WCAG 2.2 AA

WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the current international baseline for accessible web content — the set of technical rules that make a website usable by people with disabilities, whether they are navigating by keyboard, by screen reader, by voice command, or with low vision. WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published and maintained by the W3C. Version 2.2 became the W3C Recommendation in October 2023, replacing 2.1 as the default target. Level AA is the middle of three conformance levels — A is the absolute minimum, AAA is aspirational — and AA is what most legal frameworks reference. In the UK, the Public Sector Bodies Accessibility Regulations 2018 require AA for government sites; the Equality Act 2010 applies similar duties to private businesses. The European Accessibility Act, in force across the EU from June 2025, pushes the same baseline onto most e-commerce and banking sites serving European users.

What building against AA actually means

Every page on this site is built against WCAG 2.2 AA — text contrast above 4.5:1, focusable elements with visible focus rings, alt text on every meaningful image, semantic headings that descend in order, forms with real label elements, no keyboard traps, motion that respects prefers-reduced-motion. An automated axe-core scan finds no violations; a manual screen-reader pass with VoiceOver completes every primary user flow without getting stuck on anything.

Why small businesses are not exempt

In the UK, roughly one in five adults has a disability, and many rely on assistive technology to use the web. A site that fails AA excludes paying customers. Legally, small businesses are not exempt from the Equality Act — the 'reasonable adjustments' duty applies to websites too, and case law is catching up. Accessibility is also a free SEO win: the same semantic HTML that helps a screen reader helps Googlebot read and rank the page.

Related terms

• core web vitalsThree numbers — LCP, INP, CLS — that Google uses to judge real-world page speed. Passing them is a ranking signal.
• lighthouse scoreChrome's free 0-to-100 audit across Performance, Accessibility, Best Practices, and SEO. Shorthand for ‘is this well-built’.
• E-E-A-TExperience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness — Google's rater framework. It rewards real authors writing from first-hand experience.