Open your website and set the mouse aside. Press Tab from the top of the page. You should see where focus lands at every step, and the order should follow the page. Shift+Tab should let you go back. Try the same check on a second page, especially if it uses a different template.

Test the task that pays the bills

Navigate the mobile menu, follow a service link and complete your enquiry or booking. Try submitting with a required field empty. Can you find the problem and correct it? If a dialog opens, check whether you can dismiss it and get back to the control that opened it.

Record the exact spot

Write down the URL, the control and what happened. A report that says “Tab stops on the cookie banner after I close it” gives a developer a definite place to start. Repeat this check after changes to your navigation or booking provider. For a deeper walkthrough, see the W3C’s Easy Checks.

Try these checks with the mouse unplugged

A keyboard check is easiest to run against a realistic task. On a dental site, start from a new patient page and try to reach the appointment form. Write down where focus first appears and whether it stays visible when sticky navigation or a footer notice is present.

  • Open and close the menu using the keyboard. Check that closing it returns focus to the menu button.
  • Open the contact form, skip a required field, and submit. Find the error without moving the mouse and try again.
  • If an outside booking tool opens, keep testing until the final confirmation. Check that it is possible to leave the tool.

Write a report someone can reproduce

“Focus disappears after the navigation” gives a starting area. “On the appointment page, the third Tab after the logo lands behind the cookie notice” lets a developer find the exact state quickly. Add the browser and the steps you took. Repeat the task at a narrow width. A desktop menu and a mobile menu may be completely different controls even when they link to the same pages.

Keyboard testing catches only some barriers. Include a screen reader and zoom check before closing the issue, particularly when a control changes its label or when a form updates without loading a new page.