More than 260,000 websites in Europe were recently checked for accessibility.
Is there sufficient contrast between the text and the background?
Have alt texts been added to the images?
Does the website have a clear navigation structure?
…
It is fair to say that the results of this test are worrying. For Belgium, where 7,408 pages were assessed, a whopping 94% were found to be out of order. This is particularly worrying with the European Accessibility Act approaching, which will be introduced on 28 June 2025. That law sets strict requirements for accessibility and organisations that fail to comply can expect hefty fines.
Why is an accessible website so important?
In Europe, over 100 million people, equivalent to one in four adults, have some form of disability. To ensure that even these people feel confident in the digital age, we need to work on website accessibility. Improving accessibility is thus not only a legal requirement, but also an opportunity to ensure that everyone can keep up with today's digital society.
Most common problems
Regardless of the country, there are some notable recurring problems to note. Avoiding these common pitfalls not only ensures a better experience for users with disabilities, but also improves the overall usability of your website. The good news? Many of these problems are relatively easy to solve by people with knowledge.
Colour contrast
A lack of sufficient colour contrast between text and background makes content difficult to read, especially for people with visual impairments (partially sighted, colour-blind...). Here are some tips to improve colour contrast:
Ensure a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for plain text and 3:1 for large text (such as headings).
Avoid combinations such as red and green or blue and yellow, as these can be difficult for colour-blind people to distinguish.
Preferably choose dark text on a light background or vice versa, and avoid pastel shades on a white background.
Use tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to test whether your colours meet accessibility guidelines.
Image Alt text
Images without alternative text (alt text) leave users with screen readers in the dark about the content of visual elements. Always add alt text to your images, which describes the meaning of an image. This is important not only for accessibility, but also for SEO, as Google is ‘blind’, so to speak, and uses alt-texts to understand the content of images.
Button name
Buttons like ‘click here’ provide no context. Make your links recognisable, so users know where they are being led.
Page Language
If the <html> element does not have a long attribute, tools such as screen readers do not know what language the page is using. This can lead to a poor user experience. Always set the language correctly.
Now is the time!
June 2025 is getting closer and it is clear that Europe still has a long way to go. Want to know if your website meets accessibility standards?
Then get in touch with us!
Ps: Since 2024, we are recognised Wix accessibility experts!
