The European Accessibility Act is now in effect and why everyone benefits from an accessible website

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Does your website offer products or services? Then it must be accessible according to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) has been in force, and the ACM (Authority for Consumers & Markets) oversees compliance. From this date onward, the ACM actively monitors accessibility.

If the ACM contacts you regarding your website’s accessibility, you will first receive a warning along with clear information about what needs to be improved. Enforcement follows in cases of continued non-compliance.

So the question is no longer whether your website is accessible, but what you are doing about it right now. An accessible website serves the widest possible audience and that’s exactly what the internet needs.

For various organisations, including governmental institutions, it is mandatory to publicly document the extent to which their website meets accessibility requirements (WCAG guidelines). This includes identifying which parts of the website are not yet accessible. Such an accessibility statement outlines non-compliant elements and the measures planned to address them.

Accessibility is not just for people with disabilities

When people hear about web accessibility, they often think only of solutions for users with disabilities. While that’s true, it’s also much more than that. In reality, everyone benefits from an accessible website.

Accessibility is about understanding the needs of all users, removing barriers, and fostering empathy and awareness for the enormous diversity of people online. Real people, like you and me, but also people with permanent, temporary, or situational impairments. The latter can be something as simple as holding a child with one arm while trying to look something up with the other.

Different types of impairments call for creative solutions

Some users have difficulty using a mouse or touchscreen. For them, navigating via keyboard is essential and in practice, this is useful for anyone who wants to navigate quickly, efficiently, or hands-free. Try using the tab and shift-tab keys on your own website. Can you reach all interactive elements? Is it clear where the focus is? These are fundamental components of WCAG.

An accessible website is also crucial for people with visual impairments. In the Netherlands, 2–3% of people have low vision, and 3–4% are colour-blind (among men even 8%). That’s why contrast, readability and alternative navigation methods are so important. Many users rely on screen readers such as VoiceOver, Windows Narrator, NVDA or JAWS. This requires careful coding and clear content.

There are also assistive technologies like high-contrast modes, zoom functions and braille displays. For these users, these are not “nice to haves”, they are essential tools for participating in digital life, all the way down to something as routine as booking a well-deserved vacation.

Accessibility and SEO often go hand in hand

Well-structured websites use HTML landmarks and a logical heading structure (H1–H6). This helps screen readers create an outline that guides users through the page. At the same time, a strong heading structure helps search engines better understand your content. Accessibility and SEO go hand in hand.

The same applies to alt text for images. Alt text helps users with impairments understand what is shown but also helps search engines index your content. Even though Google is improving its AI-based recognition, a good alt text remains valuable.

Video content is also becoming increasingly important. Subtitles and transcripts are essential for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. And for people sensitive to motion, the browser setting “prefers-reduced-motion” is a lifesaver. As a website owner, you respect this preference by reducing animations and offering alternatives.

Good accessibility isn’t just ethical, it also makes your website easier to find and more enjoyable for everyone.

A well-designed accessible website

Accessible design isn’t just about readability, it’s also about clarity and comfort. Think about font sizes, white space, letter and line spacing, and avoiding jargon. Not only people with dyslexia benefit from this, it improves the experience for all users.

Place the core of your message as early as possible in a sentence. A good website is not only about how it looks or how responsive it is, but about the reach and inclusivity of the audience it serves.

Accessibility is never finished

Improving accessibility (and performance) is not a one-time action. It’s teamwork involving content creators, copywriters, developers, testers, marketers and analysts. Together, we carry responsibility for the long-term performance and accessibility of our websites.