Welcome to our guide on web accessibility standards.
Our team here at Marketeam has built websites for Brisbane businesses for years, and accessibility questions come up all the time. Most business owners want to do the right thing. They just don’t know where to start.
That’s why we put this guide together. Read it, and you’ll understand exactly what accessibility standards are, what they require, and how to check if your site meets them.
Ready? Let’s get started.
What Are Web Accessibility Standards?
Web accessibility standards are technical rules that tell you how to build websites people with disabilities can use. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) on their page “Disability”, around 1.3 billion people worldwide live with disability (roughly 16 per cent of the global population).
And WebAIM says on their page, “The WebAIM Million”, that over 94 per cent of the top one million website home pages have detectable Web Content Accessibility Guidelines failures. It means that most websites fail basic accessibility checks for people with disabilities.
We’ll explain the web accessibility standards now.
The Four POUR Principles of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) have four core principles that people often refer to as POUR. This acronym stands for Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
Here’s more information on these WCAG principles:
- Perceivable: Visitors need to take in your content through sight, sound, or assistive technologies like screen readers. For example, if an image has no alt text, a screen reader cannot describe it, so the user doesn’t know the image exists. The same goes for videos without captions. Someone who can’t hear will miss your message entirely.
- Operable: Your site must work without a mouse, because many people use keyboards, voice commands, or switches to move around. So when you press the Tab button, you should reach every link and button and clearly see where you are on the page.
- Understandable: Your content should be easy to read and behave in expected ways. For instance, links should look like links, and buttons should act like buttons. And if something goes wrong, error messages should clearly explain the problem and how to fix it.
- Robust: Clean code helps different browsers and assistive technologies work properly. Using clear HTML elements like headings, lists, and labels keeps your site usable now and compatible with future user agents.
The POUR principles form the foundation of accessible design and guide teams toward meeting WCAG guidelines.
Understanding Conformance Levels and Success Criteria
WCAG defines clear and testable success criteria to help everyone understand how accessible their websites are and what level of compliance they should aim for. These criteria are grouped into three conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA.
Let’s see what these conformance levels mean:
- Level A: This is the bare minimum level. If your site fails here, it creates barriers that completely block some people. Say there are no text alternatives or basic keyboard access. Certain users then won’t be able to use your site at all.
- Level AA: Most organisations aim for this level because it builds on Level A with requirements like colour contrast ratios and consistent navigation. In fact, many Australian Government resources treat WCAG Level AA as the baseline. Meanwhile, for EU standards, EN 301 549 assesses European Accessibility Act compliance using WCAG.
- Level AAA: This is the highest level, but even the W3C admits it’s not practical for all content. It includes features like sign language interpretation and a 7:1 contrast ratio, so it is best used for specific audiences rather than every site.
When organisations focus on the appropriate level, we’ve seen that it helps them improve accessibility while still supporting a diverse range of users.
What Does Accessible Design Look Like in Practice?
Accessible design looks like a website where every user can see, hear, and interact with your content regardless of ability. It removes barriers so people with disabilities can complete tasks. These changes often improve usability for everyone else, too.
It’s time to learn about these design considerations.
Text Alternatives for Images and Media
Alt text is a short description that tells people what an image shows. Without it, screen reader users hear nothing. Or worse, they hear the file name (IMG_3847.jpg isn’t exactly helpful, is it?).
Likewise, videos need captions for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and audio content needs transcripts.
These media alternatives ensure everyone gets the information instead of just those who can hear it.
Pro tip: Don’t add any alt text for decorative images like background patterns. This way, screen readers skip right over them.
Keyboard Control and Focus Indicators
Proper keyboard support means users who can’t use a mouse can still browse your entire site. Plenty of people with motor disabilities use Tab to jump between links and buttons (we discussed it briefly in the Operable point earlier).
And that blue outline you see around a focused element tells them where they are on the page. Although some designers remove it because it looks “ugly”, we strongly recommend against this bad idea.
There’s also something called a keyboard trap. It happens when someone Tabs into a modal or pop-up and can’t get back out. We’ve seen this break checkout flows completely. When it happens, users get stuck in the payment window with no way to finish their order.
Colour Contrast and Readable Text
Are you sure your visitors can actually read your website? Low contrast is the most common accessibility failure online. For example, light grey on white might look smooth, but it’s a nightmare for people with low vision.
That’s why WCAG requires a 4.5:1 contrast ratio between text and background.
More importantly, colour shouldn’t be the only way you share information, because some users can’t see colour differences. If an error message only turns red, colour-blind users may miss it, so adding an icon or text label avoids this issue.
In the same way, your site should support Zoom properly. That means if a text is enlarged to 200 per cent, it should reflow properly without overlapping or being cut off.
How Do You Check Accessibility (Inclusive Design) on Your Website?
You check if your website meets accessibility standards by running automated scans and doing manual keyboard tests. Free tools let you spot accessibility problems in minutes without hiring a specialist.
For one, WAVE Evaluation Tool is a good option. It’s a free browser extension that draws attention to errors like missing alt text, low contrast, and empty links directly on your page. It flags them all with little icons so you can see exactly where the problems are.
Axe DevTools is another good choice. It runs in Chrome and checks your site against WCAG success criteria. It’s thorough and gives you clear explanations of what’s wrong and how to fix it.
For colour contrast specifically, WebAIM’s Contrast Checker lets you plug in your hex codes and see if they meet Level AA requirements. It’s really simple to use for anybody.
Where to Go From Here
You now know what web accessibility standards are, why they exist, and how to check your site. The four principles give you a clear framework, while Level AA conformance sets a practical goal. From there, free tools like WAVE and Axe give you an easy place to verify if your site follows accessibility standards.
At Marketeam, we build accessible websites for Brisbane businesses from the ground up. You get full ownership with no ongoing fees and a site that works for everyone, including people with disabilities. Get in touch with us, and let’s talk about your project.
