What do accessi­bility and WCAG mean?

WCAG and digital accessi­bility: definition

Web accessibility means that content can be perceived, operated and understood—regardless of whether someone uses a screen reader, navigates only with a keyboard, enlarges content or has difficulty distinguishing colors. Older people benefit too, as does anyone browsing under difficult conditions, such as in glaring sunlight.

The WCAG are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); the current version is 2.2. They are organized into four principles and define three conformance levels: A, AA and AAA. In practice, level AA is the usual target standard.

• Perceivable: alt text for images, captions for videos, sufficient contrast
• Operable: full keyboard operation, visible focus, enough time
• Understandable: clear language, comprehensible forms and error messages
• Robust: clean, semantic code that assistive technologies can interpret

The legal framework in Germany

The German Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG) has been in effect since June 28, 2025. It requires many companies to make certain products and services for consumers accessible—including online stores, booking flows and other e-commerce services. Exceptions apply to microenterprises that provide services.

The technical basis is the European standard EN 301 549, which references the WCAG. Public bodies are additionally subject to BITV 2.0, the German ordinance on accessible information technology. Whether and to what extent your offering is affected should be assessed on a case-by-case basis. This article does not replace legal advice.

Benefits and limits

Accessible websites reach more people and are usually clearer and technically cleaner. Many measures—a clear heading structure, alt text, good contrast—also help search engines and AI systems understand content correctly. On top of that, all users benefit from straightforward operation.

The limits lie in testing: automated tools find only some of the problems. Whether a form is truly understandable with a screen reader only becomes clear in a manual test. So-called overlay widgets that use scripts to promise accessibility after the fact are no substitute for a clean implementation in the code.

Real-world example: steps toward an accessible website

An online retailer wants to have its store reviewed. The first step is an audit based on WCAG criteria: an automated scan, manual tests with keyboard and screen reader, and checks of contrast and forms. The result is a prioritized list of issues.

Critical barriers in the ordering process are fixed first, such as missing field labels or a cart that can’t be reached by keyboard. This is followed by the accessibility statement and regular follow-up checks. Nano Concepts takes these requirements into account from the start in new developments and reworks existing websites in a targeted way.