Website accessibility � designing and building websites that can be used by everyone, including people with disabilities � is too often treated as a niche concern. It isn't. Around one in five people in the UK lives with some form of disability. If your website creates barriers for those users, you're excluding a significant portion of your potential audience and, in some contexts, potentially breaching the law.
This guide explains what web accessibility is, why it matters commercially and legally, and the practical steps to improve it.
What Is Web Accessibility?
Web accessibility means ensuring that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. This includes people with:
- Visual impairments � Including blindness, low vision, and colour blindness
- Auditory impairments � Deaf or hard of hearing users
- Motor impairments � Those who can't use a mouse and navigate by keyboard or assistive devices
- Cognitive impairments � Including dyslexia, ADHD, and learning disabilities
Accessibility isn't a binary state � it's a spectrum. Even small improvements to your website can meaningfully improve the experience for a large number of users.
The Legal Position in the UK
Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses providing goods and services to the public have a legal duty to make reasonable adjustments to avoid putting disabled people at a substantial disadvantage. This applies to websites.
For public sector organisations, the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 set more explicit requirements, including conformance with WCAG 2.1 AA standards and publication of an accessibility statement.
For private sector businesses, the legal framework is less prescriptive, but the principle of reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act is clear. An inaccessible website could be the subject of a legal complaint.
The Business Case for Accessibility
Beyond legal compliance, accessibility is good business:
Larger addressable market. 14.6 million disabled people live in the UK, with a combined spending power often referred to as the "Purple Pound" � estimated at over �274 billion annually. Making your website accessible opens it to more potential customers.
Better SEO. Many accessibility best practices directly align with SEO best practices. Alt text on images, semantic HTML, logical heading structure, and descriptive link text all improve how search engines understand your content.
Improved usability for everyone. Accessible design typically means cleaner, more logical design. Captions on videos help hearing-impaired users but also people watching without sound. Good colour contrast helps visually impaired users but also helps everyone in bright outdoor conditions. Accessible features benefit all users.
Reduced legal risk. As awareness of digital accessibility rights increases, so do the number of complaints and legal actions. Building accessible sites proactively is significantly cheaper than retrofitting them in response to a complaint.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The international standard for web accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), maintained by the W3C. The guidelines are organised around four principles � content should be:
Perceivable � Users must be able to perceive all information. Text alternatives for non-text content (alt text for images), captions for video, sufficient colour contrast.
Operable � Users must be able to operate the interface. Keyboard navigability, enough time to complete tasks, no content that causes seizures.
Understandable � Content and interface must be understandable. Readable text, predictable navigation, error identification and correction.
Robust � Content must be robust enough to be interpreted by assistive technologies. Valid, semantic HTML that works with screen readers and other assistive devices.
WCAG has three compliance levels: A (minimum), AA (standard), and AAA (enhanced). WCAG 2.1 AA is the widely adopted target standard.
Key Accessibility Improvements for Your Website
1. Colour Contrast
Text must have sufficient contrast against its background to be readable for users with low vision or colour blindness. WCAG 2.1 AA requires:
- Normal text: 4.5:1 contrast ratio
- Large text: 3:1 contrast ratio
Use a free contrast checker (WebAIM's contrast checker is excellent) to verify your colour choices.
2. Alt Text for Images
Every meaningful image on your site should have descriptive alt text � a text alternative that screen readers can convey to users who can't see the image. Alt text should describe what's shown, not keyword-stuff for SEO.
Decorative images (background textures, dividers) should have empty alt attributes (alt="") so screen readers skip them.
3. Keyboard Navigation
Every interactive element � links, buttons, form fields, menus � should be operable via keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space, arrow keys) without a mouse. Users with motor impairments often navigate entirely by keyboard or assistive devices.
Test this on your own site by pressing Tab repeatedly and checking that focus moves logically through all interactive elements, with a visible focus indicator.
4. Descriptive Link Text
"Click here" and "Read more" are inaccessible. Screen readers can navigate a page by jumping between links, and link text out of context should clearly describe the destination or action.
Change: "Click here for our services"
To: "View our web design services"
5. Logical Heading Structure
Headings (H1, H2, H3) should be used to create a logical document structure, not just to style text at different sizes. Screen readers use headings to navigate content, so a page with five H1s and no structure is confusing for assistive technology users.
6. Form Labels and Error Messages
Every form field must have a visible, programmatically associated label. Error messages should clearly describe what went wrong and how to fix it � not just "Invalid entry."
7. Video Captions and Transcripts
Videos with audio content should have captions for deaf and hard of hearing users. Audio-only content should have transcripts.
8. Focus Indicators
When a user navigates by keyboard, the currently focused element should be visually apparent � a visible outline or highlight. Don't remove the default browser focus indicator without replacing it with something equally visible.
Testing Accessibility
Several free tools help identify accessibility issues:
- WAVE (wave.webaim.org) � Browser-based accessibility scanner
- axe DevTools � Browser extension for accessibility testing
- Google Lighthouse � Includes an accessibility audit tab
- NVDA or VoiceOver � Free screen readers for testing with actual assistive technology
Automated tools catch about 30�40% of WCAG violations. Manual testing � including testing with keyboard only and with a screen reader � is necessary for comprehensive coverage.
Accessibility Statements
For public sector organisations, an accessibility statement is legally required. For private sector businesses, publishing one is considered best practice. It documents your commitment to accessibility, the current state of your site's compliance, and how users can report accessibility issues.
Work With Elendil Studio
At Elendil Studio, we build websites with accessibility as a baseline consideration � not a retrospective add-on. For businesses that need a formal accessibility audit or a remediation plan for an existing site, get in touch to discuss what we can do.
Find out more about our web design services.