WCAG Accessibility for Business Websites: Where to Start?

Accessibility is not a nice-to-have. It's basic functionality. For users with disabilities, for clarity, and often for search engines too. Start small: learn the rules, apply a few quick fixes, and set up repeatable tests.

This article explains the key WCAG requirements for a business website, quick wins you can implement immediately, and how to build a testing process. There’s a practical checklist and indicative cost ranges.

What WCAG is and why it matters

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard for digital accessibility. Version 2.2 lists criteria at levels A, AA and AAA. For most business sites, level AA is the pragmatic target. Read the spec for details: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/.

Accessibility improves usability for many users: people with visual, motor or cognitive impairments, and regular users on small screens. It also helps SEO because clean structure and descriptive text make content easier to index.

Key requirements (practical)

Work from the POUR principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust. Practically speaking, start with:

• Color contrast: foreground and background must meet minimum contrast ratios. This is often the easiest high-impact fix. See the contrast guidance at https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG22/Understanding/contrast-minimum.html.
• Useful alt text: provide descriptive alt for informative images; functional icons should have labels.
• Keyboard access: everything must be operable without a mouse. Test with Tab, Enter and Space.
• Semantic headings and ARIA where needed: correct use of h1–h6 and landmarks helps screen reader users.
• Forms: clear labels, inline error messages and examples.

Not everything must be perfect immediately. Tackle the biggest, most visible problems first.

Quick wins (few hours to a few days)

• Improve contrast for body text and primary buttons (low effort).
• Add or fix alt text for the top 20 images by traffic or importance.
• Ensure focus outlines are visible on interactive elements.
• Make menus and modals keyboard accessible.
• Add a skip-to-main link on every page.

For Dutch-specific guidance and legal context, see Digitoegankelijk: https://www.digitoegankelijk.nl/.

Practical step-by-step plan

1. Kick-off and scope
   • Define scope: homepage, product pages, checkout, client portal. Often 80% of traffic is on 20% of pages.
   • Set measurable targets and a page list.
2. Baseline audit
   • Run automated scans to find obvious issues.
   • Do manual checks for keyboard flow, forms and contrast.
3. Prioritize fixes
   • Rank by impact and effort; start with high-impact, low-effort items.
4. Implement and regression test
   • Fix in sprints. Test on desktop, tablet and mobile.
5. Validate and publish
   • Final validation, publish an accessibility statement and schedule ongoing maintenance.

Testing: tools and methodology

Combine automated and manual testing.

• Automated (fast): axe, Lighthouse, WAVE — catch common issues quickly.
• Manual (must-do): keyboard-only navigation, screen reader tests (NVDA or VoiceOver), contrast checks.

Use real user journeys: homepage to purchase, contact flows, login and account management. Tools point you to problems but lack context; human testing is essential.

Checklist (concrete tasks)

• Check contrast for body text and CTAs.
• Add alt text for all product and hero images.
• Ensure clear labels and helpful form errors.
• Verify main interactions via Tab/Enter.
• Add a skip link to main content.
• Enforce one h1 per page and a logical heading order.
• Use aria-describedby for extra explanatory text.
• Test on mobile: scalable text and no horizontal scrolling.
• Publish an accessibility statement with contact details.

Quick reference table

Indicative costs (very rough)

• Fast scan (automation + short manual): €200–€800.
• Full audit + prioritized roadmap: €1.000–€5.000 depending on site size.
• Implementation sprints: €1.500–€6.000 per sprint.

Numbers vary by CMS, integrations and regulatory context.

Accessibility and SEO

Accessible markup helps search engines. Clear headings, alt attributes and logical structure make pages easier to crawl and index. For technical SEO and responsive site basics see Google Search Central and responsive guidance: https://developers.google.com/search/docs/essentials and https://web.dev/articles/responsive-web-design-basics.

When to hire help

Bring in specialists if you lack front-end accessibility experience, if the scope is large, or if there are legal obligations. At DevCru we are a senior-led team building custom websites and apps and we help with audits, fixes and ongoing support. Read more about our services or if you need a new site see website laten maken.

Final note

Start with a scan, fix the biggest problems, and integrate accessibility checks into your development process. Accessibility is ongoing, not a one-off.

Need a short accessibility scan or a quote? Request it here: quote.