The European Accessibility Act (EAA) has, since June 2025, required a large share of digital services to meet certain minimum standards. It's tempting to treat it as paperwork, but anyone who does misses the business case, which is more compelling than the legal one.
What it means in practice
That anyone can use your website: someone browsing with a screen reader due to low vision, someone who can't use a mouse and navigates only with a keyboard, someone with reading-comprehension difficulties. It translates into very concrete things: sufficient contrast, images with alt text, properly labelled forms, navigation possible without a mouse.
The shortcut that doesn't work
There are widgets that promise instant accessibility with a floating button. The reality: they don't actually fix the underlying code (structure, badly built forms), and several companies that relied solely on one of these widgets have ended up fined, because the widget creates a false sense of compliance.
The argument that actually convinces
- It widens your real market: in Spain alone, over 4 million people live with some form of disability.
- It improves your SEO, because a good chunk of accessibility best practices (clear structure, correct hierarchy) are also good ranking practices.
- It improves the experience for everyone, not just people with a disability: good contrast and clear navigation also help on a phone screen in bright sunlight.
A serious audit combines automated scanning (which catches at most a third of real issues) with manual review following WCAG guidelines, and ends with code that's genuinely fixed, not just masked.
Who exactly does the law apply to?
The EAA mainly applies to e-commerce, banking, transport and essential services, though the spirit of the law (and the business case) applies just as well to any website. If you sell online or provide a service through your site, you're very likely within scope, and it's worth confirming rather than assuming "it doesn't apply to me."
Where do I start if my site meets none of this?
You don't need to fix everything at once: a proper audit prioritises barriers that completely block someone (say, a checkout form impossible to fill in with a keyboard) over minor improvements. Starting there gives visible results fast and avoids the most serious legal risk while you tackle the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Does my small website also have to comply with the law?
It depends on the type of service and the size of the business; there are certain exemptions for micro-businesses in some cases. Even so, the business case (bigger market, better SEO, better experience) applies regardless of size.
Does an "accessible" theme or template already guarantee compliance?
Not on its own. It helps as a foundation, but the content you add afterwards (images without alt text, low-contrast colours, inaccessible PDFs) can break accessibility just as easily.
How much does an accessibility audit cost?
It varies a lot depending on site size, but it's usually a fraction of the cost of a fine or of losing customers who can't use your website. It's an investment, not a one-off expense with no return.