Accessible Websites — Who Is Legally Required and What It Actually Means

Web accessibility was treated as an optional extra for a long time. With the German Accessibility Strengthening Act that changed for a portion of businesses, and many still don't know whether they're among them.

Who is affected

The law targets digital offerings aimed at consumers: online shops, booking systems, banking services, telecommunications and similar. A pure company presence with no sales or booking function generally falls outside it.

There is also an exemption for micro enterprises. If you employ fewer than ten people and stay below a certain annual turnover, services are not covered. If you're unsure whether that applies to you, have it checked legally. We're an agency, not a law firm.

What helps most in practice

• Contrast — text must stand out clearly from the background. Light grey on white looks elegant in mockups and is unreadable for many people in daily use.
• Keyboard operation — every function must be reachable without a mouse, with a visible marker showing where you currently are.
• Alt text — images need a description so screen readers can announce them. It helps image search as a side effect.
• Clear structure — a clean heading order replaces visual orientation for many users.
• Forms with real labels — placeholder text inside a field is not a label, and it disappears as soon as you type.

Why it's worth doing even without the obligation

Almost everything on that list improves the site for everyone: better readability, clearer structure, cleaner forms. Google already evaluates some of these points, and bounce rate drops noticeably.

If you're unsure where your website stands, we're happy to check the key points for you, free and without obligation.