Pragmatism with principles, that’s what we call it: A11Y is a huge chance to make websites genuinely better. Durable, for everyone.
Accessibility sounds like paragraphs, authorities, and PDFs. In practice it means: people can use your content without contortions. Anyone who has ever tried to complete a form on a phone in bright sunlight knows the “temporary impairment” of glare, one free hand, and shaky reception. Accessibility is the little ramp that suddenly works for everyone.
And yes: in 2025 accessibility isn’t just nice to have—it’s mandatory. But if you only tick the minimum boxes, you’ll miss the real prize: clearer content, more stable interfaces, less support, more revenue. Or shorter: accessibility is the most solid shortcut to a better website.
The legal situation is manageable once you put it in plain language. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) has applied since June 28, 2025. In Germany it’s implemented as the Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz (BFSG). Primarily affected are product- and service-related digital offerings with a consumer focus—think online shops, booking flows, or digital banking.
The public sector was on the hook already: BITV 2.0 is the standard for government websites and apps. Companies operating purely in a B2B context are generally not covered by the BFSG. Micro-enterprises are exempt for services under certain thresholds; be careful, though, with hardware or software products.
More important than the specter of fines is the idea behind it: the law doesn’t demand “gold plating,” but basic usability for people with different abilities. That’s a fair benchmark—and an excellent starting point for quality.
(Note: This is not legal advice. For edge cases, check the details or speak to your trusted legal counsel.)
There’s that famous sidewalk with a curb cut. It was built for wheelchairs—and is now the favorite path for strollers, suitcases, bicycles, and people with knee issues. You can translate the same effect to the web. When we remove barriers, friction disappears for everyone: orientation gets easier, processes get clearer, and the number of puzzling errors shrinks.
An accessible website guides people like a friendly concierge: strong contrasts, understandable labels, clear error messages, visible focus indicators. That reduces drop-offs and support tickets and increases completion rates. Conversion optimization is often just another phrase for removing barriers.
Roughly a quarter of the adult population lives with some form of disability. Add all the temporary limitations everyday life deals out. Those who invest seriously here gain not only customers but also trust and word-of-mouth. “They really mean it” is a powerful signal (also to talent on the job market).
Accessibility is not a secret ranking toggle. But it plays to Google’s strengths: clean semantics, clear heading hierarchies, descriptive link text, reliable performance. Alt text primarily helps people, and secondarily search engines. If you implement accessibility well, you’re automatically doing structured, crawl-friendly content work.
WCAG 2.2 is the de facto standard. The mnemonic is POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust. It may sound dry, but it has very practical consequences.
Contrast is the web’s reading glasses. For body text it should be at least 4.5:1. Images that carry information get meaningful alternative text; decorative images stay “silent.” And layouts should respond so you don’t need to scroll horizontally even at 320 px width.
Every interaction works with a keyboard. Visible focus is not an aesthetic accident but a signpost; it’s allowed to shine. Interactions that rely solely on dragging get an alternative. Modals trap focus while open and return it where it came from.
Labels explain what a field expects. Error messages say why something is missing or invalid—ideally with a helpful example. Language stays plain and clear. Navigation and headings follow logic, not whim.
Semantic HTML is the quiet hero. ARIA is useful where semantics don’t go far enough—but apply it sparingly. Above all, screen readers and other assistive technologies must reliably interpret what’s going on.
Design lays the track: a color and type system with documented contrasts, visible focus styles, components that are conceived for keyboard use already in the Figma prototype. A small reality check does wonders: walk through the layout at 200% zoom.
Content provides orientation: one H1 per page. A heading structure instead of heading decoration. Sensible link text (“Download invoice” instead of “click here”). Alt text that describes purpose, not pixels.
Engineering builds robustness: semantics over div spaghetti. Keyboard paths as acceptance criteria. Unit and end-to-end tests, complemented by accessibility checks at component level.
QA tests methodically: automated scans (e.g., axe, Lighthouse, Pa11y) plus manual tests with keyboard and screen reader. And yes: real tests with real people are the reality check no tool can replace.
“We’ll install an overlay and we’re done.”
Overlays mask symptoms but rarely fix causes like missing semantics, broken focus order, or unclear labels. Sometimes they create new barriers. If you want to get healthy, you need treatment, not makeup.
“100 points in Lighthouse = compliant.”
Nope. Automated tools catch only part of the problems. They cannot truly understand content, follow interactions in depth, or replicate real assistive-tech usage. Compliance comes from systematic implementation and documentation.
“We’ll do accessibility at the end.”
Late fixes are like cutting new windows into a finished house. It’s possible, but it’s dusty and expensive. Accessibility belongs in design tokens, the component library, and the Definition of Done.
Labels are visible and associated with fields. Placeholders explain nothing; they tease. Error messages are specific (“ZIP code must have 5 digits, e.g., 90210”) and move focus to the first problematic field. Help text appears before input. Result: less frustration, fewer abandonments.
A skip link takes keyboard users straight to the main content. The heading structure mirrors the information architecture, not the brand book’s mood. In overlays the focus stays inside, Esc closes, and after closing, focus returns to the trigger. Small detail, big effect.
Contrast isn’t a design crime. You can love your brand colors and still combine them so text is legible at a glance. That not only clears accessibility tickets but also reduces support messages like “I can’t see the button.”
A checkout that can be completed entirely with Tab, Enter, and Space is usually stress-free with mouse and touch as well. The visible tab order follows the visual order. Landmarks (header, nav, main, footer) make the structure understandable—for humans and machines.
Captions and transcripts aren’t just inclusion; they’re search and content gold. Autoplay stays off. Image alt text describes the purpose of the image: “Product photo, backpack open, inner compartment for a 15-inch laptop” beats “image123.jpg.”
Accessibility delivers three kinds of returns you’ll notice in day-to-day operations:
You don’t need reckless promises. It’s enough to ask the engineering teams after six months how many “not reproducible” tickets vanished since focus indicators became visible and forms started returning clear error messages. In our experience, people smile at that question.
AI helps—when it acts as an assistant. Automatically generated alt text, captions, or transcripts are good starting points, not the finish line. Unreviewed, they create new barriers. The strong team is AI suggestion plus human review.
Personalization gains substance. Initiatives like WAI-Adapt aim to tailor content to people’s needs—simplified language, symbol support, or prioritized controls. Those who build clean semantics today will be ready for tomorrow.
New devices, old principles. Whether voice interfaces, automotive displays, or wearables—the principles remain: perceivable, operable, understandable, robust. That outlasts any trend.
Do we have to jump to WCAG 2.2 AA right now?
Aim for it—and start where user and business impact is highest: checkout, sign-up, contact. The rest follows in sensible sprints.
Is a good tool score sufficient proof?
No. Tools are valuable, but they don’t see everything. A solid statement comes from tool findings, manual reviews, assistive-tech tests, and documentation.
Are we really completely out if we’re B2B?
If your digital services target only business customers, the BFSG is often not applicable. As soon as consumers slip in, different rules apply. Check edge cases carefully.
Accessibility is (for many companies, etc.) mandatory—that’s clear. Above all, however—and to repeat our credo—it’s pragmatism with principles: it creates clarity, reduces friction, expands reach, and lowers risk. Those who take accessibility seriously aren’t building a special product for a minority but a better product for the majority.
1) Quick check (free, focused)
We review 10–15 key pages and the most important flows using a combination of automated scans and brief manual tests. You receive a prioritized action list, clear context (including legal relevance), and examples mapped directly to your components. (Small ad break: yes, you read that right, throughout 2025 we provide this free of charge for all new clients! End of ad break.)
2) Full audit
A comprehensive review of your entire digital experience against WCAG 2.2 AA and the relevant parts of EN 301 549—not just pages, but templates, components, and critical user journeys.
Scope:
3) (Guided) implementation & proof
We implement the necessary and approved measures, set up CI checks, support user testing, and help with documentation including accessibility information. The outcome isn’t a pretty report but a more stable, better website.
Next step: Send us two or three critical user flows (e.g., sign-up, checkout). We’ll reply with a concrete quick-check proposal and an example backlog your team can start working on immediately.