Website Accessibility Guide: WCAG, ADA and the European Accessibility Act
An accessible website can be used by everyone, including people with visual, motor, hearing or cognitive impairments. It is good for users, good for SEO and increasingly expected by law and by customers.
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), published by the W3C, are the international standard for accessible websites. WCAG 2.2 is the current version, organised around four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Why it matters in your market
- United States: accessibility lawsuits related to websites are common, and WCAG is the usual benchmark.
- European Union: the European Accessibility Act has applied to many products and services, including ecommerce, since 28 June 2025.
- UK, Canada and Australia: equality and accessibility laws also make inclusive websites the safer choice.
The most common fixes
- Sufficient colour contrast for text and buttons
- Descriptive alt text for meaningful images
- Proper labels on every form field
- Full keyboard navigation with visible focus states
- Logical heading structure
- Captions for videos
- Respecting reduced-motion preferences
Build it in from the start
Accessibility is far cheaper to design in than to retrofit. Our custom websites are designed and developed with WCAG in mind, and we can review existing sites too.
