Digital accessibility (WCAG): what it is and where to start

Who accessibility is for

It’s easy to think accessibility concerns only a small group of people. In practice, limitations can be:

• permanent: blindness, low vision, colour blindness, deafness, motor impairments,
• temporary: a broken arm, eye surgery, fatigue,
• situational: one hand holding a child, a slow connection, bright sunlight, a noisy place without headphones.

Solutions that help people with disabilities usually make life easier for everyone. We watch videos with captions on the bus, and good contrast helps on any phone.

WCAG in a nutshell

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international accessibility standard that laws across the European Union and beyond are based on. It’s built around four principles. A website should be:

1. Perceivable: content can be taken in through different senses (alt text for images, captions for videos, sufficient contrast).
2. Operable: everything works with a keyboard, nothing disappears too quickly, nothing flashes.
3. Understandable: plain language, predictable navigation, clear error messages in forms.
4. Robust: valid code that works with browsers and assistive technologies such as screen readers.

Every criterion has a level: A (the bare minimum), AA (the standard required by law and worth aiming for) and AAA (the highest, applied selectively).

Is it mandatory?

For public sector bodies, website accessibility has been required for years. Since 28 June 2025, the rules of the European Accessibility Act also apply to many private businesses. They cover, among others, online stores and services provided online, such as bookings, banking and ticket sales.

Micro-enterprises providing services are exempt from some obligations, but even then accessibility pays off: more people can buy, send an enquiry or book an appointment. If you’re not sure whether the rules apply to your business, it’s worth checking for your specific case.

Check your site in fifteen minutes

This won’t replace a professional audit, but it will reveal the most common problems:

1. Keyboard only. Put the mouse aside and move through the site with the Tab key. Can you always see where you are? Can you reach the menu, the form and the “send” button? Does anything trap you?
2. 200% zoom. Zoom in the browser (Ctrl / Cmd and +). Does text stay readable without overlapping, and does the menu still work?
3. Contrast. Is light grey text on white, or text over photos, easy to read? A free contrast checker will help.
4. Images. Do informative images have alt text? Are decorative ones skipped by screen readers?
5. Headings. Does the page have one main heading and a logical structure of subheadings, or just bold paragraphs?
6. Forms. Does every field have a visible label (not just a placeholder that vanishes when you click)? Does the error message say what to fix?
7. Links and buttons. Is it clear where they lead without context? “Click here” five times over says nothing.
8. Media. Do videos have captions, and does nothing autoplay with sound?

Beware of quick fixes

Automated checkers are useful, but they catch only some of the problems. They can’t tell whether an image description makes sense or whether a form can be completed without a mouse. They need to be paired with manual testing.

Be careful with accessibility overlays too: widgets with a little person icon that promise “accessibility with one script”. They don’t fix problems in the site’s code, and they can get in the way of screen reader users. Accessibility is built into the code and the content, not bolted on as a button.

Where to start

1. Run the quick test above and write down what you find.
2. Commission a WCAG audit at level AA. You’ll get a prioritised list of issues with guidance on fixing them.
3. Fix whatever blocks key actions first: buying, getting in touch, booking.
4. Prepare an accessibility statement if the law requires one.
5. Keep accessibility in mind with every new piece of content, image or page.

Checklist

• The whole site works with a keyboard, and focus is always visible.
• Text has sufficient contrast and holds up at 200% zoom.
• Informative images have alt text.
• Headings form a logical page structure.
• Form fields have labels, and errors are described in words.
• Videos have captions and nothing autoplays.
• I know whether accessibility law applies to my business.