Short answer: Unplug your mouse and tab through the site—focus order should make sense, traps should not exist, and interactive elements should activate with standard keys.
Keyboard access is foundational WCAG expectation and helps power users too.
Five-minute pass
- Tab and Shift+Tab through header, content, footer.
- Enter/Space on buttons and links.
- Escape closes modals without losing focus badly.
Common SME failures
Hidden mobile menus that cannot receive focus, carousel controls only clickable, chat widgets stealing focus—test with widgets on and off.
SEO overlap
Sensible focus order usually parallels heading order—both help comprehension.
Frequently asked questions
Do all sites need skip links?
Recommended for heavy nav; at least ensure main content is reachable quickly.
Who fixes this?
Dev + designer; content editors avoid breaking focus with improper ARIA.