DQM Benchmarking Scores and Checkpoints Overhaul - Release Guide

Effective April 20, 2026, we're launching an enhanced checkpoint library and improved score calculation to make DQM even more actionable and user-friendly.

Release Timeline

What's Changing

We have refined our checkpoint library to provide more comprehensive, accurate quality measurement:

1. Accuracy – Ensured checkpoint titles and logic correctly reflect what is being tested.
2. Reduced false positives – Removed 18 obsolete checkpoints related to outdated technologies that used to generate noise rather than value.
3. Clear categorisation – 15 checkpoints reclassified for better alignment with Accessibility, SEO, and Usability impacts.
4. Fewer, better rules – Precision over volume; eliminated overlapping checks and reworked the logic of 2 checkpoints.
5. Actionability – More transparency with equal weightings of checkpoints; fixing issues will lead to a specified increase in your score.
6. Transparency – New indicators will highlight which checkpoints contribute to the score.
7. Expanded Coverage – 29 existing, non-benchmarkable checkpoints now included in your benchmark scoring.

What This Means for You

Your benchmarking scores may shift slightly (typically ±0–2 points) as the new methodology takes effect. This is expected and reflects the broader, more comprehensive measurement now in place. Your progress trends and improvement initiatives remain the foundation of your digital quality strategy.

Key Benefits:

• More actionable insights through improved score calculation
• Reduced false positives from obsolete checks
• Better alignment with industry-standard practices
• Enhanced reporting detail across Accessibility, SEO, and Usability dimensions

Checkpoints Being Removed (18 Total)

The following checkpoints will be removed as they relate to outdated technologies or generate noise rather than actionable value:

• 1.13 Do not use justified text
• 1.20 Ensure that password fields are properly marked up
• 3.5 Graphical form buttons should have "alt" text
• 3.6 Do not provide "alt" text for decorative images
• 3.11 Do not use server-side image maps
• 4.5 EMBED tags must have an associated NOEMBED tag
• 4.6 Ensure audio elements have captions
• 4.8 No track on an audio tag
• 6.4 Include a link to a sitemap on every page
• 7.2 Sentences should be a maximum of 25 words
• 8.2 ID values must be unique
• 8.10 Table summaries must not duplicate table captions
• 8.16 Do not use a down event on a web page
• 10.2 Do not use graphics for spacing
• 10.3 Do not use onmouse and onkey triggers within your scripting

The following checkpoints will be moved to Inventory:

• 3.7 Images between 50–200 KB
• 3.8 Images between 200–500 KB
• 3.9 Images larger than 500 KB

This means that they will no longer appear in the Issues list but will be available as reports in the Inventory section. You will be able to review all images that fit the criteria.

Checkpoints with a Logic Change (2 Total)

The following checkpoints remain in place but their underlying logic has been updated:

3.3  —  <img> image alt attribute should not be empty (except decorative)

Images with role="presentation" will now be treated as decorative and excluded from the check. Previously, only alt="" was recognised as a valid decorative marker.

3.4  —  <img> image alt attribute should be descriptive

The word-count rule is replaced with a blacklist approach. The checkpoint will only fail if the alt text is a single word and that word is one of: image, photo, photograph, picture, pic, graphic, illustration, drawing, artwork, media, file, thumbnail, icon, symbol, logo, badge, mark, object, item.

If you have questions or would like to discuss how these changes specifically impact your account, we are here to help. Feel free to submit a request in our Support Portal or get in touch with your Customer Success Manager.