From 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act, or EAA for short, applies. This is a European law designed to ensure that products and services are accessible to people with disabilities. Many websites and online shops fall within its scope.
That may sound like a big job, but you still have roughly nine months. If you start now, you can work through it step by step. In this article you will read what the law involves, who it applies to and where to begin.
What is the European Accessibility Act?
The EAA is a European directive. Each EU country transposes it into its own national legislation. The aim is simple: everyone should be able to use certain products and services, including people with a visual, hearing, motor or cognitive impairment.
Think of someone who is blind and uses a screen reader. Or someone with a tremor who finds it hard to use a mouse. Temporary situations count too, such as a broken arm or bright sunlight on your phone screen.
For websites, the focus in practice is mainly on the European standard EN 301 549. This refers to the WCAG, which stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines: international guidelines for accessible websites. The level you usually need to meet is called AA. Keep an eye on the current Dutch rules, as the details can differ from country to country.
Does this apply to your website?
The law targets a number of consumer services. For you as a business owner, these are the most relevant:
- online shops and other services where you sell products or services online to consumers
- consumer banking services
- e-books and related software
- websites and apps for booking passenger transport
- telecommunications services
There is an exemption for microenterprises that provide services. These are businesses with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of up to 2 million euros. If you fall below those thresholds, you do not have to follow the rules for services.
Not sure whether your business is covered? Seek legal advice. We are not lawyers and cannot give you a binding answer on this.
Even if you are exempt, it is smart to get started. An accessible site reaches more people. Larger partners may also set requirements for the companies they work with.
What does accessible mean in practice?
The WCAG are built around four principles. Your site must be:
- Perceivable: visitors can see or hear the content. Think of sufficient contrast and alt text for images.
- Operable: you can use the site without a mouse, using only a keyboard.
- Understandable: texts, menus and forms are clear and predictable.
- Robust: the code works well with assistive technology such as screen readers.
Alt text is a short description of an image. A screen reader reads it aloud to people who cannot see the image. Good alt text says what is in the image and why that is relevant.
Contrast is the difference in colour between text and background. Light grey text on a white background may look sleek, but many people find it hard to read.
With forms, it comes down to clear labels. A label is the text that sits next to an input field, such as “Postcode”. Placeholder text that disappears as soon as you start typing is not a good label. People then forget what was being asked.
How to start: a calm step-by-step plan
You do not have to tackle everything at once. Work in this order:
- Choose your most important pages. Start with the homepage, your product pages and the checkout. This is where customers drop off or buy.
- Run an automated test. Free tools such as WAVE and Lighthouse (which is built into the Chrome browser) reveal many common errors.
- Test with your keyboard. Press the Tab key and move through the page. Can you see where you are? Can you reach all buttons and fields? Can you check out without a mouse?
- Make a list of issues. Note how serious they are and how many people they affect. A button that does not work with the keyboard is worse than a missing alt text on a decorative image.
- Fix issues at the source. Adjust your design and templates rather than every page individually. That way you do the work once and the whole site benefits.
- Make it part of your way of working. Check new pages, campaigns and features for accessibility straight away.
Be wary of plugins that promise to make your site accessible in one click. Such overlays often solve only part of the problem. The underlying errors remain. At most, treat them as a supplement, not a solution.
Automated tools also find only some of the issues. They cannot tell whether an alt text is actually accurate, or whether a form works logically. Manual testing remains necessary. Ideally, also test with a screen reader, such as NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac and iPhone.
A practical example
Suppose you run an online shop selling home accessories. You run Lighthouse and WAVE on the checkout and see a list of warnings. Then you pick up your keyboard.
You discover the following. The fields only have grey placeholder text and no label. The “Order” button is light grey on white and hard to see. When there is an error in the form, only a red border appears, with no explanation. With the Tab key, you cannot reach the delivery method option.
You tackle it in this order. First, you add a permanent label to each field. Then you darken the button so the contrast is good. Next, you add a short message to every error, such as “Enter a valid email address”. Finally, you make sure the delivery choice works with the keyboard.
This is not a major rebuild, and yet the checkout becomes usable for far more people. People with disabilities can now order independently. But customers who check out quickly on their phones also have less hassle.
Accessibility also boosts conversion
Accessibility feels like an obligation, but it touches on the same things as conversion optimisation. Conversion is the share of your visitors who do what you want them to, such as buying or filling in a form.
Consider these overlaps:
- Clear buttons with good contrast are found and clicked more quickly.
- Readable text at a comfortable size keeps visitors on your page for longer.
- Simple forms with clear labels and error messages lead to fewer abandoned orders.
- A logical heading structure helps visitors and search engines understand your page.
- Alt text gives images context, including for Google.
The great thing is that you only do this work once. You improve the experience for all visitors while working towards the requirements of the law at the same time.
Frequently asked questions
Does the EAA also apply to my small online shop?
That depends on your size. Microenterprises with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover or balance sheet total of up to 2 million euros are exempt for services. If you are larger, you should expect to need your site in order. If in doubt, have this checked legally.
Is a free test with WAVE or Lighthouse enough?
No, but it is a good start. Such tools find common errors, but not everything. So also test manually with your keyboard and, ideally, with a screen reader. That way you can see whether your site really works.
How long does it take to make my site accessible?
That varies from site to site. As a rule of thumb, a small website takes weeks and a large online shop with a lot of custom work takes months. So start in good time and tackle the most important pages first.
Book a free 30-minute introductory call
Want to know where your site stands right now? Book a free 30-minute introductory call with Adventio Marketing in Amersfoort. Together we will look at your most important pages and discuss which improvements will deliver the most. You will get an honest picture of what is needed, with no obligation.
That way you will be ready in time for June 2025 and get more out of your website straight away.
