When people hear “website accessibility”, they often picture a technical checklist for a small group of users. In reality, accessibility is about making sure your website works for as many people as possible, in as many situations as possible.
That includes people with permanent disabilities. It also includes someone with a broken arm, a parent holding a baby in one hand and a phone in the other, and anyone squinting at a screen in the sun.
Key points
- Accessibility means people can use your website whatever their abilities, device or situation.
- The basics are readable text, strong contrast, clear headings, image descriptions and keyboard-friendly navigation.
- Accessible sites are usually easier for everyone to use, and easier for search engines to understand.
- Accessibility expectations are growing, including new rules in the EU, so it’s worth building in from the start.
Who it helps
More people than you might think. People who are blind or have low vision may use screen readers, which read the page aloud, or zoom in a long way. People with motor difficulties may navigate with a keyboard or a switch instead of a mouse. People who are deaf or hard of hearing rely on captions. People with dyslexia or cognitive differences benefit from clear language and simple layouts.
And then there’s everyone else, at some point: tired, distracted, on a slow connection, using a phone with a cracked screen. Designing for the edges tends to make things better in the middle too.
The basics of an accessible website
| What | Why it matters | A simple check |
|---|---|---|
| Readable text | Small or faint text is hard for many people to read | Can you read it comfortably on a phone at arm’s length? |
| Good contrast | Light grey text on white, or text over busy photos, disappears for many readers | Run your colours through a free contrast checker |
| Clear headings | Screen reader users jump between headings to find what they need | Do your headings make sense as an outline on their own? |
| Image descriptions | Alt text tells people what an image shows if they can’t see it | Does every meaningful image have a short, useful description? |
| Keyboard navigation | Some people can’t use a mouse | Can you reach every link and button using only the Tab key? |
| Descriptive links | “Click here” means nothing out of context | Would the link text make sense on its own? |
| Captions | Video without captions excludes people who can’t hear it | Do your videos have accurate captions? |
None of these needs a big budget. Most are part of building or editing a site with care.
Why it’s good for business
More people can buy from you. If someone can’t read your prices or use your contact form, they’ll go elsewhere, and they won’t tell you why.
It helps search. Clear headings, descriptive links and image descriptions help search engines understand your pages, in the same way they help screen readers. Many accessibility basics overlap with good SEO.
It’s a better experience for everyone. Clear layouts, readable text and buttons that are easy to tap make a site feel easier and more professional.
An accessible website isn’t a special version for a few people. It’s simply a website that works properly.
What’s changing
Expectations are rising. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act has applied since June 2025 and sets accessibility requirements for many products and services, including a lot of online shopping. Some very small service businesses are exempt, but businesses that sell to EU customers should check where they stand.
In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 already expects service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, and that’s widely understood to include websites. The most commonly used standard for measuring accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG.
This isn’t legal advice, and the details depend on your business. But the direction is clear: accessibility is moving from nice-to-have to expected.
Where to start
- Run a free automated check on your main pages. It won’t catch everything, but it will catch the obvious problems.
- Try your site with only a keyboard. Can you get everywhere? Can you see where you are?
- Check your colour contrast, especially text over images and pale text on white.
- Add alt text to the images that matter, and captions to your videos.
- Build it in next time. When you redesign or add pages, make accessibility part of the brief from day one. It’s far cheaper than fixing it later. Our guide to page speed covers another basic that helps everyone.
Questions people also ask
Is my website legally required to be accessible?
It depends on where you operate and who you sell to. In the UK, the Equality Act sets general duties for service providers, and EU rules now apply to many businesses selling there. If you’re unsure, it’s worth getting advice for your situation.
Can an accessibility plugin fix my site automatically?
Not completely. Overlay tools can’t fix problems in the underlying design and code, and some users find them get in the way. Fixing the site itself is the reliable route.
What is alt text, and how do I write it?
Alt text is a short description of an image, read aloud by screen readers. Describe what matters about the image in context, in a sentence or less. Purely decorative images can have empty alt text so they’re skipped.