Prepare for European Accessibility Act 2025: How to adjust your website

As digital presence becomes more and more important for businesses, so do the demands on the accessibility of websites. From 2025, the new Accessibility Directive will enter into force, an initiative of the European Accessibility Act (EEA) aimed at making digital services more accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

What does the law say?
We are not lawyers, but our interpretation is as follows when it comes to websites and mobile applications:
Previously, the law has applied to government agencies and special private companies, for example in healthcare and transport. As of June 2025, we interpret that to mean that all websites and applications that target consumers will need to meet certain accessibility standards. However, some are excluded from the directives, such as micro-enterprises (fewer than 10 employees).
We advise you to read the new law in full here and make your own interpretation: Act (2023:254) on Accessibility.

Why is this positive?
Customizing your website according to the directive is not only a legal obligation; it also carries several benefits. First of all, it expands your potential customer base by making your site useful to a wider audience, including older individuals and people with various disabilities. This can lead to increased customer satisfaction and loyalty. Furthermore, website SEO (search engine optimization) improves as search engines, such as Google, prize websites that are accessible and user-friendly.

Concrete steps to customize your website:

• Alt-texts for images, etc.:
  Make sure that all images, videos, and audio files on your website havedescriptive alt texts. If the pictures are not descriptive, they should be marked asdecorative. This allows people who use screen readers to understand what is being displayed, even if they cannot see the content.
  Please also provide captioning and/or transcriptions of video content.
• Text size and readability:
  Use a large enough text size and reader-friendly fonts. It also allows users to adjust the text size themselves if necessary.‍
• Color Contrasts:
  Make sure that the text on your website has sufficient contrast against the background so that it is easy to read for people with visual impairments. Use tools such as WebAims contrast control to ensure your color choices are accessible.‍
• Navigation options:
  Create a clear and simple navigation structure. Use menus and internal links to help users easily find what they are looking for. If you have a large and complex website with many different navigation options, you should also have so-called “breadcrumbs”. It is a visualization of the link path and where somewhere in the hierarchy of the page structure you are located. An accessible website should also be navigable without a mouse, which will allow keyboard users to browse your website without any problems.
• Available forms:
  Forms should be logically structured, with clear instructions and labels attached to the respective input fields. This makes it easier for all users, especially those with cognitive difficulties, to understand how to fill them out.
• Responsive design:
  Make sure your website is responsive and works well on different devices and screen sizes, including mobiles and tablets. This not only improves the accessibility but also the overall user experience of your website.
• Testing for availability:
  To really make your website accessible, it's important to test it. Tests using tools such as Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools (WAI-tools) and feedback from actual users with disabilities are critical to detecting and fixing accessibility issues.

‍

By taking these steps, you create a more inclusive and positive experience for all your visitors. This is not only good for individuals; it is also good for business.
Want help with making your website accessible? Read more about our services or contact us today!