pages can specify an image to show when they are shared on social networks and in messaging apps. Silktide checks that pages which specify a social image also provide a short written description of it, so people who cannot see the image still understand what it shows.
Social language		Pages can declare which language their social previews are in. Silktide checks that this declared sharing language matches the language the page is actually written in, so shared links carry the right language cues.
Social site name		When a page is shared on social networks and in messaging apps, the preview can show which website it comes from, separate from the page title. Silktide checks that each page declares this site name.
Social title		When a page is shared on social networks or in messaging apps, the preview shows a headline called the social title. Silktide checks that each page provides one and that it describes the same page, rather than another page or leftover text from a copied template.
Social URL		Pages can declare the official web address platforms should use when the page is shared. Silktide checks that each page declares this address and that it is clean and consistent - the page's own address, without tracking codes or surprises.
Spelling		Silktide reads the visible text of your pages and documents and reports words that appear to be misspelled. Because no spellchecker can know every legitimate name and term, you review what it finds and either fix the word or approve it.

Documents16

Title	Standard	Summary
PDF content tagging	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that every mark on a PDF page is accounted for: either tagged as real content, or flagged as decoration that should be skipped. This check also reports the two being nested inside each other, where real content sits inside a decorative region or the reverse.
PDF display title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide checks that a PDF is set to show its title rather than its file name. Having a title is one thing; a separate setting inside the document decides which of the two a reader actually sees and hears when the document opens.
PDF fonts	PDF/UA-1	Silktide checks how the fonts inside a PDF are built. An accessible PDF has to carry its fonts with it, describe them consistently, and never draw a character the font cannot actually produce, so that the text is reproduced identically everywhere and stays readable by software.
PDF heading order	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that the headings in a PDF go down one level at a time. Heading levels describe how a document nests, so a level one followed directly by a level three leaves a gap that makes the document's shape ambiguous.
PDF image alt text	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide checks that the images in a PDF carry a text description. Charts, diagrams, photographs, logos, and infographics all say something, and a description is how that meaning reaches someone who cannot see it.
PDF language	WCAG 2.0 A 3.1.1	Silktide checks that a PDF says which language it is written in. Software that reads a document aloud has to choose a voice and a set of pronunciation rules before it can say a word, and the document's declared language is what it chooses from.
PDF link descriptions	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.4	Silktide checks that the links and other interactive elements in a PDF describe themselves. A link in a PDF is an invisible clickable area placed over the page, and unless the document connects it to a description, software reading the document has nothing to announce.
PDF lists	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks that lists in a PDF are built as lists. Each item needs its bullet or number kept separate from the text beside it, so that software can tell how many items there are and where each one starts and ends.
PDF metadata	PDF/UA-1	Silktide checks that a PDF carries a valid metadata record, and that it includes the marker declaring the document conforms to the accessibility standard for PDFs. The metadata is where a document states what it is: its title, its language, and any standards it claims to meet.
PDF role mapping	PDF/UA-1	Silktide checks that any custom tag names a PDF invents are explained. A document may name its own tags, but each one has to point at one of the standard structure types the PDF format defines, or nothing reading the document knows what it is for.
PDF tab order	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.3	Silktide checks that pages with links or form fields on them declare the order those elements should be reached in. A PDF page can either follow the document's own reading order or fall back on the order the elements were added to the file, and only the first is predictable.
PDF tables	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks two things about the tables in a PDF: that each header cell says whether it heads a row or a column, and that every row spans the same number of columns once merged cells are taken into account.
PDF tagging	WCAG 2.0 A 1.3.1	Silktide checks whether each PDF document on your website carries accessibility tags. Tags are a hidden layer describing the document's structure - which text is a heading, which is a paragraph, where a list starts and stops - and software that reads a document aloud depends on them entirely.
PDF text mapping	WCAG 2.0 A 1.1.1	Silktide checks that the text in a PDF can be recovered as text. A PDF page does not store letters, it stores instructions to draw shapes, and a separate mapping inside the file records which character each shape stands for. Where that mapping is missing, the words are visible but unreadable to software.
PDF title	WCAG 2.0 A 2.4.2	Silktide checks that each PDF document declares a title. The title is a property stored inside the file, separate from the file name and from any heading printed on the first page, and it is what software announces when the document opens.
PDF/UA conformance	PDF/UA-1	Silktide reports any remaining accessibility conformance problem a PDF has that no other document check covers. The other checks each examine one familiar concern, such as tagging, tables, or fonts; this one catches everything else the standard requires, so nothing found in a document goes unreported.

Inventories and diagnostics2

Title	Standard	Summary
Silktide diagnostics		Silktide diagnostics is a self-test that verifies Silktide's own checks are producing the results they should. It only operates on special test pages that declare the findings Silktide is expected to report, so on a normal website it reports nothing.
Technologies		Silktide identifies the technologies your website uses, such as content management systems, analytics tools, and code libraries. This is informational - it reports what runs on each page without judging it, and it does not affect your scores.

Links and faults13

Title	Standard	Summary
Broken links		Silktide tests the links on your pages and in your PDF documents, and reports the ones that don't work - links leading to error pages, missing content, or websites that can't be reached.
Broken user flows		User flows are scripted journeys through your website, such as signing in, searching, or completing a checkout, which Silktide replays step by step in a real browser. This check reports flows that can no longer complete, along with the step that failed and the error it produced.
Empty links		Silktide finds links that contain no text at all - nothing visible and no text alternative. A person using a screen reader hears only "link", with no way to know where it goes.
Empty pages		Silktide finds pages that contain nothing at all - no visible text, images, or video. A completely empty page almost always means something is broken, such as a template error or content that failed to publish.
JavaScript errors		Silktide records the JavaScript errors and warnings that occur while your pages load. These often mean part of your page is not working, such as a menu, form, or widget that silently fails for visitors.
JavaScript logs		Silktide records the messages your pages write to the browser console while loading. These are usually debugging output left in by developers, and are worth reviewing to make sure they don't reveal information you'd rather keep private.
Missing CSS files		Silktide finds stylesheets that your pages ask for but that fail to load, usually because the file was moved or deleted, or its web address was mistyped. A page missing a stylesheet can render as unstyled or broken-looking content.
Missing font files		Silktide finds font files that your pages ask for but that fail to load, usually because the file was moved or deleted, or its web address was mistyped. When a font fails to load, text falls back to a substitute font and your pages stop looking the way they were designed.
Missing images		Silktide finds images that your pages ask for but that fail to load, usually because the image file was moved or deleted, or its web address was mistyped. Visitors see a broken image icon or an empty gap where the picture should be.
Missing JavaScript files		Silktide finds script files that your pages ask for but that fail to load, usually because the file was moved or deleted, or its web address was mistyped. Whatever the script powered - menus, forms, widgets - silently stops working.
Missing video files		Silktide finds video files that your pages ask for but that fail to load, usually because the file was moved or deleted, or its web address was mistyped. Visitors see a player that won't play, or an empty space where the video should be.
Mixed content		Secure pages should load every image, script, stylesheet, and other resource over a secure connection. Silktide reports resources that a secure page loads insecurely, a problem known as mixed content.
Placeholder links		Silktide finds links that point to #, a web address meaning "the top of this page". These are usually placeholders - links added before their destination existed and never updated - or links hijacked to trigger scripts.

Mobile4

Title	Standard	Summary
Designed for mobile		Silktide loads each page on a simulated mobile device and checks whether it has been designed to work there at all - whether it adapts to a narrow screen or simply shows a shrunken desktop page.
Small mobile controls		Silktide loads each page on a simulated mobile device and reports links, buttons, and form controls that are too small to reliably tap. Controls must be at least 12 pixels wide and 12 pixels tall to pass.
Small mobile text		Silktide loads each page on a simulated mobile device and reports text that is too small to comfortably read without zooming. Text must render at 11 pixels or larger on mobile to pass.
Zoom disabled		Silktide checks each page for code that prevents visitors from zooming in on mobile devices. Pinch-to-zoom should always be available, because many people rely on it to read your content.

Performance35

Title	Standard	Summary
3rd party code		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures how much time is spent running code from other companies, such as analytics, cookie banners, live chat, social media plugins, and advertising. Each third-party service is reported with the time it costs your page.
3rd party facades		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and looks for embedded third-party services, such as video players and chat widgets, that load in full even though a visitor may never use them. These can be replaced with a facade, a lightweight placeholder that loads the real service only when someone interacts with it.
CSS minification		Silktide checks whether the stylesheets your page downloads have been minified - rewritten to remove the spacing, comments, and repetition that only matter to people reading the code. Unminified stylesheets are larger than they need to be, making the page slower to appear.
Data transfer		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures the total amount of data transferred to display each page for the first time. The largest files are listed so you can see where the weight comes from.
Deferred offscreen images		Silktide checks whether your page downloads images the visitor can't see yet - images further down the page, below the first screen. Loading those up front delays the content the visitor is actually looking at.
Document write		Silktide checks whether any scripts on your page use an outdated command called document.write, which forces the browser to stop and wait while the page is loading. Modern pages should not use it.
Duplicate JavaScript		Silktide checks whether any of the code your page downloads is included more than once. Duplicate code makes a page larger and slower to load without adding anything for the visitor.
Efficient caching		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and checks how long each file may be kept by the visitor's browser before it must be downloaded again. Files that are kept for only a short time, or not at all, are reported along with the data that repeat visitors download unnecessarily.
Excessive DOM size		Silktide measures how many elements make up your page, and how deeply they are nested. Pages built from too many elements are slower to load, slower to respond, and use more memory on your visitors' devices.
Explicit image sizes		Silktide checks that the images on your page declare their size, so the browser can reserve the right amount of space for each one before it downloads. Images without a declared size cause the page to jump around as they arrive.
HTTP/2		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and checks which version of the web protocol delivers each file. Files served over the older HTTP/1.1 protocol are reported, because newer versions load pages faster.
Image compression		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and identifies photographic images that could be compressed further without visible quality loss. Each image is reported with its current size and the saving that better compression would give.
Image dimensions		Pages should tell the browser how much space each image will take up before the image finishes loading, so text and other content do not jump around as pictures appear. Silktide reports visible images that reserve no space ahead of time.
Image optimization		Silktide downloads the images on your pages and tests whether they could be made meaningfully smaller without visibly changing them. Images that could be reduced are reported along with the possible saving, so you can prioritize the biggest wins.
JavaScript execution time		Silktide measures how much time the browser spends running scripts while your page loads. Heavy script work keeps the page from responding, so a page can look loaded yet ignore taps and clicks for seconds.
Landing page redirects		Silktide checks whether reaching your page involves redirects - addresses that answer "go here instead" rather than serving the page. Each redirect is an extra round trip to a server before the real page can even begin to load.
Layout shifts		Silktide watches your page as it loads and measures how much the layout jumps around, identifying the specific parts of the page that move. A stable page appears once and stays put; an unstable one shifts as images, fonts, and embeds arrive.
Legacy JavaScript		Silktide checks whether your page ships extra code whose only purpose is to support very old browsers. Modern browsers don't need it, so for almost every visitor it is wasted download and processing time.
Long main-thread tasks		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and records the longest tasks that occupy the browser while the page loads. This list shows which scripts kept the page busy, and for how long, with the longest first.
Minified JavaScript		Silktide checks whether the script files your page downloads have been minified - rewritten to remove the spacing, comments, and long names that only matter to people reading the code. Unminified scripts are much larger than they need to be, making the page slower to load.
Modern image formats		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and identifies images that would be meaningfully smaller if served in a modern format such as WebP or AVIF. Each image is reported with its current size and the saving a modern format would give.
Network requests		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and records every network request the page makes. This list shows each file the page downloaded, with its size, timing, and type, so you can see exactly what loading the page involves.
Passive event listeners		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and looks for scripts that listen for touch and mouse-wheel events in a way that can delay scrolling. Marking these listeners as passive lets the browser scroll immediately.
Preconnect origins		Silktide checks whether your page could load faster by telling the browser, up front, which other servers it will soon need. Opening those connections early means files from third parties start downloading sooner.
Preloaded LCP image		Silktide checks whether the main image on your page - the largest thing visitors see when it loads - could appear sooner if the browser were told to fetch it earlier. Pages feel loaded when their biggest content appears, so this one image often decides how fast the whole page feels.
Render-blocking resources		Silktide checks for stylesheets and scripts that the browser must fully download before it can show anything on your page. Every one of them keeps visitors staring at a blank screen a little longer.
Responsive images		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and compares each image's actual dimensions against the size it is displayed at. Images that are much larger than they appear on screen are reported, along with the data wasted by the extra resolution.
Round Trip Times		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures how long it takes for a message to travel from the browser to each server your page uses and back again. This delay is called the round trip time, or RTT, and it affects every file your page downloads.
Server response time		Silktide measures how long your server takes to start sending the page after a browser asks for it. This wait happens before anything at all can appear, so a slow server delays every other part of the page.
Slow loading pages		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures how long the main content takes to appear on screen. This uses the industry-standard measure called Largest Contentful Paint, which times when the largest image or block of text becomes visible.
Text compression		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and checks whether text-based files, such as the page itself, stylesheets, and scripts, are compressed while being transferred. Files sent uncompressed are reported along with the data that compression would save.
Unused CSS		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures how much of each stylesheet is actually used to display the page. Stylesheets with a large amount of unused styling are reported, along with the potential saving.
Unused JavaScript		Silktide loads your pages in a real browser and measures how much of each script actually runs while the page loads. Scripts with a large amount of unused code are reported, along with the potential saving.
Visible loading text		Silktide checks whether your text stays readable while custom fonts are downloading. Some font setups make browsers hide text completely until the font file arrives, leaving visitors looking at a page with no words on it.
Web Vitals		Silktide loads each page in a real browser and summarizes how fast it feels to use, as a set of standard speed measurements and an overall score. This is a summary of the page's performance rather than a specific problem to fix.

Privacy9

Title	Standard	Summary
Cookie policy		Silktide finds the cookies your website sets and asks you to confirm that each one is covered by your privacy or cookie policy. When new cookies appear in later tests, they are flagged for review too.
Cookies		Silktide lists every cookie your website sets while your pages are tested. This is an inventory for your reference, not a problem to fix, so it does not affect your scores.
Email privacy		Silktide finds the email addresses published on your pages so you can check that none of them expose personal data without consent. Addresses like a personal work email may need the owner's agreement to publish, while shared addresses usually don't.
Enhanced privacy		Some third-party services offer optional privacy settings that reduce how much data they collect about your visitors. Silktide detects services on your pages that are running without these settings enabled.
Forms privacy		Silktide finds the forms on your website and lists the information each one asks for, so you can check that every form collects data lawfully. Forms are the main way websites gather personal data, and each one needs a clear purpose and proper handling.
Host privacy		When someone views a page, their browser contacts every server the page loads content from, not just yours. Silktide lists these servers and where in the world they are, so you can check that your privacy policy reflects who receives your visitors' data.
Phone privacy		Silktide finds the phone numbers published on your pages so you can check that none of them expose personal data without consent. A named person's direct line may need their agreement to publish, while a main office number usually doesn't.
Pre-checked consent checkbox		Silktide finds checkboxes on your pages that are already checked before the visitor touches them. If such a checkbox asks for consent, for example to receive marketing emails, that consent is not valid under privacy law.
Technology privacy		Silktide identifies the technologies your website uses, such as analytics, advertising, and payment services, and lists the ones that can affect your visitors' privacy. You review these and make sure your privacy policy covers them.

Security4

Title	Standard	Summary
Content Security Policy		Silktide checks that every page declares a Content Security Policy, a standard security measure that tells browsers which sources of scripts, images, and other content the page is allowed to use.
Secure cookies		Silktide examines the cookies your pages set and reports any that are allowed to travel over an unencrypted connection. Cookies should be restricted to encrypted connections so they cannot be intercepted in transit.
SSL encryption		Silktide checks that your pages, documents, and the resources they load are served over an encrypted connection. Encryption protects everything passing between your website and its visitors from being read or altered in transit.
Strict Transport Security		Silktide checks that your encrypted pages tell browsers to always use the secure version of your website. This instruction, called Strict Transport Security, prevents browsers from ever connecting over an unencrypted connection, even when a visitor types a plain address or follows an old link.

SEO22

Title	Standard	Summary
Canonical URL		Every page you want in search results should declare one authoritative web address for itself, so search engines know which copy of the page to index when the same content is available at more than one address. Silktide checks that each page declares exactly one valid address of this kind.
Canonical vs noindex		A page should not tell search engines both to index it and to ignore it. Silktide finds pages that send exactly that contradiction, which usually means a template mistake.
Headings		Silktide collects the headings from each page so you can review them in one place and confirm they describe the content beneath them. No automated test can judge whether a heading is genuinely descriptive, so this one is for human eyes.
Long page titles		Every page has a title that appears in search results, browser tabs, and shared links. Silktide reports pages whose titles are long enough that search engines are likely to cut them off.
Long URLs		Short, readable web addresses are easier to share, easier to trust, and tend to perform better in search. Silktide reports pages whose addresses are exceptionally long.
Meta descriptions		Every page you want found through search should carry a short written summary of itself, which search engines can show beneath its link in their results. Silktide reports pages that do not have one.
Meta descriptions too long		Each page can carry a short written summary of itself, which search engines show beneath its link in their results. Silktide reports summaries long enough that search engines are likely to cut them off.
Missing from Sitemap		When a website provides a sitemap for search engines, it should list all of the site's public pages. Silktide reports pages it found on your website that are not listed in your sitemap.
Missing page titles		Every page needs a title, which appears in search results, browser tabs, bookmarks, and shared links. Silktide reports pages that have no title at all.
More than one Heading 1		The top-level heading of a page describes what the whole page is about, so each page should normally have only one. Silktide reports pages that repeat their top-level heading.
Page nofollow		A page can instruct search engines not to follow any of the links on it. That is rarely what anyone intends for a normal content page, so Silktide reports pages carrying this instruction for you to confirm.
Page set to noindex		A page can instruct search engines to leave it out of search results entirely. Sometimes that is deliberate, but on a public page it means no one will ever find it through search, so Silktide reports these pages for you to confirm.
Robots.txt		Websites should provide a robots.txt file, which tells search engine crawlers which parts of the site they may visit. Silktide checks that your website serves one.
Short meta descriptions		Each page can carry a short written summary of itself, which search engines show beneath its link in their results. Silktide reports summaries so brief they waste most of that space.
Sitemap		Websites should provide a sitemap, a machine-readable list of their pages that helps search engines find and index content quickly. Silktide checks that your website has one it can discover.
Sitemap page set to noindex		A website's sitemap asks search engines to index the pages it lists, so a listed page that also tells search engines not to index it is contradicting itself. Silktide reports pages caught in this contradiction.
Skipped H2 headings		Headings work as an outline, so heading levels should be used in order rather than skipped. Silktide reports pages that jump straight to smaller headings without using a second-level heading at all.
Structured data		Pages can include machine-readable data that tells search engines exactly what they contain, such as products, articles, events, or reviews. Silktide reports pages that do not include any, so you can decide where adding it would help.
Structured data validity		When a page includes machine-readable data describing its content for search engines, that data has to be valid to be of any use. Silktide checks that the markup parses correctly, declares what kind of thing it describes, and includes the properties that kind requires.
Thin pages		Pages with very little text give search engines almost nothing to rank and visitors almost nothing to read. Silktide measures the amount of text on each page and reports pages that are "thin".
URL underscores		Web addresses should separate words with hyphens rather than underscores. Silktide reports pages whose addresses contain underscores.
Weak alt text		Images should have written descriptions that convey what they show. Silktide reports images whose descriptions exist but appear to be of no real value, such as a filename or the word "image".