Under the European Accessibility Act (EAA), businesses across Europe are required to ensure their websites, among other digital services, are made accessible to users with disabilities. In 2023, this demographic made up 27% of the adult EU population – a considerable share of the market to say the least, yet often underserved. Failing to make your website accessible is thus failing to accommodate nearly a third of your potential customer base. So, whether you’re just starting out and want to put your best foot forward, or you’re an old hand looking to make some adjustments, let this article serve as your go-to guide for EAA web design.
What is the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is a directive that was introduced by the European Union (EU) in 2019 with the aim of standardising and improving the trade of accessible products and services across EU member states. In other words, EU member states need to ensure businesses that trade under their jurisdiction (with very few exceptions) realise the directive’s aims, and do so before the June 2025 deadline.
Member states do have some flexibility in how the directive is implemented, for example, when it comes to deciding on legal penalties for non-compliance. However, the idea is that the outcome is the same across all EU countries.
While the EAA does relate to both physical and digital products and services, digital technologies have become the primary focus of EAA compliance in recent years, in no small part due to their impressive rise and economic significance.
Free EAA Compliance Audit of your Website
Detecting EAA Compliance issues has never been easier than it is now. At Recite Me we offer a free audit of your websites homepage. This will identify and highlight any non-compliance on your website as it relates to the European Accessibility Act and WCAG. Followed by recommendations on how to implement the necessary changes to improve your websites accessibility score and standing.
Which organisations does the European Accessibility Act apply to?
The EAA applies broadly to every EU business with 10 and more employees or an annual turnover exceeding €2,000,000. Even if your organisation is based outside of the EU, so long as it trades with, or within, EU member states, you must comply with the EAA.
If your organisation meets these thresholds, your website must comply with EAA requirements, else you risk facing legal action. This extends to both private and public entities. So, whether you’re running an e-commerce store, an educational platform, or a government service website, make sure you’re clued up on EAA web design and the regulations that govern it.
The importance of WCAG in EAA web design
When it comes to web design, the EAA is very clear in its aim: all website content and elements should be made accessible for those with visual, hearing, or motor impairments. But how do member states go about achieving this aim?
The vast majority of them use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) — an internationally-recognised set of digital accessibility standards — to provide specific criteria on what is deemed accessible and what is not. Think of WCAG as the gold standard of web accessibility that underpins more overarching laws like the EAA.
These guidelines are built on four core principles, called the POUR principles, which outline four key aspects of accessibility:
- Perceivable – Ensure all users can perceive content (e.g., by providing text alternatives for images).
- Operable – Make content usable through various input methods like keyboards or voice commands.
- Understandable – Present content in a clear, predictable, and logical format.
- Robust – Ensure compatibility with current and future assistive technologies.
From these principles, WCAG prescribes specific requirements on how to make web content accessible. These requirements differ across varying WCAG versions and compliance levels, but businesses that fall under the EAA’s remit should follow WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
How to design a website for EAA compliance
Setting out to design a website from scratch is no small ask. Add on the fact that you need to make it EAA-compliant too, and things can get overwhelming fast. But focusing on the most common accessibility issues first can make the process more manageable. These are the low-hanging fruits of accessible web design, and here are actionable steps you can take to address them.
1. Alt text for images
Alt text is a written description of an image’s contents. It is typically embedded in an image’s code so that screen readers can interpret the text and read it aloud to its users, allowing them to perceive the purpose of said image without actually seeing it.
Crucially, alt text descriptions should be meaningful, concise, and jargon-free. For example, an image of a woman using a laptop in a coffee shop might have the following alt text description: “A woman with glasses typing on a laptop at a small table in a cosy coffee shop, with a steaming cup of coffee beside her”.
This description uses imagery to effectively illustrate the contents of the image, without overwhelming the user with unnecessary words. Note that any images intended purely as decorative fixtures will need to make it known to screen readers by displaying null alt attributes (alt=””).
2. Clear colour contrast
Use contrasting colours for text and its background. This enhances readability for those with visual impairments, while making it easier for all users to distinguish between different website elements. To remain compliant with the EAA, ensure a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal-sized text and 3:1 for large text.
3. Keyboard navigation
Making sure your website is keyboard navigable means ensuring all web pages and web elements can be reached without a mouse, using keyboard functions like ‘tab’ and ‘Enter’ to do so. This is highly beneficial for users with motor impairments or those relying on assistive technology like keyboard emulators.
4. Form fields
Accessible form fields are those which are properly labelled, telling the user exactly what data should be inputted where. As well as aid users with cognitive disabilities, correctly labelled form fields help screen readers users too. Required fields and error messages should have clear instructions, relying not just on colour or symbols, but relevant text too.
5. Accessible video content
Include text-based alternatives for videos so that users with hearing impairments can still understand the essence of video content. Likewise, consider using audio descriptions to support users who are blind or visually impaired. These are used to describe visual details so that users who might not be able to view the content can still follow along. To comply with the EAA, businesses must provide accurate captions for all pre-recorded video content, with audio descriptions available for key visual elements.
6. Descriptive link text
Link text should describe accurately its intended destination. For example, “Download our guide” could be used instead of “Click here”, as it avoids ambiguous phrasing, providing more context for screen reader users to better navigate your site.
7. Mobile accessibility
Use responsive design to ensure your online content adapts to various screen sizes and make touch targets at least 44×44 pixels in size. This ensures everyone, including those with limited dexterity, can interact easily with your content via their mobile phones.
8. Assistive technology compatibility
Ensuring your website works well with screen readers, voice control software, and other assistive technologies is a large part of making your site accessible. To do this, ensure all other accessible design strategies are in place, like alt text and descriptive links, then test how the technologies respond to your site. Address any shortfalls as and when they arise.
9. Readable fonts
While they might look aesthetic, decorative fonts can be difficult to read, and what’s the point of using a nice font if no one can understand what is being written. Instead, opt for clear, legible fonts like Arial or Verdana and ensure a minimum font size of 12pt.
10. PDF accessibility
Ensure PDF accessibility by making your documents readable and navigable for users with disabilities. This includes the proper use of HTML tags, a logical reading order, and selectable text, among other things.
Download your free EAA Compliance Checklist
Want to make sure your website is compliant with the European Accessibility Act? Then get started today with our EAA checklist. This document details all of the important steps you need to take to ensure your website is EAA compliant before the deadline. Work through each step to avoid the negative consequences of being non-compliant.
What are the risks of not designing for EAA web compliance?
Failing to take the above strategies into account when designing your website puts you at risk of EAA non-compliance. As a result, you could soon find yourself looking down the barrel of one or more lawsuits, wasting time that should be spent growing your business on putting out legal fires. This section unpacks the main risks associated with EAA non-compliance.
Legal penalties
The first, and probably the most obvious, risk of EAA non-compliance is legal penalties. Legal penalties for neglecting the EAA come in a range of different shapes and sizes and vary from country to country. For example, in Ireland fines can reach up to €60,000 and perpetrators could face 18 months imprisonment. In Spain, fines tend to fall somewhere between €5,000 and €300,000.
Missed business opportunities
An inaccessible website alienates potential customers, particularly disabled customers, who make up a huge segment of the market today. By excluding them, you risk losing them as potential customers along with their patronage and loyalty. Lost customers often don’t go far, taking their buying power to more inclusive competitors.
Reputational damage
Consumers increasingly value inclusivity. Failure to prioritise accessibility could therefore harm your brand’s reputation, deterring future customers from supporting your business and eroding away at the loyalty of existing ones.
Higher development costs later
Retroactively fixing accessibility issues after a costly lawsuit is inevitably more expensive than building a compliant website from the outset. Think of proactive compliance as a cost-saving strategy.
Tools to help audit and maintain EAA web design best practices
So, you’ve built an accessible, EAA-compliant website. Great. But designing your website is only the first piece of the puzzle. The website now needs to be maintained, ensuring accessibility is upheld after every little regulation update, website adjustment, or content upload.
The Recite Me accessibility checker is a powerful tool that helps you do just this. It conducts rapid scans of your website’s code, quickly identifying any features that do not comply with WCAG. It then synthesises the results in a concise report, offering actionable guidance on how to address each issue. You can even access your audit history, which serves as a visual representation of the progress you’ve made.
With tools like this, you can ensure your website remains inclusive and compliant, meeting both legal requirements and user needs.
Need More Help Becoming EAA Compliant?
The following resources are packed full of actionable tips and expert advice for making your digital content compliant with the European Accessibility Act:
European Accessibility Checklist
Start ticking off European Accessibility Act requirements and ensure your organisation is compliant to avoid the risks.
European Accessibility Act Guide
Ensure your organisation is meeting the necessary requirements for European Accessibility Act compliance.
Free EAA Audit of your Website
Download a free accessibility check of your website. This report will highlight any EAA non-compliance and how to fix it.
