I launched AccessGuard 7 days ago. It's an AI-powered web accessibility scanner that checks sites against WCAG 2.1 AA/AAA standards and generates actual code fixes for every issue it finds.
Zero signups so far. Here's what happened and what I'm changing.
The product:
AccessGuard scans websites for accessibility issues - missing alt text, color contrast failures, broken keyboard navigation, missing form labels, etc. But instead of just flagging problems like every other scanner, it generates production-ready code fixes you can copy and deploy. It also prioritizes issues by lawsuit risk, so you know what to fix first.
I also built AltWizard - drag and drop images, get AI-generated alt text instantly.
Why I built it:
The market is genuinely huge and growing fast:
- 5,100+ ADA website lawsuits filed in 2025 (up 20% from 2024)
- 69% of lawsuits target e-commerce sites
- EU Accessibility Act became enforceable June 2025 with fines up to €100K
- Restaurants and fashion brands make up 60% of all lawsuits
- 456 businesses got sued despite having accessibility widgets installed
- The FTC fined the largest widget provider $1M for misleading claims
- Businesses are getting sued for $25K-$50K per case. A scanner that actually fixes issues should be a no-brainer purchase.
What I tried (and what failed):
- Product Hunt launch - got buried. Hundreds of products launch daily.
- Hacker News - posted, got no traction.
- Reddit - multiple communities blocked me for promotion.
- Twitter/LinkedIn - posted, got some likes, zero conversions.
The mistake was obvious in hindsight: The name of the app, there is too many with same name. I was marketing to developers and early adopters. My actual buyer is a scared restaurant owner in New York or a European e-commerce store that doesn't know they need EAA compliance.
What I'm doing differently today:
- Cold emailing 47 businesses directly (restaurants in high-lawsuit US states + EU e-commerce companies that need EAA compliance). Leading with a free scan, not a pitch.
- Partnering with web agencies - one agency converting means 10-100 client scans. They can upsell accessibility auditing to every client.
- Writing SEO content targeting people who are actively searching for help - "WCAG issues that trigger lawsuits" type posts that will bring organic traffic for months.
This post. Being honest about what's not working.
The stack:
- Rails 8
- Resend for transactional email
- 25 automated WCAG checkers
- AI-powered fix generation
- Hosted on Hetzner
What I'm asking:
I'm not asking for upvotes. I'm asking for honest feedback:
If you run an e-commerce site or a web agency, would you use this? Why or why not?
Am I pricing wrong? (free tier with 3 scans, paid plans after)
What channels would you focus on to reach non-technical business owners?
I'll report back with real numbers from today's outreach. Emails sent, open rates, replies, signups - everything.
If you want to try it: https://getaccessguard.com - 3 free scans, no credit card.
Top comments (0)