Glossary
What is web accessibility (WCAG)?
Web accessibility is the practice of making websites usable by people with disabilities, and WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard from the W3C used to measure it.
Also called WCAG, a11y, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
How WCAG works
WCAG is organized around four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Under them sit testable success criteria at three levels: A (the minimum), AA (the level most laws and contracts refer to) and AAA (the strictest). The current version, WCAG 2.2, was published in October 2023.
Examples of AA criteria include a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, text alternatives for images, full keyboard use, visible focus, and form fields with labels.
Why it matters for B2B websites
Buyers include people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, magnification or captions. An inaccessible site turns them away.
It also comes up in procurement. Public sector and large enterprise buyers often ask vendors about accessibility, and laws increasingly require it: in the US, websites have been the subject of many lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and in the EU the European Accessibility Act has applied to many products and services since June 2025.
Checks every site should pass
- Text and buttons meet contrast ratios
- Every image has alt text, or empty alt text if it is decorative
- Everything works with a keyboard, with a visible focus outline
- Headings follow a logical order, with one H1 per page
- Form fields have labels and clear error messages
- Videos have captions; motion respects “reduce motion” settings
- Links say where they go, not “click here”
Automated vs manual testing
Automated tools such as Lighthouse, axe and WAVE catch a useful share of problems, like missing alt text and low contrast, but not all. Keyboard and screen reader testing by a person is still needed to judge whether a page actually makes sense.
How we handle it
We design and build to WCAG 2.2 AA as a baseline: contrast checked in the design system, semantic HTML, keyboard and focus states, labeled forms and reduced-motion support. It is part of every website design and enterprise website project.
Last updated 15 November 2026
