MODULE 7 OF 8 · 75–105 minutes
Test the website people actually use
Loading progress…
LESSON 7.1
Check accessibility and responsive content
Your goal: Find usability problems with repeatable checks.
Start at the public Home page. Use only the keyboard to move through links and menu controls. Focus should remain visible and follow a sensible order. Check at a narrow width and at 200% browser zoom. Text must remain readable and controls must not disappear under fixed overlays.
See it in practice
For each page, check a clear main heading, descriptive links and useful image alternatives. Test text/background combinations with the site’s contrast checker. A passing contrast result covers one property; it does not prove the whole page is accessible. Long service names and paragraphs are useful stress tests.
Try a small change
Run the same Home → Services → Contact path with mouse, keyboard and a narrow window. Record one problem with its page, steps and expected result.
What should happen, and why?
A reproducible issue can be fixed and checked again. “Looks wrong on mobile” is less useful than a named page and specific failing action.
LESSON 7.2
Review content, links and search basics
Your goal: Make pages understandable to readers and search tools.
Give each page a meaningful title and useful introduction. Check every link in the header, content and footer, including email links. Remove placeholder text and accidental sample pages. Search visibility starts with useful, accessible content and crawlable public pages; a plugin cannot guarantee rankings.
See it in practice
Check image dimensions and file sizes, then visit the site in a signed-out window. An administrator may see drafts or cached behavior ordinary visitors cannot. A staging noindex preference asks crawlers not to index; it is not a privacy or access-control mechanism.
Try a small change
Open the public Contact page while signed out. Confirm its heading, demo notice and contact instructions are understandable. Check that no draft-only link appears in the menu.
What should happen, and why?
The signed-out check tests the experience you are actually publishing. Keep a genuinely private staging site behind access protection provided by your host.
GUIDED BUILD
Put the lesson to work.
- Test every page at about 320px, desktop width and 200% zoom.
- Complete the three-page journey using only the keyboard.
- Check titles, links, images and signed-out visibility. Record and repair at least one issue.
Check your work
These are your own practice confirmations. We do not inspect your external WordPress site.
BREAK / FIX
Find the cause. Check the repair.
A menu item works for you as administrator but returns a not-found page to a signed-out visitor.
Reproduce this only on a disposable practice copy if it is safe. Otherwise explain the diagnosis and recovery steps in your notes.
Hint 1 — Where to look
Inspect the destination page’s publication status.
Hint 2 — The principle
Administrators can view content that is not public.
Hint 3 — Explained repair
Publish the intended demo page if it is ready, or remove the link until it is. Recheck the exact destination in a signed-out window.
CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Five questions. As many tries as you need.
Get at least four correct. After checking, read the explanations and try again. All six practice checks and a passing quiz complete this module.
Keep these references
Official documentation. Screen labels can differ by theme and WordPress version.