AudioEye, Inc., the industry-leading digital accessibility company, has officially published the results from its 2025 Digital Accessibility Index, which happens to include a comprehensive analysis of digital accessibility compliance across key industries including education, finance, government, healthcare, hospitality, software, and retail.
Going by the available details, this analysis included a review of 15,000 websites before discovering an average of 297 accessibility issues per page; marking a substantial increase from 37 issues per page found in AudioEye’s inaugural 2023 Index.
More on that would reveal how this increase in issues is understood to be because of improvements across AudioEye’s automated testing capabilities that can now test more of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) than any other solution on the market.
Anyway, AudioEye’s 2025 Digital Accessibility Index reveals many accessibility failures related to website navigation and overall usability, thus significantly impacting the user experience for people with disabilities.
We say so because more than 38% of images lacked proper alternative text (alt text). This, like you can guess, would make it difficult for people with visual disabilities to interpret images, charts, and other non-text content. Furthermore, an estimated 80% of pages were found to have links without clear descriptions, preventing screen reader users from understanding their purpose before clicking.
Apart from that, around 35% of pages also had forms missing clear labels or instructions, and therefore, create obstacles for users relying on assistive technology to complete transactions, schedule appointments, or perform other tasks.
“Many businesses don’t realize their accessibility compliance gap until they take a closer look at their websites,” said David Moradi, CEO of AudioEye. “This year’s Index reveals the true scale of digital inaccessibility, and the results are alarming. The surge in detected issues highlights the risks and legal exposure companies face. Businesses that rely solely on automation to meet accessibility requirements are leaving significant gaps that could lead to lawsuits, lost customers, and regulatory penalties. True compliance requires both cutting-edge technology and custom fixes from experts.”
Turning our attention towards how the index in question highlighted accessibility challenges across industries, it discovered, for instance, that retail websites had the highest number of accessibility issues across industries, with an average of 350.1 issues per page. Across these websites, inaccessible product photos and mislabeled checkout forms would go onto hinder people with disabilities from completing purchases, impacting sales, and customer acquisition.
Next up, the index saw nearly 41% of travel and hospitality webpages facing accessibility issues, issues that made it hard for keyboard-only users to navigate content, search, or make reservations–directly impacting their ability to book and modify travel.
Then, there was the healthcare sector, where on an average; sites seemed to have 272 issues per page. The issues includes inaccessible forms, labels, and buttons that make it difficult for patients to schedule appointments, complete forms, or access test results.
To understand the significance of such a development, we must take into account how laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) establish clear accessibility requirements, with non-compliance resulting in lawsuits, heavy regulatory fines, and lost revenue.
Founded in 2005, AudioEye’s rise up the ranks stems from its comprehensive solution which effectively combines industry-leading AI automation technology with expert fixes informed by the disability community. This solution, in case you weren’t aware, brings to the fore industry-leading protection, ensuring businesses of all sizes can meet and exceed compliance standard.
Supported by a total of 24 US patents, the technology packs together 24/7 accessibility monitoring, automated WCAG issue testing and fixes, expert testing, developer tools, and legal protection. AudioEye’s excellence in what it does can also be understood once you consider more than 126,000 customers, including Samsung, Calvin Klein, and Samsonite, presently rely upon the company.
