What Is WCAG 2.1 AA and How Can You Make Your Website Compliant?
What Is WCAG 2.1 AA?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA are the international gold standard for making websites accessible to people with disabilities. Published by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), these guidelines help ensure that websites can be used by everyone — including people with visual, auditory, physical, speech, cognitive, language, learning, and neurological disabilities.
Why WCAG 2.1 AA Matters
- Legal compliance: Many countries, including the US (ADA), UK (Equality Act), and EU, require adherence to WCAG standards.
- Better user experience: Accessibility improvements often benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.
- SEO benefits: Search engines reward websites that are well-structured and easy to navigate.
The Four Core Principles of WCAG
WCAG is built around four main principles, often remembered by the acronym POUR:
- Perceivable – Information and interface must be presented in ways users can perceive.
- Provide text alternatives for non-text content (e.g., alt text for images).
- Offer captions for videos.
- Operable – Interface components and navigation must be usable.
- Ensure all functionality is available via keyboard.
- Provide enough time for users to read and interact with content.
- Understandable – Information and operation must be clear and intuitive.
- Use plain language.
- Make navigation consistent.
- Robust – Content must be compatible with assistive technologies.
- Use clean HTML markup.
- Avoid elements that can break in different browsers or screen readers.
How to Achieve WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance
- Run an accessibility audit using automated tools and manual testing.
- Fix high-impact issues first (color contrast, missing alt text, keyboard navigation).
- Train your team on accessibility best practices.
- Document your accessibility efforts to demonstrate compliance.
Final Tip
Accessibility is not a one-time project — it’s an ongoing commitment. Regular reviews will help you stay compliant as technology and standards evolve.