WCAG 2.2 AA for Small Businesses: What to Fix First

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international standard for making websites usable by people with disabilities. They are published by the W3C. Version 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023.

WCAG has three conformance levels: A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the one most laws, public sector policies and contracts refer to. It covers the basics in level A plus a further set of important requirements.

The guidelines are built on four principles. Content must be:

• Perceivable – people can see or hear it, or get it in another form.
• Operable – people can navigate and use it, including by keyboard.
• Understandable – text and behaviour are clear and predictable.
• Robust – it works with assistive technology such as screen readers.

Often, yes, although the rules depend on where you operate and who you serve. In the US, website accessibility claims are commonly brought under the Americans with Disabilities Act. In the UK, the Equality Act 2010 requires service providers to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people. The European Accessibility Act has applied to many consumer-facing digital services in the EU since June 2025, with some exemptions for micro-enterprises.

This article is not legal advice. If you are unsure of your obligations, speak to a qualified adviser. Either way, an accessible site is easier for everyone to use, including older visitors and people on small screens.

You do not need to fix everything at once. Start with the issues that are common, easy to find and block people completely.

Colour contrast

Light grey text on white is one of the most common failures. Check your brand colours with a contrast checker. Buttons, form borders and icons also need 3:1 contrast against their background under criterion 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast.

Forms

Contact and quote forms are where accessibility problems cost you leads. Every field needs a visible label, not just placeholder text that disappears on typing. Errors should say what went wrong and how to fix it, in text, not only in red.

Keyboard access

Put your mouse aside and press Tab through your homepage. Can you reach the menu, open dropdowns, close pop-ups and submit the form? Cookie banners and chat widgets often trap keyboard users.

WCAG 2.2 keeps almost everything from 2.1 and adds new success criteria. One old criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing, was removed as obsolete. The new criteria at levels A and AA are:

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA – a focused element must not be completely hidden by sticky headers, footers or cookie banners.
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA – anything that needs dragging, such as a slider, must also work with a simple click or tap.
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA – clickable targets should be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough spacing, with some exceptions.
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A – help options such as a phone number or chat link appear in the same place across pages.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A – do not make people re-enter information they already gave in the same process.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA – logins should not rely on memory or puzzle tests alone; allow password managers and paste.

For most small business sites, the sticky header, target size and consistent help criteria are the ones most likely to need attention.

Automated tools catch only part of the problem, so combine them with simple manual checks.

1. Run an automated scan. Use WAVE, axe DevTools or the accessibility audit in Chrome Lighthouse on your key templates: homepage, a service page, a blog post and the contact page.
2. Do a keyboard test. Tab through each page. Check the focus is always visible and never hidden behind a sticky bar.
3. Zoom to 200%. Text should remain readable and content should not be cut off.
4. Try a screen reader. NVDA is free on Windows. VoiceOver is built into macOS and iOS. Listen to how your menu, headings and forms are announced.
5. Check on a phone. Make sure buttons and links are large enough to tap accurately.
6. Record and prioritise. Log issues in a simple list by page, criterion and severity.

Formal software testing can include accessibility checks so new releases do not reintroduce old problems.

Overlay widgets promise to make a site accessible with one line of code. They cannot fix underlying problems such as poor heading structure, unlabelled forms or inaccessible custom components. Many disabled users and accessibility specialists find they get in the way. Fixing the site itself is the more reliable route.

• Build accessibility into your design system: colours, focus styles, button sizes and form patterns.
• Train content editors to write alt text, use headings properly and write descriptive links.
• Check new plugins, widgets and embeds before adding them.
• Re-test key templates after each redesign or major update.
• Publish an accessibility statement with a way for people to report problems.

Good UI/UX design makes this far easier, because accessible patterns are set once and reused everywhere.

We review sites against WCAG 2.2 AA, prioritise the fixes that matter most and build them into your templates rather than bolting them on. Start with a website audit or contact us to talk through your site.