For an agency, running the accessibility audit is the easy part. Creating the audit report is where the hours disappear. You take a messy scan export and turn it into something the client understands. You format it to look like it came from you and not a third-party tool. Do that from scratch for every client, and it quietly eats your margin.
This guide is the shortcut. You will get the standard structure for a web accessibility audit report. You also get a worked example of a single finding, and a downloadable sample report you can reuse. Best of all, you get the fastest way to turn a scan into a branded, client-ready report.
The accessibility audit report template for agencies
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the group behind the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) itself, publishes a template for accessibility evaluation reports, and it is the one to use.
The template has eight sections, in this order:
- Executive summary. A plain-language verdict for decision-makers: whether the site meets, is close to meeting, or does not meet its target (for example, WCAG 2.2 Level AA), plus headline counts and the priorities to tackle first.
- Background about the evaluation. A short note on why the evaluation was done, the dates it covered, and the fact that it combined automated tools with manual review.
- Scope of review. The site name and purpose, the base URL, which pages were included or excluded, the languages, and which pages were checked manually versus only scanned.
- Reviewer(s). Who carried out the audit, their organization, and their relevant expertise. This is part of what makes the report credible.
- Review process. The WCAG version and level tested, the tools used with their versions, and the manual methods applied.
- Results and recommended actions. The heart of the report: the findings, structured by WCAG, each with a recommended fix, plus the priorities for addressing them and a note on where the site is already strong.
- References. The standards and resources the audit relied on, such as WCAG 2.2 and its techniques.
- Appendices. The raw validator and tool output, screenshots, and detailed notes that back up each finding.
You do not need to follow all eight to the letter. Think of this as the full checklist of everything a thorough report can include, not a set of boxes you have to tick every time.
That said, we recommend keeping the fuller structure whenever you can. The same report is read by both technical and non-technical people, and the comprehensive version has something for each of them in one place. It is also the stronger document to fall back on if a client is ever asked to show their accessibility efforts for compliance.
How to create an accessibility audit report with the W3C template
The W3C offers a free way to build a report in this structure without starting from a blank page: the WCAG-EM Report Tool walks you through each section and generates the finished document based on what you enter.
For agencies, though, there are two catches.
First, it does not scan anything. It only formats the report, so you still have to run your audit separately and then type every finding in by hand, which gets tedious fast on a real site.
Second, the report it produces is not white-labeled. It comes out as a generic document with no room for your agency’s brand, which is not what you want landing in a paying client’s inbox.
So let us look at how to generate a white-labeled report instead.
How to generate white-labeled accessibility audit reports
The easiest way to generate a white-labeled accessibility report under your agency’s brand is to run your audit with a tool that lets you customize the report with your own logo and colors.
WebYes Accessibility is one such tool. You upload your logo and set your primary and secondary brand colors once in your settings, and from then on, every accessibility report you generate comes out already wearing your brand, without restyling anything by hand.
From there, the workflow is simple.
Run the automated scan on your client’s site, and the findings come back grouped by WCAG criterion, already in report shape. The finished report is ready to download and send under your own name, with no copying rows into a spreadsheet and no generic third-party template in front of your client.
White-labeled reports are just one part of the package. WebYes Accessibility also includes scheduled scans, unlimited multi-site management, and flexible pricing with custom plans, making it easy to manage more clients as your agency grows. These are the features every accessibility testing tool for agencies should offer.
What every finding should include
Section 6, Results and Recommended Actions, is where most of your time goes, so it is worth being precise about what one finding has to carry. A finding missing any of these fields sends the reader back to you with questions, which defeats the point of writing it down in the first place.
Every finding in your report should include:
- WCAG success criterion and level. The specific rule that was broken, such as 1.1.1 Non-text Content at Level A, so the client can look it up if they need to.
- Plain-language description. What is actually wrong, written so someone outside web development can understand it without a glossary.
- Location. The exact page, URL, or template where the issue was found, so the developer does not have to hunt for it.
- Severity or impact. How much this issue actually harms the user experience, usually rated critical, serious, moderate, or minor.
- Who it blocks. Which group of users hits this wall, such as screen reader users, keyboard-only users, or people with low vision.
- The fix. A specific, actionable recommendation, not a vague instruction to “improve accessibility.”
- Effort to fix. How much work the fix takes and who owns it.
Here is what one finding looks like when all seven fields are filled in, using a missing form label as the example.
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| WCAG success criterion & level | 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions (Level A) |
| Description | The email field in the newsletter signup form has no associated label. |
| Location | Footer signup form, appears on all templates |
| Severity | High |
| Who it blocks | Screen reader users cannot tell what the field is for |
| Fix | Add a visible <label> element tied to the input with for/id, or an aria-label if a visible label is not possible |
| Effort | Low. Template markup change, within agency control |
Download a sample accessibility audit report
Sometimes the quickest way to understand the format is to see a finished one. Below is a complete sample report you can download and use as a starting point for your own audits.
The sample audits a fictional online store, Acme Inc., and includes every section covered above: an executive summary with severity counts, background and scope, reviewers, the review process, a results table of worked findings, references, and appendices. Swap in your own findings and branding, and it is ready to send to a client.
The bottom line
A good accessibility audit report is not a scan dump. It is a document built for the people who read it. Follow the W3C’s eight-section structure so nothing important gets missed. On a lighter job, keep the four that matter: scope, process, results, and the summary. For most engagements, one comprehensive report serves both the client and the developers.
The slow part is turning raw findings into something client-ready. That is where a white-label tool earns its place. With WebYes Accessibility, you set your branding once and run the scan. The report it exports already looks like your agency’s own. Start from the sample above, and your next audit report is most of the way written before you begin.
FAQs
An accessibility audit report should follow a recognized structure like the W3C’s eight-section template: an executive summary, background about the evaluation, scope of review, reviewers, review process, results and recommended actions, references, and appendices. Each finding in the results should note its WCAG criterion and level, a plain-language description, location, severity, who it blocks, the fix, and the effort to fix it. Without these parts, a client cannot judge risk or plan the work.
Three main audiences read an accessibility audit report: non-technical stakeholders who need to decide and justify next steps, developers who need enough detail to fix issues, and project owners who need to track progress and prove work was done. Each group needs a different depth and language, even though they are reading about the same findings. A good report is written with these different readers in mind.
Either works, as long as the report serves its reader. The single W3C-structured report already layers a plain-language summary on top of the technical detail, which is enough for most engagements, while some agencies split out a clean executive version and a developer-facing findings log. The choice depends on the client’s team, not on the underlying findings, which stay the same either way.
Use a scanner that supports white-labeled reports, so the document carries your agency logo and brand colors instead of a vendor’s. With WebYes Accessibility, you set your logo and brand colors once in your settings, and every report you generate afterward is branded automatically, ready to scan, download, and send.
AUTHOR
Melwyn holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and has been writing professionally for over 4 years. He has a strong background in SEO and is certified in web accessibility from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). When he's not writing about website optimisation, you can find him enjoying a game of FIFA or exploring the open world of GTA.
Melwyn Joseph 
