Web accessibility is not optional. It's a legal requirement in many countries, a ranking factor in search engines, and — most importantly — it's the right thing to do. Yet most websites fail basic accessibility standards.
This guide explains what WCAG 2.2 requires and how to meet those requirements in your web projects.
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard for web accessibility. WCAG 2.2, published in 2023, defines three levels of conformance:
Level A (minimum): removes the most significant barriers. Required by law in many jurisdictions.
Level AA (recommended): addresses the most common accessibility barriers. This is the target for most organizations and the standard referenced in most regulations.
Level AAA (advanced): the highest level of accessibility. Not required for general compliance but aspirational for public services.
Four principles of accessibility
WCAG is organized around four principles — often remembered by the acronym POUR:
Perceivable: information and UI components must be presented in ways users can perceive. This means providing text alternatives for images, captions for audio, and content that can be presented in different ways without losing meaning.
Operable: UI components and navigation must be operable by everyone. This includes keyboard navigation, enough time to read content, no seizure-inducing animations, and navigable content.
Understandable: information and operation of the UI must be understandable. Text should be readable, content should behave predictably, and users should be guided through input errors.
Robust: content must be robust enough to be interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This means using semantic HTML and following web standards.
Practical steps to improve accessibility
Use semantic HTML: use <nav>, <main>, <article>, <section>, <button>, and <label> elements. Screen readers rely on semantic structure to navigate content.
Add alt text to images: every image needs descriptive alt text. Decorative images should have alt="" (empty) so screen readers skip them.
Ensure keyboard navigation: all interactive elements must be reachable and operable via keyboard. Check that focus indicators are visible.
Maintain sufficient color contrast: WCAG AA requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Tools like WebAIM's contrast checker help verify this.
Support screen readers: use ARIA landmarks and roles where semantic HTML isn't enough. Test with VoiceOver (Mac), NVDA (Windows), or TalkBack (Android).
Provide captions and transcripts: all audio and video content needs captions. Transcripts should be available for audio-only content.
Design forms with accessibility in mind: every input needs an associated <label>. Error messages should be clear and programmatically associated with the input.
Accessibility and SEO
Many accessibility practices overlap with SEO best practices. Alt text helps screen readers and search engines understand images. Semantic HTML improves screen reader navigation and search engine indexing. Captions make video content accessible and indexable.
Google has stated that page experience — which includes accessibility factors — influences search rankings. An accessible site is inherently better optimized for search.
Testing your site for accessibility
Free tools can identify most accessibility issues:
WAVE (WebAIM): browser extension that highlights accessibility issues directly on your page.
axe DevTools: browser extension that runs accessibility audits and provides detailed fix guidance.
Lighthouse: built into Chrome DevTools, includes an accessibility audit section.
Manual testing: use your keyboard to navigate the entire site. Use a screen reader for a complete experience test. These manual checks catch issues automated tools miss.
Accessibility benefits everyone. A site that's accessible to people with disabilities is more usable for all users, performs better in search, and protects your business from legal risk.
Building a new website or redesigning an existing one? At Vynta we build accessible digital products that meet WCAG AA standards by default.