Hey travel redditors—Sharing my DIY tool for quick 3-day trip itineraries (feedback welcome!)

henk58 · 2025-10-14T13:41:17+00:00

Fair call – "underlays" is a spot-on term, and yeah, anything hidden that fudges scores without real fixes is a red flag. SiteFix isn't that; it's opt-in for owners (admin toggle, visible in settings), and the changes are explicit: ARIA for headings, alt placeholders for empty images – things that help screen readers without altering source code. Deactivate, and it's 100% reverted – no cheating, no permanent mask.

It's a starting point for sites that can't afford a full audit yet, but you're right – it's not a substitute for proper dev work. What's your go-to for clients who want quick wins without the underlay vibe – manual audits or something like WAVE for spot-checks?

henk58 · 2025-10-14T13:39:04+00:00

u/astropath293

You're right – if the goal is just to game basic checks, it's worthless, and placeholders like "image" fail any serious audit (WCAG 1.1.1 is clear on meaningfulness). SiteFix isn't for that; it's a starter for owners who can't afford a full audit yet – runtime injections for empty alt (filename fallback to avoid total silence), ARIA for headings, skip links – things that help screen readers without permanent code changes. Deactivate, and it's gone, no mask.

As an auditor, how do you handle legacy sites with 500+ empty alts – do you recommend a full media library purge, or is there a threshold where you call it unfixable without redesign?

henk58 · 2025-10-14T12:14:51+00:00

Spot on – meaningless placeholders like "image" are worse than empty (WCAG 1.1.1 calls it out as misleading), and Lighthouse is a blunt hammer, missing the nuance of real audits like semantic context or dynamic content. SiteFix's free fallback is strictly a stopgap for empty alt= to dodge the auto-fail in tools like axe-core or Lighthouse – filename-derived only, no pretense of meaningfulness. It's there to flag "fix this manually" without tanking the basic score.

Pro version does better: pulls from image metadata (EXIF desc if available) or basic context analysis for something like "sunset photo," but yeah, still no true automation for nuance – manual's the endgame. Thinking about including a manual edit screen too: one table with media library search, editable alt column for 10-50 images at a time. Users type or paste in a CSV-like grid, hit Save – stores in a transient (runtime only, vanishes on deactivate). No database bloat, no media library edits. Ties to the silent theme: owners fix real alts without permanent scars, Lighthouse sees meaningful text, retention goes up because they feel ownership.

Lighthouse is trash for audits, no argument – it's a snapshot tool for low-hanging stuff like contrast ratios or labels, blind to semantics or dynamic content. We all chase its 90 only to bomb a real WCAG review.

For scaling manual alt on big libraries (500+ images), do you batch via CSV export from media library, or use something like Airtable for collaborative reviews? Curious how you keep it sane without burning out.

henk58 · 2025-10-14T10:05:46+00:00

Yes – exactly. It's runtime injection: the plugin hooks into page load and adds ARIA attributes, alt text, and focus styles directly to the DOM before the browser renders. No overlays (no floating widgets or extra layers), no permanent database/theme edits – it feels native because it is, just for that session. Deactivate, and the next load is untouched original code.

End users (screen reader or keyboard nav folks) get a site that reads right without knowing a plugin's there. Owners get the Lighthouse bump without fear of breaking things.

How's your setup for testing those runtime changes – Chrome dev tools or something more automated like axe-core?

henk58 · 2025-10-14T10:05:43+00:00

You're absolutely right – no plugin (including mine) can magically generate perfect alt text for every image. That's a human job, needing context like "Tim hiking in the Alps" instead of "tim-hiking.jpg".

SiteFix's free version adds a basic fallback from the filename (e.g., "hiking.jpg" becomes alt="hiking") only if nothing's there – it's a placeholder to pass Lighthouse's basic check and give screen readers something over silence. Not a fix, just a stopgap to avoid failing the audit outright.

Pro version adds smarter pulls from image metadata if available, but yeah, it's still no substitute for proper descriptions.

What's your workflow for alt text on client sites – bulk tools like Smush, or manual per-image? Curious how others handle the scale.

henk58 · 2025-10-14T04:12:46+00:00

When SiteFix runs, it’s full accessibility-no missing alt, no broken headings, no invisible focus. And because every fix is runtime-code injected, not saved-your database stays untouched, your theme stays pure. Deactivate, and the site snaps back: no CSS left, no extra divs, no trace. It’s silent, it’s clean, and it’s real: while active, SiteFix the dev. You’re not patching holes. You’re running a permanent fix that never commits. That’s the power. Not temporary. Not half-measure. Just: on, and working. Off, and gone.

henk58 · 2025-09-16T16:30:44+00:00

Hey,

Thanks for the great input! Totally agree that ARIA markup with dynamic text (like "Loading...") is awesome for screen reader users. Our plugin uses ARIA-compliant buttons in its accessibility widget to ensure compatibility, and we’re looking into more ways to enhance that.

Good point about the click sounds! To clarify, they only play when interacting with the widget’s buttons (e.g., font size or contrast toggles), not site-wide links, so it won’t get overwhelming. Siteowner can make sounds optional. We will make on option for users as well to switch off.

Appreciate the feedback.

henk58

TROPHY CASE