What is WCAG Compliance? A Complete Guide for 2025

“WCAG Is Now the Global Standard for Digital Accessibility”

What is WCAG compliance? It's the process of making sure your website or app is accessible to everyone, including people with visual, hearing, mobility, or cognitive disabilities.

What began as technical guidance has now been incorporated into legislation. In 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) made it official across the EU. The law applies to everything from banking apps to e-commerce sites and transport platforms. To meet the EAA, companies must follow the WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards.

In the U.S., UK, and Canada, WCAG is part of the law. Section 508, the UK Equality Act, and AODA all use WCAG as their standard for digital accessibility. Non-compliance can result in legal action and reputational damage. 

If you're building a new site or fixing an old one, start with a WCAG audit. It’s the most practical way to check if your content meets legal requirements and works for everyone.

In this blog, you'll gain a detailed understanding of what WCAG compliance means, what's new in its 2.2 version, and how can you as a designer, developer, QA engineer or website owner, can meet the WCAG requirements.

This guide covers the essential requirements.

Key Takeaways

• WCAG compliance means your digital product meets accessibility guidelines for users with vision, hearing, mobility, or cognitive impairments.

• Most global accessibility laws, including the European Accessibility Act (EAA), Section 508 (US), AODA (Canada), and the UK Equality Act, are based on WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 Level AA.

• WCAG 2.2, released in 2023, added 9 new success criteria focused on mobile use, cognitive needs, and keyboard navigation, building on previous versions.

• The four POUR principles—i.e., perceivable, operable, understandable, and robustness are the foundation for all WCAG versions.

• Compliance levels A, AA, and AAA define how extensive your accessibility coverage is. Most legal standards expect Level AA.

• Design, content, QA, and product teams all have a role in accessibility. Buyers and procurement teams now expect VPATs and WCAG compliance in RFPs.

• Testing isn’t just automated. Use real devices, assistive tech, and keyboard flows. Accessibility must be part of your regular QA process.

• A final checklist helps you catch common gaps: alt text, captions, labels, contrast, keyboard support, form errors, and responsive layout.

• Test Evolve helps teams automate accessibility checks, test on real devices, and generate compliance reports, backed by QA engineers.

• If your site needs to meet EAA 2025 requirements, start with a WCAG audit now to avoid last-minute legal and technical risks.

What is WCAG Compliance?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

These technical standards ensure websites and applications are accessible to users with disabilities. That includes people who use screen readers, navigate without a mouse, or need stronger contrast to read text.

WCAG comes from the Web Accessibility Initiative at W3C. It’s not a law, but most accessibility laws rely on it. Here are some details:

WCAG and the Laws That Reference It: 

Region	Legal Requirement	Uses WCAG For...
United States	ADA, Section 508	Digital accessibility compliance
United Kingdom	Equality Act	Preventing discrimination online
Canada	AODA	Web accessibility for public content
European Union	European Accessibility Act (EAA)	Accessibility across key industries

WCAG Versions: 

Version	Release Year	Key Focus
WCAG 2.0	2008	Core accessibility principles
WCAG 2.1	2018	Support for mobile, low vision, cognition
WCAG 2.2	2023	More inclusive interaction and control

Whether termed 'compliance' or 'conformance', both indicate adherence to WCAG standards. If it doesn’t, it’s not accessible.

POUR: The 4 Principles Behind WCAG

WCAG is built on four basic rules, and they come from the web accessibility guidelines. These rules are to be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. This helps you design content that works for people using screen readers, keyboards, or any other way of navigating a site.

1. Perceivable: People need to find and understand what’s on the page. Use alt text, captions, and strong contrast so content still works if someone can’t see or hear everything.

2. Operable: Ensure multiple interaction methods are supported for all functionality.  Everything should work with just a keyboard or a voice command—no mouse required.

3. Understandable: Keep language simple. Use clear navigation. Labels and instructions should make it obvious how to complete tasks. If users make mistakes, help them recover easily.

4. Robust: Build content that works across devices, browsers, and assistive tech. A website's WCAG-compliant design should still function years from now, even as technology changes.

WCAG Versions: 2.0, 2.1, 2.2 & What’s Coming in WCAG 3

The web accessibility standards have changed over time to keep up with how people use the web on mobile devices, with assistive tech, or with different cognitive needs.

• WCAG 2.0 came out in 2008 and introduced the four POUR principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

• WCAG 2.1, released in 2018, added success criteria to support mobile use, users with low vision, and people with cognitive challenges.

• WCAG 2.2, finalised in 2023, continued that work. It includes updates like better focus visibility, simplified authentication, and clearer interaction targets.

All of these build on each other. If your site meets WCAG 2.2, it also meets 2.1 and 2.0 by default. 

WCAG standards will shift again with WCAG 3, currently in draft. It introduces a scoring model and broader approach, but it’s not ready for production use yet.

Unless specific legal requirements dictate otherwise, implementing the latest WCAG version provides broader accessibility coverage and reduces compliance risk.

What Do WCAG Levels A, AA, and AAA Actually Mean?

WCAG sets three levels for accessibility: A, AA, and AAA. Each one adds more rules to help more people access your content.

• Level A is the bare minimum. It covers obvious barriers, like missing alt text or websites that don’t work with just a keyboard.

• Level AA adds more coverage. Here you’ll have to provide readable contrast, clear form labels, and navigation that doesn’t confuse people. This is the level most accessibility codes & laws ask for in places like the U.S., the UK, and Europe.

• Level AAA pushes things further. Level AAA requirements include sign language interpretation for video content and enhanced form error prevention mechanisms.  It’s the highest bar, but also the hardest to meet on every page.

These levels came out with WCAG 2.0 and still apply to versions 2.1 and 2.2. Most teams aim for AA; it’s what the law expects and what users need most. AAA is a bonus if your site can support it.

What’s New in WCAG 2.2 for Accessibility Teams?

WCAG 2.2 introduced nine new success criteria. Several criteria address common implementation challenges, including inadequate focus visibility and authentication barriers for users with cognitive disabilities.

Key additions in WCAG 2.2 include: 

• Dragging Movements: Not everyone can drag something across a screen. If that’s how your UI works, 2.2 says you need to offer a simpler way, like clicking instead.

• Focus Not Obscured: People who use a keyboard to move through your site need to see where they are. That visible outline, usually a border or glow around links and buttons, must stay in view. It can’t get covered by sticky headers, pop-ups, or other content.

• Accessible Authentication:  Logging in shouldn’t feel like solving a riddle. Authentication methods should not rely on CAPTCHAs that are incompatible with screen readers or memory-dependent security questions. Give users a way to log in that doesn’t rely on memory alone.

These changes focus on people with low vision, cognitive disabilities, and anyone using a keyboard or touchscreen. Organisations currently compliant with WCAG 2.0 or 2.1 can build upon existing implementations to achieve 2.2 compliance. 2.2 builds on what’s already there. You just need to cover the new rules.

The accessibility standards are getting better at solving real problems. The sooner your site is WCAG compliant, the fewer users you leave behind.

What the European Accessibility Act Means for Websites in 2025?

Starting June 28, 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will require many businesses to meet strict accessibility compliance standards. It applies to both government sites and private companies.

If you’re in the EU and offer digital services in sectors like e-commerce, banking, telecom, transport, ticketing, or e-books, this law applies to you. It includes everything from websites and mobile apps to software and self-service terminals.

To comply, your digital product must meet EN 301 549, a technical standard that maps directly to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That means your website needs to support keyboard navigation, screen readers, colour contrast, and other core requirements from WCAG 2.

Whether you’re building something new or updating what you already have, now’s the time to prepare. Accessibility is no longer a good practice; it's now a legal requirement in the EU region.

Which Countries Use WCAG in Their Accessibility Laws?

WCAG is a benchmark most countries use in their internet accessibility standards. Whether it’s written into law or referenced in audits, WCAG defines how websites should work for people with disabilities.

Here’s how different regions align their laws with WCAG:

Region	Law	WCAG Version	Required Level
USA	ADA, Section 508	2.0 / 2.1	AA
UK	Equality Act 2010	2.1	AA
Canada	AODA	2.0	AA
Australia	Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)	2.0+	Strongly Advised
India	RPwD Act	Based on WCAG	Not Always Specified

In the U.S., ADA web compliance usually means following WCAG 2.1 AA, mainly for public-facing websites and federal contractors. The same goes for Canada, where AODA formally requires WCAG 2.0 AA. In the UK and EU, the law points to WCAG 2.1 AA as the minimum standard.

Australia and India don’t enforce a specific version by law, but WCAG is still the reference point for most legal actions and government policies. If your site serves users in more than one country, aligning to WCAG 2.2 AA now will cover you for nearly every current law and most future ones too.

Who Actually Needs to Worry About WCAG Compliance?

If you work in UX, content, QA, product, or legal, you have a role to play in accessibility. Here’s how:

• Designers need to think about color contrast and focus states.

• Writers need to use clear, consistent language. 

• QA teams should integrate accessibility testing into their standard validation processes instead of waiting until the product is developed.

• For product teams, accessibility is no longer a nice-to-have. In B2B deals, buyers often ask for VPATs, demand WCAG coverage in RFPs, or include accessibility in procurement checklists.

Following accessibility guidelines and standards like WCAG helps you avoid compliance issues, lawsuits, and losing a deal because your product didn’t meet the buyer’s accessibility requirements. 

WCAG Checklist to Use Before You Ship

You’ve covered the principles, the levels, and the latest updates. Here’s a final checklist your team can use to spot issues early before you claim WCAG certification or release a new feature.

Make your content usable by everyone:

• Add alt text to all images and icons

• Include captions or transcripts for audio and video

• Use readable fonts and text with clear contrast

• Avoid flashing elements and strict timeouts

Support non-mouse users:

• Ensure everything works with keyboard navigation alone

• Keep focus indicators visible at all times

• Let users complete actions without dragging or hovering

Structure and forms matter too:

• Use a proper heading order (H1 → H2 → H3)

• Label all form fields clearly and consistently

• Help users avoid or recover from input errors

Responsive design and comprehensive testing:

• Make sure content adapts across screen sizes

• Test on real browsers, devices, and screen readers

Test Evolve’s automated Axe accessibility checks run directly in your pipeline—no extra tools. It’s accessibility plus speed, built for your delivery workflow. Check it out today.

How Can You Achieve and Maintain WCAG Compliance in 2025?

Start with an audit. Use a mix of automated checks and manual testing to catch both obvious and hidden issues. Common accessibility defects such as inadequate focus indicators and missing form labels are often only detected through comprehensive testing with assistive technologies.

Fix what’s blocking accessibility. That includes adding alt text, supporting keyboard-only input, labelling forms, handling errors properly, and making sure users don’t rely on dragging or hovering to complete a task.

Test often. Use screen readers, zoom text, keyboard navigation, and other real-world flows. What works for a mouse user might break for others.

Track progress. Run regular scans, maintain issue logs, and keep documentation ready for audits or buyers. Teams doing this avoid last-minute delays when asked for accessibility evidence.

Where Does Test Evolve Fit In?

Test Evolve integrates accessibility into your delivery lifecycle. We help teams:

• Run Axe-powered scans as part of automated QA

• Test on real devices for screen reader and input issues

• Maintain logs aligned to accessibility guidelines

• Generate VPAT-style reports for buyers and legal teams

It’s built for teams that already care about performance, usability, and compliance, not just ADA developers, but product, QA, and design too. Integrate accessibility testing into your workflow, or check EAA compliance by requesting a free audit, and actual QA engineers (not just automation) will check the issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

• 1. What does it mean to be WCAG compliant?

  It means your website or app meets the official accessibility guidelines so people with vision, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities can use it. If your content works with screen readers, keyboards, and different devices, you're meeting real website compliance expectations.

• 2. Is WCAG a legal requirement in the US?

  While not explicitly mandated, WCAG serves as the de facto standard referenced in U.S. accessibility legislation. If you’re trying to meet 508 compliance requirements or avoid ADA lawsuits, following WCAG is how you do it. It’s the standard used in audits, lawsuits, and federal contracts.

• 3. What are the 4 principles of WCAG?

  They’re called POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. These principles help you build websites that work for everyone—including people who use screen readers or don’t use a mouse. They’re the foundation of good web page accessibility.

• 4. What happens if you are not WCAG compliant?

  If you're not WCAG compliant, you risk lawsuits, inaccessible user experiences, and lost revenue. In some countries, it's also a legal violation. Failing to meet ADA website accessibility standards can prevent users with disabilities from using your site or product.

• 5. How do I make my website WCAG compliant?

  Begin with a comprehensive audit combining automated tools and manual testing. Look for contrast issues, missing alt text, and broken keyboard flows. Then fix what the WCAG 2.1 AA checklist covers: focus states, form labels, navigation, and anything that blocks users with disabilities.

• 6. What is the most common WCAG failure?

  Missing alt text on images. Screen readers rely on it to describe visuals. Without it, blind users miss context. This violation significantly impacts screen reader functionality and represents one of the most frequent compliance failures.

• 7. What is the difference between ADA and WCAG?

  The ADA is a civil rights law that protects people with disabilities. WCAG is a set of technical rules for making websites accessible. Following WCAG helps you meet ADA support requirements, especially for digital services covered under U.S. law.

• 8. Which of the following is not an example of a WCAG principle?

  The four WCAG principles are Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Any other term (like “customisable”) is not a WCAG principle. These pillars define the foundation of accessibility across all platforms.

• 9. What disabilities does WCAG cover?

  WCAG covers a broad range of disabilities: visual, auditory, motor, speech, cognitive, learning, and neurological. The goal is to create content that works even with limited accessibility to traditional input and output methods.

• 10. Can you sue a website for not being ADA compliant?

  Yes. In the U.S., users have sued businesses under the ADA for inaccessible websites. ADA doesn’t name WCAG directly, but courts treat it as the standard. That’s why many use ADA compliance software to ensure they meet the requirements.

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