Website accessibility: what the law says in 2026

For years, the accessibility of a website was considered an "extra", a good practice mainly for the public sector. Since 28 June 2025, that's no longer the case: with the European Accessibility Act, accessibility has become a legal obligation for many private businesses too — e-commerce leading the way. If you sell online or offer digital services to consumers, this isn't theory: it directly concerns your website.

In this guide we'll look, without technical jargon, at what the European Accessibility Act is, who is affected, what changes in practice and how to become compliant — turning an obligation into an advantage in terms of visibility as well.

What is the European Accessibility Act (and why everyone is talking about it)

The European Accessibility Act (EAA) is the European directive (EU) 2019/882 that harmonises accessibility requirements for a range of digital products and services across the Union. In Italy it has been transposed into national law (updating the framework of the so-called "Legge Stanca") and applies to services placed on the market from 28 June 2025.

The goal is simple: to ensure that people with disabilities — but also the elderly and anyone with a temporary impairment — can use websites, apps and digital services without barriers. Until yesterday, mandatory accessibility mainly concerned Public Administration; now it extends to the private sector.

Is your website affected? Who needs to comply

The right question isn't "is my website nice-looking", but "does my website fall among the services covered by the directive?".

Services and websites affected

The EAA covers a list of products and services aimed at consumers. Among those that most closely affect businesses with a website are:

• E-commerce: websites that sell products or services online to consumers are among the main ones affected.

• Banking and financial services aimed at consumers.

• Transport (ticketing, online travel information).

• Electronic communications and audiovisual media services.

• E-books and related reading platforms.

In short: if your website sells online or provides a digital service to consumers, you're most likely affected. A purely showcase website for a micro-business is a different case (see below), but the regulatory trend is clear, and it's worth taking action in good time.

Who is (for now) exempt: micro-enterprises

The directive provides for some exemptions for micro-enterprises that provide services — typically businesses with fewer than 10 employees and up to €2 million in annual turnover or balance sheet total. Be careful, though: the exemption isn't a free pass and doesn't cover every scenario. If you're unsure about your situation, it's best to get a specific assessment rather than assume you're exempt.

⚠️ Note: this article explains the general framework for informational purposes and does not replace legal advice. For your company's specific position, check with a professional or the relevant authority.

What "accessible website" means in practice

Accessible doesn't mean "ugly" or "bare-bones". It means that anyone can use the website, including those browsing with screen readers, using only a keyboard, or with visual and motor impairments.

The reference standard: WCAG and EN 301 549

The European technical reference is the EN 301 549 standard, which in turn is based on the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the international standard for web accessibility, typically at level AA. The WCAG can be summed up in four principles: a website must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

You don't need to know the standard by heart: you just need to know that an objective criterion exists against which your website is either "compliant" or "not compliant".

Concrete examples of what changes

In practical terms, an accessible website:

• Has alternative text (alt) on images, so that screen reader users understand what they show.

• Ensures sufficient contrast between text and background, readable even by those with vision problems.

• Is fully navigable by keyboard, without necessarily having to use a mouse.

• Has forms with clear labels and errors explained in an understandable way.

• Uses a consistent heading structure (H1, H2, H3…) that helps assisted reading.

• Doesn't rely on colour alone to convey information ("click the green button").

You may notice that several of these points coincide with good SEO and web design practices: it's work that pays off twice.

What's at risk for those who aren't compliant

Ignoring the obligation isn't a neutral choice. In Italy, oversight is entrusted to the relevant authorities (AgID for the web side) and the transposition provides for a penalty system: financial penalties are possible for those who place non-compliant services on the market, with amounts that under national legislation can reach up to a percentage of the operator's turnover.

But beyond the penalty there's the commercial and reputational risk: an inaccessible site excludes potential customers (people with disabilities in Italy number in the millions) and conveys an image of poor attention to detail. For an e-commerce site, every barrier is one more abandoned cart.

Accessibility and SEO: the same work, two benefits

Here's the good news: making a site accessible also makes it better for Google. Alt text, a clean heading structure, readable contrast, a fast site that's navigable from mobile and keyboard are ingredients of both accessibility and ranking. Investing in accessibility therefore means:

1. Getting in compliance with the law.

2. Expanding the audience you can reach.

3. Improving the user experience and, as a result, SEO.

It's one of those rare cases where the legal obligation and the business interest point in the same direction.

How to bring your site into compliance (without panicking)

You don't need to redo everything in a panic. The orderly path is:

1. Accessibility check of the current site against the WCAG (technical audit + real-world testing with assistive navigation).

2. Priorities: start with the most serious barriers (forms, checkout, key content).

3. Fixes to structure, content, contrast, images and interactive components.

4. Ongoing maintenance: accessibility isn't a one-off stamp of approval, it has to be maintained with every new page or change.

It's precisely this last point that makes the difference between a site that's "compliant today" and one that stays compliant even a year from now.

The KeideaCMS approach: managed accessibility, not just another plugin

Many sites try to "solve" accessibility with an add-on widget or plugin. It's often a shortcut that isn't enough — and, on platforms full of third-party components, it just adds one more piece to update and keep an eye on.

KeideaCMS's approach is different, and it's consistent with our #ZeroPlugin philosophy: a proprietary CMS that doesn't use third-party plugins in its core. Site structure, templates and components are built in-house, so good practices — clean code, semantic structure, image and form handling — are part of the product, not a patch applied afterwards. And above all:

• A single point of contact looks after the site, hosting and maintenance, for a flat fee (our plans).

• Support in Italian, 7 days a week: when the regulations or your site change, you have someone taking care of it.

• Built-in security (KeFirewall, daily backups, 24/7 monitoring): the same "managed and no surprises" logic we apply to security.

And if yours is an e-commerce site — the category most exposed to the EAA — the accessibility of the checkout and product pages becomes strategic: we talk about it on the e-commerce development page.

Accessibility sits alongside the other obligations a business website already has to meet, such as the GDPR (we cover this in the GDPR and website guide): more and more often, "professional website" means "compliant website".

In summary

With the European Accessibility Act, as of 28 June 2025, website accessibility has become a legal obligation for private businesses too, starting with e-commerce sites. Being compliant means following the WCAG guidelines (via the EN 301 549 standard): alt text, contrast, keyboard navigation, clear forms, semantic structure. It's an obligation — with penalties for those who ignore it — but it's also an opportunity: an accessible site is more inclusive, reaches more people and ranks better on Google. The safest route is to rely on ongoing management, not a plugin bolted on at the last minute.

👉 Next step: book a demo to find out where your site currently stands, or take a look at our plans.