Mobirise Accessibility Checklist 2026 | WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance

Last updated: 2026-07-04

Mobirise is a free offline website builder for Windows and Mac: you assemble pages from pre-designed Bootstrap-based blocks on your own computer, then export static HTML and host it anywhere. That model attracts exactly the users this site is written for -- small business owners, clubs, and freelancers who want a site without monthly builder fees or code. The exported markup starts from Bootstrap's reasonably solid foundations, but the block-assembly workflow produces a recognizable set of accessibility problems: hero images and galleries published without alt text, slider blocks that auto-rotate with no pause control, headings chosen for their font size rather than document structure, and thin white text laid over bright photos. There is also a workflow catch unique to offline builders: because the site only updates when you re-export and re-upload, fixes need to happen inside the Mobirise app or they will be overwritten on the next publish. This checklist covers the issues we most often see on live Mobirise sites and how to fix each one inside the builder so the fixes survive future exports.

Common Accessibility Issues

critical

Block Images and Galleries Without Alt Text

WCAG 1.1.1

Mobirise image blocks, galleries, and team-member cards publish without alternative text unless you fill it in per image, and nothing in the flow requires you to. Screen reader users get silence or a file name like 'photo-1584.jpg' where sighted users see your storefront, your team, or your menu. On image-heavy templates this can make most of the page content simply disappear for assistive technology.

How to fix:

In the Mobirise editor, click each image and enter alt text in the image settings describing what it conveys ('Our bakery counter with fresh sourdough loaves'), and leave genuinely decorative flourishes empty. Do this inside the builder, not by editing exported HTML -- hand edits are lost on the next publish. Then run the published site through WAVE to catch any images you missed.

serious

Slider Blocks That Auto-Rotate Without a Pause Button

WCAG 2.2.2

Mobirise slider and carousel blocks default to automatic rotation. WCAG requires a pause, stop, or hide control for any moving content lasting more than five seconds: auto-advancing slides are unreadable for slower readers and people with cognitive disabilities, and they yank a screen reader's reading position around mid-sentence. The stock blocks provide arrows and dots but no pause control.

How to fix:

In the slider block's settings, turn off autoplay so slides only advance when the visitor clicks the arrows. If you want the first slide to carry your main message anyway (it should -- later slides get a fraction of the views), consider replacing the slider with a static hero block plus a simple image gallery below it.

serious

Headings Picked for Size Instead of Structure

WCAG 1.3.1

Mobirise blocks each come with their own title styles, and the text editor lets you switch any line between heading levels. Assembling a page from blocks routinely produces several H1s, or a jump from H1 straight to H4 because that size 'looked right'. Screen reader users navigate by heading level, so a scrambled outline turns the page into an unordered pile of sections.

How to fix:

Give each page exactly one H1 -- the page's main title in the top block -- and set each block's title to H2, with sub-points as H3. When a heading looks too large or small at its correct level, change its font size in the style settings rather than switching the heading level. Check the result with the free HeadingsMap browser extension: the outline should read like a sensible table of contents.

serious

White Text Over Bright Background Photos

WCAG 1.4.3

Mobirise's most popular blocks are full-width photo headers with white or light text on top. Whether that text is readable depends entirely on the photo behind it: over a sky, a window, or a bright wall, white headlines and thin subtitle text drop far below the required contrast ratios, and buttons with white labels on translucent backgrounds fare even worse.

How to fix:

Use the block's overlay option: Mobirise hero blocks include an opacity slider that darkens the photo behind the text -- set it dark enough that the text passes a contrast check against the darkest and lightest areas of the image. Alternatively pick photos with an evenly dark region and keep text over that region, or place the headline on a solid color band below the photo.

serious

Menu and Social Icons Without Accessible Names

WCAG 4.1.2

Mobirise menu blocks collapse into a hamburger toggle on mobile, and footer blocks ship rows of icon-only social links. Depending on the block version, the hamburger toggle and the icon links can lack text alternatives, so screen readers announce 'button' and a series of 'link' with no destination. Mobile screen reader users -- a large share of real assistive technology use -- may be unable to open your menu at all.

How to fix:

Publish the site and test on a phone: can you open the menu and identify every social link with a screen reader (VoiceOver or TalkBack)? For social links, use the link settings to add a title describing the destination ('Follow us on Instagram'). If the hamburger toggle itself announces nothing, update Mobirise and the block to the latest version, choose a menu block that includes proper labels, or add the attribute via the builder's Code Editor extension so it persists across exports.

Mobirise-Specific Tips

  • Make every fix inside the Mobirise app, not in the exported HTML. Mobirise regenerates the site files on each publish, so edits made directly to exported files are silently overwritten -- the number one reason Mobirise accessibility fixes 'disappear'.
  • After each publish, run the live URL through WAVE or axe rather than trusting the in-app preview; the preview does not show alt text gaps, contrast failures, or how the exported markup actually behaves.
  • Newer Mobirise themes (Mobirise 5 era and later) generally produce better semantics than legacy AMP-based themes. If your site uses an old AMP theme, rebuilding key pages on a current theme often fixes more issues than patching individual blocks.
  • Mobirise sites are static files, which is an accessibility advantage: no overlay widgets, no script conflicts, fast loading. Keep it that way -- resist adding third-party accessibility overlay scripts, which do not fix the underlying issues and have drawn legal complaints of their own.

WAVE

Free scanner that highlights missing alt text, contrast failures, and empty links directly on your published Mobirise site -- run it after every publish.

WebAIM Contrast Checker

Quick way to verify your text-over-photo hero blocks and button colors meet the 4.5:1 ratio before you commit a design across all pages.

HeadingsMap

Browser extension that displays your page's heading outline, making it easy to spot the multiple-H1 and skipped-level problems block-based building creates.

Further Reading

Other CMS Checklists