Getting started
From install to your first fix.
reala11y is free on WordPress.org and works without an account, an API key, or an overlay widget. This guide walks you from installation to your first scan, an honest read of the results, and the safe code-level fixes you can apply today.
01 — Install
Install free from WordPress.org
In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins → Add New and search for “reala11y”, then Install and Activate. You can also download the plugin from WordPress.org and upload the ZIP. Either way, a reala11y menu appears in your admin — the plugin is self-contained and calls no external service on activation.
Requires WordPress 6.4 or newer and PHP 8.1 or newer.
02 — Scan
Run your first scan
Open the Scans screen to scan any post, page, or same-site URL — or click “Scan this post” in the block editor’s sidebar while you write. The scanner fetches the rendered output — the HTML your theme actually serves — and checks it against 22 WCAG 2.2 rules, from missing alt text and heading structure to form labels and target size.
“Scan whole site” queues a scan for every published post and page in one click, and recurring scans (daily or weekly) keep new content checked. The full rule list is on the how-it-works page.
03 — Review
Review issues honestly
Findings land in the Issues list grouped by severity, each with its WCAG success criterion and a code snippet showing where it was found. False positive, or a deliberate design choice? Dismiss the issue with a structured reason — it stays dismissed, and you can reopen it later.
Automated tooling, including ours, typically detects 30–40% of WCAG failures by criteria. Treat scan results as a strong starting point and pair them with manual review — keyboard-only navigation, a screen-reader pass, and human judgment.
04 — Fix
Apply safe, code-level fixes
The Fixes screen offers 10 safe, code-level auto-fixes — from rel="noopener" on new-tab links, duplicate-id and positive-tabindex cleanup, and restored pinch-zoom in your content, to a skip link, focus outline, minimum target size, and main landmark in your theme output. Every change is logged and reversible with one-click undo.
Render-time theme-output fixes stay off until you enable them — visitors get a byte-identical page while they’re off — and a single Safe Mode switch pauses every fix instantly.
05 — AI (optional)
Bring your own AI key
All 12 AI authoring features — alt-text suggestions, descriptive link text, form-label suggestions, and more — are free and bring-your-own-key. Add an OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google Gemini key in AI Settings; it is stored encrypted, and your provider bills you directly. Until you add a key, the AI features stay inert — the plugin makes no AI calls on its own.
Every suggestion is shown for your review and never applied automatically. Each one carries the label “Generated by AI — please review for accuracy.”
06 — For agencies
Running many sites? That’s reala11y Pro
reala11y Pro (from $10/mo, licensed per WordPress multisite network) adds a network-admin dashboard for agencies, in a Network / Growth / Team ladder — cross-site bulk scanning and fixing, white-label reports, and scanning against your choice of WCAG version: 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2. The free plugin always scans against WCAG 2.2.
Everything in this guide stays free, on unlimited single sites. See what Pro adds →
07 — Get help
Stuck? We answer in the open.
Ask in the WordPress.org support forum, or start at our support hub — reala11y Pro customers can also reach us from their customer portal.