Siteimprove is an automated tool that checks websites for accessible content. When used alongside other tools and manual testing, it can help ensure your site meets the WCAG 2.1 AA accessibility standards and university compliance expectations. Siteimprove can also find broken links and identify ways to improve your site, beyond the WCAG guidelines.
Two ways to use Siteimprove
Siteimprove can be used in two ways depending on whether you want to monitor your entire site or spot-check a single page.
Automated site scans
Log into Siteimprove to review full-site reports
The University of Iowa maintains a Siteimprove license that automatically scans approved websites for accessibility issues. Once your site is added to Siteimprove and you have a user account, you can log in to the Siteimprove platform to review scan results and see issues flagged across your site.
Best for:
Monitoring accessibility across your entire live site
Ongoing site governance and maintenance
Identifying patterns or recurring issues
Single page scans
Use the brower extnesion to check an individual page
Siteimprove also offers a free browser extension that scans the page you’re currently viewing in your browser. After installing the extension, you can run a scan on any page of any website while editing or reviewing content.
Best for:
Spot-checking a specific live page
Testing accessibility while building or editing a draft page
Siteimprove access and setup
Getting your site added to Siteimprove
To include your website in the university’s automated Siteimprove scans, email either:
- University Digital Accessibility Coordinator: itaccessibility@uiowa.edu
- OSC Web Team: its-web@uiowa.edu
Include the URL of the website you would like added.
Note: All new SiteNow websites are automatically added to Siteimprove as part of the OSC web team’s launch process. Once your site is added, the initial scan may take a few days to complete.
Creating a Siteimprove user account
To access Siteimprove reports for your website, request a user account.
Email the OSC Web Team (its-web@uiowa.edu) with:
- Your name
- Your email address
- The website URL(s) you are responsible for
Once your account is created, you can log in to Siteimprove using your HawkID and password.