Accessible website:
A must for every company from 2025?

• Colors and contrasts must also be suitable for people with visual impairments
• Texts must be able to be read aloud by screen readers
• Navigation using the keyboard must be possible

The BFSG aims to ensure that these requirements become the standard on the web. This development is an opportunity for you to contribute to making the digital world fairer and more user-friendly – and to strengthen the potential of your brand at the same time.

The Accessibility Improvement Act (BFSG)

The BFSG, which will come into force in June 2025, is intended to regulate accessibility for digital products and services in the EU in a binding manner. From this date, companies that offer electronic services will have to make their websites accessible. Among other things, this means that products in online stores must be accessible to all customers, contact forms must be set up in such a way that people with disabilities also have the opportunity to make contact and information must be understandable and accessible. This should improve access to digital services for people with disabilities.

Which websites and companies are affected?

The BFSG applies to:

• Companies in the public sector (e.g. authorities, educational institutions)
• Banks, e-commerce websites, travel and transportation providers
• Providers of digital products and services, such as apps, online stores and booking portals

However, companies with fewer than 10 employees and an annual turnover of no more than 2 million euros that offer services are not affected by the law. But even if you are not affected by the BFSG, you should make your website accessible. Find out why here. (Insert link to paragraph xy here)

How do I make my website accessible?

The following requirements are anchored in the Accessibility Assurance Act:

• Compliance with WCAG 2.1 at level AA
• Ensuring usability with various technologies (e.g. screen readers)
• Provision of alternative solutions if technical accessibility cannot be fully guaranteed

But what exactly does that mean?

Let’s remind ourselves of the principles of WCAG: the website should be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. These requirements should be implemented at various levels.

The technical level:

• Semantic HTML: Use clear and meaningful HTML elements to define the structure of your website.
• ARIA roles: These attributes help screen readers to recognize the purpose of certain elements if this is not already apparent from the HTML code
• Keyboard navigation: Make sure that all functions can also be operated without a mouse.
• Avoid automatic playback of videos or audio: Users should be able to select and control playback themselves.
• Compatibility with assistive technologies: The website should be compatible with screen readers, magnification software and other assistive technologies.

The design level:

• Contrasts and colors: Choose colors with high contrast that stand out clearly from one another. Pay particular attention to a good contrast between text and background to improve readability.
• Font and font size: Choose a font that is easy to read and, above all, scalable.
• Responsive design: Your website should be accessible and equally usable on all devices. Whether smartphone or desktop – make sure that the content of your website adapts to the screen size.

The content level:

• Alternative texts: Also helps with search engine findability: Describe your images and graphics in the alt texts so that they can be interpreted by a screen reader.
• Simple language: We understand if you want to make your expertise clear on your website – but talking in technical jargon should not be the method of choice. Write your content in simple language and make it clear and understandable.

Why you should focus on digital accessibility, even if you are not affected by the BFSG

Online accessibility should also play a role for those of us who are not affected by the BFSG. Not only should it be important to us from a moral point of view to make our own content accessible to everyone, but we also benefit from it. Because optimizing the website for accessibility also means making optimizations with regard to search engine findability. First of all, all the “aids” you use on your website to make it more readable for screen readers also help Google to better understand your content. Furthermore, an accessible website design leads to a better user experience for all users. A good user experience also ensures that users stay on your website longer and are more likely to choose from a selection of different website offers in the future. And this also contributes to your Google ranking.

Conclusion

Accessibility is not only a legal obligation, but also an opportunity to make your website more attractive for all users. Not only are you expanding your target group by making your website accessible to people with disabilities, but you are also improving the user experience for people without disabilities and doing something for the website’s Google ranking at the same time. We therefore say: It’s worth investing in the accessible design of your website.

Sources:

Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs: Here you will find current information on the BFSG and other resources on accessibility.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): The W3C is responsible for the development of web standards, including the WCAG.

Federal Government Commissioner for People with Disabilities: The Commissioner provides information and support for people with disabilities and can give valuable insights into current developments.

Gehirngerecht Digital: A blog that deals with the topic of accessibility and inclusion.Inviqa: A software development company with a blog that also deals with accessibility.

A11y: A platform with numerous accessibility resources.

WebAIM: An organization that promotes web accessibility and offers many helpful tools.