The deadline is coming up soon and many websites have to be accessible. So let's do a test. "87% compliant" - sounds good, doesn't it? We thought so too at first. Until we took a closer look. Because web accessibility is not about pretty percentages or colorful traffic lights. It's about clear legal requirements, real usability and ultimately about people.
When the Accessibility Reinforcement Act (BFSG ) comes into force on June 28, 2025, many websites will no longer be able to say "it'll be fine". Now it's either comply or take the risk - including fines and complaints if the requirements are not met and/or information obligations are not met.
As an agency for website accessibility: So what have we been doing over the last few weeks?
In short: spruced up websites. Or to put it more honestly:
We've marched through many a CSS, HTML and JavaScript wilderness with a digital red pen. And websites also had to adapt and expand their content.
From 55% to 100% accessibility: this is what it looks like in practice
Want an example? This is how a current project started for a care provider:
55% compliance ... and this for a site aimed at older people and relatives.
After targeted measures: 100% compliant and certified
And this is not an isolated case. In the last few weeks, we have certified sites for, among others:
- AWO Müritz
- several care and social services
- a manufacturer of high-end water cooling systems
- Doctors and dental practices
- housing associations
- two online stores
... to 100% accessibility.
What do we actually do as an agency?
Quite a lot - and above all: correctly and comprehensibly.
- Adjusting contrasts so that texts are really legible
- Making links and buttons usable for screen readers and keyboards
- Add ARIA labels (where they were previously missing)
- Tidy up heading structures (yes, h1 to h6 in the correct order - not rocket science, but often neglected)
- Add alternative texts for images (for a project with over 700!)
- Design forms so that they also understand assistive technologies
- Integrate plug-ins for additional accessibility aids
- Implement plain language for complex content
- Create an accessibility statement (legally required, but often forgotten)
And at the end? There are no nice promises, but hard results - documented, certified and traceable:
Analysis tools? Of course we use them. But that alone is not enough.
We rely on two professional testing tools that check the websites according to the requirements of WCAG 2.2. We rely on AccessibilityChecker.org and AccessScan. It is almost the only way to obtain objective data for hundreds of subpages. Without such testing tools, it would be impossible to properly identify technical and design barriers.
But: No tool can replace common sense and clean manual work. After all, the best values are of little use if your visitors still can't reach their destination with screen readers and the like. Some manual tests are also necessary.
And the business benefit?
Quite simply:
- Legal security (BFSG: check mark)
- Better usability for everyone
- Greater reach: older users or people with disabilities are also reached
- SEO effects included (PageSpeed & Core Web Vitals often benefit automatically)
- And a nice side effect: Google loves clean, accessible sites
Imagine that your target customers, due to their age (Silver Surver ;-)), are using a browser with a scaling of 150 percent for better recognizability of websites and texts. It is therefore more than conceivable that Google prefers to present websites that are also accessible in search queries in order to provide the best user experience for the searcher.
Accessibility 2025: mandatory? Yes. Annoying? Sure! But also a damn good opportunity.
We have analyzed and optimized countless websites in recent weeks.
And we realized that no website is truly barrier-free. But almost every one can be. We'll help you too and get to work.
Is this what your current accessibility looks like ... 568 issues?
Or more like this?
Now it's time to do something.
Why not check your website yourself: AccessibilityChecker.org or AccessScan show you quickly (without registration) and free of charge what your current situation is. The scan only includes the start page in the free test.
If you see more red than green in the results, there's no need to panic. We'll make your website fit. So that it looks like this afterwards:
No blah blah blah. No expensive analysis sheets for four-figure sums. Instead: clear implementation, comprehensible documentation, certificate. So that you are not only compliant, but can also be proud of your site because it really helps people. And if you want to find out how much it costs, we have a comprehensive blog article on the costs of website accessibility (audit, implementation, prices).
Want to know what to do with your site? Write to us. The initial analysis with full scan is free of charge. You can also find more information on how we implement accessibility for websites on our landing page linked in this sentence.
Contact us now or send an email directly to info@4eck-media.de