How to Make Your Website Accessible: A WCAG 2.2 Quick-Start (2026)
Originally published at https://designtocodes.com on September 11, 2026.
How do you make a website accessible?
To make your website accessible, follow the four WCAG principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. In practice: add descriptive alt text to images, ensure strong color contrast, make everything usable by keyboard, label every form field, and use clear headings and semantic HTML. These basics cover the majority of real-world accessibility issues. Here is the quick-start.
The four principles (POUR)
| Principle | Means | Example fix |
|---|---|---|
| Perceivable | People can perceive content | Alt text, captions, contrast |
| Operable | People can operate the UI | Keyboard access, visible focus |
| Understandable | Content and UI are clear | Plain language, labeled forms |
| Robust | Works with assistive tech | Semantic, valid HTML |
1: descriptive alt text
Every meaningful image needs alt text describing its content or purpose. Decorative images should use empty alt text so they are skipped.
2: color contrast
Text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and you should never rely on color alone to convey meaning.
3: keyboard operability
Every link, button, and control should be reachable with Tab and usable with Enter or Space, with a visible focus outline.
4: labeled forms and semantic structure
Give each input a real label, and use ordered headings and landmarks so assistive tech can make sense of the page.
Frequently asked questions
What is WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - the international standard, organized around four principles. Level AA is the common compliance target.
What are the most important accessibility fixes?
Alt text, sufficient contrast, keyboard operability with visible focus, labeled fields, and semantic headings cover most issues.
Does accessibility help SEO?
Yes. Alt text, semantic HTML, and clear structure benefit both assistive technology and search engines.
Want a head start? Our templates use semantic HTML and readable, high-contrast defaults — browse the DesignToCodes collection.
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