7 October 2026
Accessibility isn't a cost. It's more customers.
Accessibility often gets treated as a compliance job: something you have to do, that costs money and slows a project down. I see it the other way round. An accessible website is one that more people can use, and more people using your website means more customers.
The numbers back this up. According to the government's Family Resources Survey (opens in new tab), one in four people in the UK were disabled in 2024 to 2025. And the Click-Away Pound survey (opens in new tab) estimated in 2019 that UK businesses lost £17.1 billion a year because disabled customers left websites they found too difficult to use.
Most of those customers don't complain. They just leave, and you never find out why.
What WCAG 2.2 AA actually means
WCAG stands for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Level AA of version 2.2 is the international sweet spot: the standard that makes sure your website can be used by everyone, including people with sight loss, hearing loss, cognitive differences or difficulty using their hands.
The easiest way to think about it is building regulations for the web. A physical shop has ramps, clear signs and wide doorways so everyone can get in and find what they need. WCAG does the same job for your website.
It isn't there to restrict your design. It's there so everyone gets the same experience, and nobody is shut out of any part of your content.
Who benefits? Everyone, including you
Accessibility is often framed as something you do for disabled people. It is, but the benefits go much further.
Clear text helps people reading on a phone in bright sunlight. Good keyboard support helps anyone with a broken wrist. Plain, well-structured content helps people reading in a second language, and people who are simply in a hurry.
And it helps your business. A website that works for everyone means more people see all of your content, your products and your ideas, and get to know your brand. That builds trust, and when people are ready to buy, it makes it far more likely they'll buy from you.
What I've seen it do
I've spent a lot of time working with the accessibility team at HMRC. Over that time I've seen many services improve because designers worked closely with that team, testing and refining until people with all kinds of access needs could use them.
The result isn't just a pass mark on an audit. It's people being able to claim the support they're entitled to, give HMRC an accurate picture of their tax, and do what's asked of them without needing someone else's help.
Your website probably isn't asking people to file a tax return. But the principle is exactly the same: if someone can't use it, they can't do business with you.
Five things to check on your website today
You don't need specialist tools to spot the most common problems. Try these:
- Contrast. Is your text easy to read against its background? Pale grey text on white is one of the most common failures. A free contrast checker will tell you if it passes.
- Keyboard. Put your mouse away and press Tab. Can you reach every link, button and form field, and can you always see where you are on the page?
- Link wording. Do your links say where they go? "Click here" and "Read more" mean nothing to someone using a screen reader to jump between links.
- Form labels. Does every form field have a visible label that stays in place, rather than grey text inside the box that disappears when you start typing?
- Zoom. Zoom your browser to 200%. Does everything still fit and work, or does text get cut off and overlap?
If any of these fail, your website is turning customers away right now.
Build it in, don't bolt it on
The most reliable way to get accessibility right is to test with real people throughout the project, including people with different access needs.
At the design stage, ideally with a prototype, you can test the patterns and content: do people understand what's in front of them, and can they use it? Problems found here are quick to fix, because nothing has been built yet.
At the development stage, you test the real website with people who rely on well-built, accessible code to get around, such as screen reader and keyboard users. They'll find the problems no checklist can.
Leave it until the end and you're unpicking finished work. Build it in from the start and it simply becomes part of how the website is made.
The short version
- WCAG 2.2 AA is building regulations for your website: it makes sure nobody is shut out.
- One in four people in the UK are disabled, and most won't tell you when your website fails them.
- Accessible websites work better for everyone, and that builds trust and sales.
- Test with real people from the start, not as a fix at the end.
Every website I build meets WCAG 2.2 AA from day one. If you'd like to know how your current website measures up, get in touch.