WCAG.

The WCAG, which stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, are the internationally recognized guidelines for accessible web content. They are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). According to the W3C, they are intended to make content more accessible to people with, among other things, blindness or low vision, deafness, limited mobility, or learning and cognitive disabilities. For your business, the WCAG serve as the standard against which accessibility can be concretely assessed, rather than simply being treated as a matter of good intentions.

This is how the WCAG is structured

The current version is WCAG 2.2, published on October 5, 2023, and last updated on December 12, 2024. According to the W3C, a website that complies with WCAG 2.2 also complies with WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. The October 2023 version is also an international standard, designated ISO/IEC 40500:2025.

It is based on four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. These principles are supported by 13 guidelines with verifiable success criteria across three levels: A (the lowest), followed by AA and AAA. An example at the AA level: Normal text requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against the background, while large text requires a ratio of at least 3:1. New in version 2.2 is, among other things, a minimum size of 24 by 24 CSS pixels for clickable elements.

What Your Business Should Keep in Mind

Start with contrast. In our Cologne Craftsmanship Website Report, 62.4% of the 734 websites analyzed had contrast issues. In projects, we often see light gray text on a white background or white text directly on busy photos.

Provide alternative text for images. Even Level A requires a text alternative for non-text content. Screen readers use this alternative text to describe the images. In the same report, Lighthouse identified images without alternative text on 20.0% of the pages.

Try navigating your website using only the keyboard. According to WCAG, at Level A, every function must be accessible via the keyboard. If you can navigate through the menu, contact form, and cookie banner using the Tab key, you’ve come a long way.

Understand the legal requirements correctly. The Accessibility Enhancement Act requires that certain products and services be accessible. According to Section 4 of the BFSG, compliance with harmonized standards is presumed to satisfy the requirements. Section 3(3) exempts micro-enterprises that provide services. Our article on accessible websites under the BFSG explains who is affected by the law.

Frequently Asked Questions About WCAG

Do I have to meet Level AAA? The W3C itself advises against requiring Level AAA across an entire website, because not all Level AAA criteria can be met for every type of content. According to the W3C, to meet Level AA, a page must meet all the criteria for Levels A and AA.

Is WCAG 2.1 still current enough? According to the W3C, the relevant working group recommends adopting WCAG 2.2 as the target, even if guidelines still reference older versions. Anyone who complies with 2.2 automatically complies with 2.1 as well.

What qualifies as a microenterprise under the BFSG? According to Section 2 of the BFSG, a microenterprise is a business with fewer than ten employees and an annual revenue or total assets of no more than 2 million euros. Legal advice does not replace this classification.

The BFSG Check shows you where your website stands today with an automatic assessment on mobile and desktop.