Accessible websites (WCAG): your legal duties and the upside

"Do I really have to make my website accessible for people with disabilities?" It's a fair question, and the honest answer is: it depends on what you sell and to whom. Since mid-2025, a European directive (the European Accessibility Act) changed the rules for certain online businesses — but not for every website, whatever the agencies selling fear might tell you.

In this article I'll spell out clearly who is legally obliged and who isn't, what the WCAG standard actually means (no jargon), and a short list of checks you can run yourself in a few minutes. At the end, an important warning about the "magic" accessibility fixes sold as compliant that aren't. The goal is for you to leave knowing exactly where you stand — not more frightened than you arrived.

Are you legally obliged? It depends on what you do online

The strict rules don't apply to everyone. Treat these separately:

• Public bodies (town halls, hospitals, state schools) have been required to make their sites and apps accessible for years. That's non-negotiable.

• Private businesses fall under the European Accessibility Act, in force since 28 June 2025, but only for certain services: e-commerce (online shops), banking, e-books, transport, telecoms. A simple brochure site with no online sales is generally not directly targeted by the law.

• Micro-enterprises providing services (under 10 staff and turnover below a set threshold) can be exempt for the services part. Many small local businesses fall here.

The honest takeaway: if you run an online shop, take this seriously. If you have a brochure site, it's recommended, not mandatory.

What WCAG means, briefly and without jargon

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international reference standard, and European law builds on it. It has three levels — A, AA, AAA — and the practical target everyone refers to is level AA.

It all comes down to four easy-to-remember principles (POUR):

• Perceivable — content must be seeable or hearable by anyone (alt text on images, captions on video, sufficient contrast).
• Operable — the site must work without a mouse, using the keyboard alone.
• Understandable — clear text, forms that explain errors, predictable behaviour.
• Robust — the code must work correctly with assistive tech like screen readers.

It's not magic; it's simply good website construction.

Checks you can run today

You don't need an expensive audit to see where you stand. A few quick tests anyone can do:

• The keyboard test. Press Tab through the whole page. Can you reach every link and button? Can you clearly see where you are (an outline on the selected element)?

• Do images have alt text? Every image that carries meaning must be described in the code so a blind visitor's screen reader can read it.

• Colour contrast. Normal text needs a ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background; large text at least 3:1. Light-grey text on white is the classic failure.

• Do forms have visible labels, not just ghost text inside the field that vanishes as you type?

• Do videos have captions?

If a lot fails here, you already have a concrete priority list.

Beware the "magic" accessibility fixes

You'll see ads for widgets that promise to make your site "100% WCAG compliant" instantly, with a single line of code. It's a trap worth knowing about in advance.

These automatic overlays don't actually fix the underlying problems — text with poor contrast stays poor, an image with no description stays undescribed. Worse, they sometimes interfere with the very assistive technologies they claim to help, and real screen-reader users often report them as an obstacle.

Real accessibility is built into the code, not pasted on top. If someone promises legal compliance through a button you install in five minutes, treat that promise with the same suspicion you'd give anyone who guarantees first place on Google.

Beyond obligation: accessibility brings you customers

Even if you're not legally obliged, it's worth it. An accessible site is almost always a better site for everyone:

• You reach more people — those with visual impairments, older users, but also anyone browsing on a phone in bright sun or with one hand busy.
• Google prefers it. Many accessibility best practices (clear heading structure, descriptive text, speed) overlap with what helps search ranking.
• You reduce legal risk if your business grows and eventually falls under the law.

At MPO Web Studio we build sites with accessibility designed in from the start — proper contrast, keyboard navigation, clean code — not bolted on at the end. We work remotely across the whole country and show you a ready-made demo of your site first, so you see exactly what you get before paying anything. If you want to know where your current site stands, message us on WhatsApp and we'll tell you honestly what needs doing, without scaring you for no reason.