Making your website future-proof and accessible: The ultimate guide to WCAG compliance.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are a set of guidelines for web content accessibility. They were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and aim to make digital content accessible to people with disabilities. The WCAG includes various principles to ensure that websites are perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
These guidelines are divided into three conformance levels: A, AA and AAA. Each level has different accessibility requirements and helps companies to adapt their websites to meet the needs of all users.
Compliance with the WCAG guidelines is not only an ethical obligation, but also a legal requirement that comes into force on June 28, 2025. Companies that fail to meet these standards risk legal consequences and possible fines.
In addition, WCAG compliance improves the user experience for all visitors to your website, which can lead to higher customer satisfaction and loyalty. Accessibility can also open up new market segments and build trust in your brand.
WCAG is based on four main principles: Perceivability, Usability, Understandability and Robustness. These principles include various guidelines and success criteria to ensure that web content is accessible to all users.
For example, perceivability ensures that information and user interface components are presented to users in a way that they can perceive. Usability means that user interfaces and navigation must be operable. Comprehensibility ensures that information and the operation of the user interface are understandable. Finally, robustness ensures that content can be reliably interpreted by a variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
1. analysis of the current website: Start with a comprehensive review of your existing web content to identify barriers and recognize potential for improvement.
2. plan the implementations: Create a detailed plan that includes the necessary changes and the resources required to make them.
3. implement the changes: Implement the planned changes using the WCAG guidelines as a guide. Use tools such as easyVision and easyMonitoring.
4. review and testing: Carry out regular tests to ensure that the changes made comply with the WCAG standards. Automated tools such as the Contrast Checker can be helpful here.
5. training and education: Train your team regularly in the latest WCAG guidelines and ensure that accessibility remains an ongoing part of your web development.
A common mistake is neglecting contrast ratios, which leads to text that is difficult to read. Use the contrast checker to make sure your color contrasts are up to par.
Another mistake is the lack of keyboard operability. Make sure that all functions of your website are also accessible via the keyboard. Also, avoid using only visual cues; always supplement them with text descriptions.
Site Cockpit GmbH offers a range of tools and resources that can help you achieve WCAG compliance. These include:
1. easyVision: an intuitive accessibility widget that enables custom display, navigation and reading modes directly in the browser.
2. easyMonitoring: An automated monitoring and testing tool that detects barriers, makes specific recommendations and sets priorities.
3. easyStatement: An automatic accessibility statement generator that creates legally compliant statements with version history and change history.
4. contrast checker: A real-time color contrast checking tool that provides instant feedback and designer-friendly input.
With SiteCockpit, we accompany you step by step on the way to WCAG compliance. Our platform offers automated accessibility scans that regularly check your website for compliance with current accessibility standards. You not only receive comprehensive test reports, but also individual recommendations for action that are tailored to your website and enable you to take a targeted approach.
Our experts will support you personally with questions and with the implementation of necessary measures. In this way, you can ensure that your website not only complies with legal requirements such as the EAA and BFSG, but also remains accessible in the long term and is accessible to all users. Let our specialists advise you now - together we will make your digital presence fit for the future.