Amber Hinds

Steve Jones

Road Warrior Creative

Equalize Digital

<p>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Success Criterion 3.2 (Predictable) specifies that web pages should appear and operate in predictable ways. It is a common practice to set links that go to off-site locations to open in a new window or tab when clicked. Opening new windows or tabs automatically when a link is activated can be disorienting for people who have difficulty perceiving visual content, and for some people with cognitive disabilities, if they are not warned in advance.</p>
<p>This plugin helps websites become more accessible and better meet WCAG guidelines for predicability by providing advanced warning if a link is going to open a new window or tab before the user clicks or activates it. Providing a warning allows the user to decide it they want to leave the current window, and the warning will help them find their way back, if they do decide they would like to go to the new window. It will help them understand that the “back” button will not work and that they have to return to the last window they had open, in order to find their previous location.</p>
<p>There are no settings in this plugin. Simply activate it and it will automatically find all links that open in a new window and add the following three fixes to each link:<br />
1. A new window icon after the link text to denote that the link opens in a new window for sighted people.<br />
2. A tooltip, visible on hover, that says “opens a new window.”<br />
3. “Opens a new window” screen reader text that will be read out to blind or visually impaired people using screen readers immediately following the link anchor text.</p>
<p>Please note: new window warnings will be added to links and links that have been styled to look like buttons, including social media sharing and link icons. Depending upon what third party plugins are adding links to your site that open in new windows, some CSS styling may be required.</p>
<p>In addition to adding warnings for your users, this plugin integrates with the <strong><a href="https://wordpress.org/plugins/accessibility-checker/" rel="ugc">Accessibility Checker plugin</a></strong>; when Accessibility New Window Warnings is activated, it will automatically clear all “<a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/link-opens-new-window-or-tab/" rel="nofollow ugc">Link Opens New Window or Tab</a>” warnings in Accessibility Checker scans of your website. Installing and activating this plugin is a great way to quickly remediate and remove a lot of open issues across you entire website.</p>
<p>The Accessibility New Window Warnings plugin is inspired by <a href="https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/G201.html" rel="nofollow ugc">Techniques for WCAG 2.0 G201: Giving users advanced warning when opening a new window</a>.</p>
<h3>Localization</h3>
<p>The Accessibility New Window Warnings plugin is ready for localization. We have added a Spanish translation and are open to more translations!</p>
<p>If you would like to contribute a translation to this plugin, please <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/contact/" rel="nofollow ugc">contact us</a> or <a href="https://github.com/equalizedigital/accessibility-new-window-warnings" rel="nofollow ugc">fork the repository on GitHub</a>.</p>


Accessibility New Window Warnings

Install, activate, DONE! I love how simply this plugin fixes a real problem! This goes right into my starter site and on every website I build from here on out!

Simple solution for an important problem


I installed this on my blog as I wanted to ensure there was a visible indication when links opened external pages to better comply with accessibility guidelines without having to go through hundreds of old posts. Did the job and correctly and easily and automaticaly added the desired indicators, markup and icons.


Does the job intended

Make links that open in a new window compliant with WCAG guidelines for accessibility by adding a warning for users.

philwebs

<h3>Make Your Website Accessible with Accessibility Checker</h3>
<p>Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker helps you find and fix accessibility issues in WordPress. Scan posts and pages as you edit, review WCAG-based issues inside WordPress, apply automated fixes for common barriers, and generate an accessibility statement to support your compliance efforts.</p>
<p>Whether you’re improving compliance with accessibility laws, working toward Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) conformance, or making your website easier for everyone to use, Accessibility Checker gives your team a practical workflow for ongoing accessibility testing and remediation.</p>
<p><a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/" rel="nofollow ugc">Plugin Website</a> | <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/demo/" rel="nofollow ugc">Live Demo</a> | <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/documentation/" rel="nofollow ugc">Documentation</a> | <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/features/#comparison" rel="nofollow ugc">Compare Free to Pro</a> | <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/pricing/" rel="nofollow ugc">Get Pro</a> | <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/wordpress-accessibility-meetup/" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Accessibility Meetup</a> | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordpress.accessibility" rel="nofollow ugc">WP Accessibility Facebook Group</a></p>
<h3>Why Make Your Website Accessible</h3>
<p>Laws around the world, such as the European Accessibility Act (EAA), Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 508, among others, require websites to be accessible and usable by people with disabilities. Accessibility may be required for your website to be legally compliant.</p>
<p>Accessibility fixes on websites often translate to better overall usability on the site and can improve search engine ranking and conversions.</p>
<p>Including Accessibility Checker on your website and fixing identified problems can help you to:</p>
<ul>
<li>Reduce legal risk.</li>
<li>Improve SEO and increase reach.</li>
<li>Increase sales and conversions.</li>
<li>Reduce operational costs by allowing more people to self-serve on your website.</li>
<li>Live your organizational values.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Real-Time WordPress Accessibility Scanning</h3>
<p>Accessibility Checker scans your content each time you save or publish and shows accessibility problems directly in the WordPress editor. You can review issues without leaving the edit screen, or switch to a front-end view to see exactly which elements need attention.</p>
<p>Accessibility Checker runs over 40 automated checks based on Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 and provides documentation for every issue so content creators, site owners, and developers can fix problems faster.</p>
<h3>Automated Accessibility Fixes</h3>
<p>Need help resolving accessibility issues on your website? Accessibility Checker includes one-click fixes for common accessibility barriers in themes and plugins.</p>
<ul>
<li>Add skip links</li>
<li>Add focus outlines</li>
<li>Block links from opening new windows</li>
<li>Force links to be underlined</li>
<li>Label comment fields</li>
<li>Label search fields</li>
<li>Add missing <code>lang</code> & <code>dir</code> attributes</li>
<li>Make the viewport scalable</li>
<li>Remove positive tab index to fix incorrect focus order</li>
<li>Remove title attributes from elements with preferred accessible names</li>
<li>Add warnings to links that open in new tabs</li>
<li>Show error message for empty search submissions</li>
<li>Add file size & type to links [Pro]</li>
<li>Add missing page titles [Pro]</li>
<li>Block PDF uploads [Pro]</li>
<li>Label form fields [Pro]</li>
</ul>
<h3>Supports Accessibility Compliance Efforts</h3>
<p>Laws and policies around the world require websites to be accessible. Accessibility Checker helps teams identify issues early, document progress, and support conformance work related to ADA, Section 508, AODA, EAA, WCAG, and more.</p>
<ul>
<li>Find problems faster.</li>
<li>Learn accessibility as you go.</li>
<li>Apply automated fixes for common barriers.</li>
<li>Track changes over time. [Pro]</li>
<li>Get personalized support and custom plans for more complex remediation needs. [Pro]</li>
</ul>
<p>Accessibility Checker scans run on your server. This means there are <strong>no</strong> URL-based scanning limits or API-usage fees. Get unlimited scanning of posts and pages without worrying about costs each time you scan.</p>
<h3>Why Accessibility Checker</h3>
<p>Accessibility Checker is designed to support both day-to-day publishing and broader accessibility initiatives.</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>No limits on pages scanned.</strong> Scan as many posts and pages as your site contains.</li>
<li><strong>Built by accessibility professionals.</strong> Equalize Digital team members include certified accessibility professionals and experienced WordPress accessibility practitioners.</li>
<li><strong>WCAG 2.2 A, AA, and AAA guidance.</strong> Review issues against current WCAG success criteria.</li>
<li><strong>Readability analysis and simplified summary support.</strong> Check Flesch-Kincaid grade level and add a simplified summary for WCAG Success Criterion 3.1.5 Reading Level.</li>
<li><strong>Remove issues from reports.</strong> Dismiss items that have been manually reviewed and found not relevant or remediated, with notes, usernames, and timestamps.</li>
<li><strong>Accessibility statement generator.</strong> Draft an accessibility statement that you can customize and publish on your website.</li>
<li><strong>Footer accessibility statement.</strong> Insert an accessibility statement into your footer with one click.</li>
<li><strong>Detailed documentation.</strong> Use help articles and instructions for every issue to guide remediation.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] Bulk scanning.</strong> Scan all posts and pages in bulk for a site-wide overview.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] Scan additional post types.</strong> Extend in-editor accessibility checks to more content types.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] Admin columns.</strong> View accessibility status at a glance in content lists.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] Full-site reports.</strong> See existing issues in one place for faster remediation.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] Dismissed Log.</strong> Review dismissed issues, who dismissed them, and when.</li>
<li><strong>[Pro] User restrictions on Dismiss.</strong> Limit which roles can dismiss issues.</li>
</ul>
<p>Additional paid add-ons include:</p>
<ul>
<li><strong>Audit History add-on:</strong> track and report on changes over time.</li>
<li><strong>CSV Export add-on:</strong> export issues to CSV for management in a spreadsheet or project management tool.</li>
<li><strong>Multisite add-on:</strong> see accessibility status and manage settings for all sites in your network.</li>
</ul>
<h3>How It Works</h3>
<p>To get started with Accessibility Checker or learn more about how it works, see our <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/getting-started-quick-guide/" rel="nofollow ugc">Getting Started Quick Guide</a> or watch this video demonstration. Please note that the video includes some features available only in the paid version.</p>
<span class="embed-youtube" style="text-align:center; display: block;"><iframe loading="lazy" class="youtube-player" width="750" height="422" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ncAfP06dPpU?version=3&rel=1&showsearch=0&showinfo=1&iv_load_policy=1&fs=1&hl=en-US&autohide=2&wmode=transparent" allowfullscreen="true" style="border:0;" sandbox="allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-presentation allow-popups-to-escape-sandbox"></iframe></span>
<h3>Support</h3>
<p>The Equalize Digital team provides regular support for Accessibility Checker on the WordPress.org forums. If you have a question about the plugin or its use, please post in the support forum and the team will do its best to respond quickly. Support hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM U.S. Central.</p>
<p>If you need one-on-one email support, please consider purchasing <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/accessibility-checker/pricing/" rel="nofollow ugc">Accessibility Checker Pro</a>. Pro customers receive unlimited personal support on plugin usage and features.</p>
<p>Join our <a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/wordpress.accessibility" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Accessibility Facebook Group</a> for community support and to connect with other developers, designers, and content creators working to make websites more accessible.</p>
<p>For paid Accessibility Checker customers on a small business plan or above, we provide two accessibility <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/learn/office-hours/" rel="nofollow ugc">office hours</a> calls each month to answer remediation questions.</p>
<h3>Compatibility</h3>
<p>Accessibility Checker supports multiple WordPress editing and site-building workflows and has been tested with:</p>
<ul>
<li>Gutenberg Block Editor</li>
<li>The Classic Editor</li>
<li>Advanced Custom Fields</li>
<li>Avada</li>
<li>Beaver Builder</li>
<li>Divi</li>
<li>Elementor</li>
<li>Oxygen</li>
<li>WP Bakery</li>
<li><strong>[Pro]</strong> WooCommerce</li>
</ul>
<h3>Learn Accessibility</h3>
<p>Want to learn more about accessibility and stay on-top of accessibility best practices? Attend an official WordPress Accessibility Meetup!</p>
<p>These free virtual meetups are held twice per month via Zoom and are live captioned. <a href="https://equalizedigital.com/wordpress-accessibility-meetup/" rel="nofollow ugc">Learn more about WP Accessibility Meetup</a></p>
<h3>About Us</h3>
<p><a href="https://equalizedigital.com" rel="nofollow ugc">Equalize Digital</a> is a mission-driven organization striving to create a world where all people have equal access to products and tools on web, regardless of ability. Our team has been building custom WordPress websites, themes, and plugins since 2010. We’re the trusted accessibility auditing team for WordPress plugin developers and organizations worldwide, including government, higher education, nonprofit, and enterprise businesses.</p>


Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance

If you care about the people visiting your site, you should install this plugin.

If you care about the sites you develop for clients, you should install this plugin.

If you want a quick and easy way to take your best efforts at creating a site, and turn them into great sites, you should install this plugin.

Want to spot all the ways your "premium" theme is actually not all that great? You got it: install this plugin. Warning: this plugin will make you want to get a refund from your theme shop, and to go to a theme shop that actually cares about *their* product.

There are very few plugins in WordPress that make literally every site they touch better. This is one. 

An absolute must-have.

... this plugin is for you.

This plugin isn't a band-aid overlay that clutters the site, doesn't improve accessibility, and affects performance. 

Rather, Accessibility Checker works in the WP Admin by scanning the site and providing a straightforward, prioritized list of actionable advice on improving accessibility. This is backed by great documentation, support, and community involvement from Equalize Digital.

Our company upgraded to the paid version for CPT support and the other premium features – I can't recommend it highly enough.



If you care about accessibility . . .


This plugin is an absolute LIFESAVER that serves as a second pair of eyes as I build out pages and posts on my website. If you are looking to improve the accessibility of your websites, this plugin is *the* answer. It will not only point out any potential issues, but it does a great job of leading you to resources on how to fix thing in case you get stuck. Not to mention the team behind it... Equalize Digital is the go-to for website accessibility! Thanks for the awesome plugin! 


Livesaver!


I love this plugin. It's been really easy to train my clients to use when they are working with their content. And they have great support!


Love this plugin!


One of the things I love about this plugin is that it doesn't fix things for me. It shows me what needs to be fixed, and directs me to information on how to do that. Learning about web accessibility to make me a better web citizen is paramount to being able to create accessible sites for all.






Making my site more accessible by teaching me how to do it

Another good plugin on WordPress.org


Works well, but double check with a screen reader. Then, use the Ignore feature to clear each page. 


Yes!

Find and fix accessibility issues with confidence. Real-time reports, automated fixes, and guidance. Reduce compliance risk and reach more users.

Accessibility New Window Warnings vs Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance