Accessibility & SEO Runbook

Learning Objectives

By the end of this lesson, you will:

• Document an accessibility and SEO audit playbook.
• Establish remediation workflows with SLAs and owners.
• Align stakeholders on ongoing governance post-launch.

Why It Matters

Launch is not the finish line. A runbook ensures Portfolio Pulse keeps evolving without backsliding on accessibility or discoverability.

Runbook Structure

Create docs/accessibility-seo-runbook.md with sections:

1. Audit Cadence — quarterly full checks, monthly spot checks.
2. Tools — axe DevTools, Lighthouse, WAVE, Screaming Frog, Ahrefs.
3. Checklists — WCAG 2.2 AA, heading structure, landmark usage, meta tags.
4. Escalation — how to log issues (Jira/Linear/GitHub) with severity levels.
5. Sign-off — required approvals for launch or major updates.

Issue Template

Document a template in the runbook:

### Issue Summary
- Impacted page(s):
- Severity (blocker/major/minor):
- Evidence (screenshots/URLs):

### Remediation Plan
- Owner:
- Target fix date:
- Validation steps:

✅ Best Practices

1. Pair Technical & Content Audits

Why: Metadata, headings, and copy all influence SEO and accessibility.

2. Track SLAs

Why: Ensures high-impact issues get priority treatment.

Log SLAs in notes/module-5-plan.md for team visibility.

❌ Common Mistakes

1. Treating Accessibility as One-Time

Problem: Regressions creep in with new content.

Fix: Schedule recurring audits tied to release calendar.

2. Ignoring Internationalization

Problem: Future localization adds complexity.

Fix: Add placeholder guidance for localization checks even if not yet implemented.

🔍 Portfolio Pulse Action Items

1. Draft the runbook and store it at docs/accessibility-seo-runbook.md.
2. Update docs/accessibility-manifesto.md with links to the new runbook and audit cadence.
3. Log remediation workflow summary in docs/state-architecture.md for future developers.
4. Capture open questions in notes/module-5-plan.md and assign owners.

✅ Validation Checklist

• Runbook created with cadence, tools, checklists, and escalation process.
• Accessibility manifesto references the runbook.
• Owners and SLAs documented for remediation workflow.
• Retro log updated with governance notes.