PIPELINEGuide
Accessible website: ongoing costs and operations
The project price is only part of the calculation. What actually arises in effort and costs after going live — and which item is most often forgotten.
After going live, an accessible website typically requires just a few hours of maintenance per quarter, plus hosting, licenses, and third-party usage fees. The most frequently forgotten item is not the money but the responsibility: systems become outdated because no one is assigned, not because maintenance is demanding.
01 — Operation
What ongoing operation means
Once things have settled, the effort is low but not zero. For an accessible website, this is typically just a few hours per quarter: additions when something changes in your offering, a look at the logs, occasional corrections.
More important than the scope is the responsibility. Systems don't become outdated because maintenance is demanding, but because no one is assigned. One person with a recurring calendar appointment solves this problem completely.
What additionally arises on an ongoing basis depends on the setup — hosting, licenses and third-party usage-based fees belong in the same calculation as the implementation. We show this separately in the quote instead of hiding it in the project price.
02 — Factors
What drives the price
- Scope and number of integrations. Every additional system that needs to participate costs effort — regardless of how simple the core is.
- State of your starting point. Clean data, existing content and documented processes significantly reduce effort. Chaos is the most expensive cost factor.
- How much new material needs to be created. What you can contribute doesn't need to be invented by anyone. This is the biggest lever you have in your own hands.
- Requirements for design and customization. A solid standard system costs a fraction of a custom solution — and is sufficient more often than vendors admit.
- Operating model. One-time project costs or ongoing support: calculated over three years, this often gives a different picture than the quote comparison.
03 — Contract
What needs to be clarified in writing
- Ownership of data and access. They belong to the client. If a provider won't clearly confirm this, that's the most important information from the conversation.
- Handover upon termination. In what format, within what timeframe, at what cost.
- No minimum term without consideration. Lock-in is justifiable if something is delivered in return — otherwise not.
- What a later change costs. The total cost isn't determined by the project price, but by the hourly rate in year three.
- Documentation as a deliverable. Not as a promise, but as a line item in the proposal.
04 — Questions
Frequently asked questions
Are we affected by the Barrierefreiheitsgesetz?
The Austrian Accessibility Act has been in force since June 28, 2025, and primarily applies to online services in the consumer sector: online shops, bookings, e-ticketing, banking services. Microenterprises with fewer than ten employees and less than two million euros in revenue are exempt for services — but not for the sale of products. A purely informational site without sales is generally not covered.
Is an accessibility overlay sufficient?
No. These overlays do not fix the underlying problems and are largely rejected by disability advocacy groups. They can even create additional barriers. Accessibility is created in the markup, not in a layer on top.
What is the most common error?
Forms without linked labels and controls that cannot be reached with the keyboard. Both go unnoticed by anyone working with a mouse — and make the site unusable for others.
What happens in case of violations?
The Sozialministeriumservice is responsible. Administrative penalties of up to 80,000 euros are provided for. In the initial phase, the focus was mainly on advice rather than penalties, but that's no guarantee for the future — proceedings are already underway.
Does this also apply to PDF documents on the website?
Yes, if they contain essential information — such as price lists or downloadable forms. PDFs must also be structured with alternative texts.
Can we implement this step by step?
Yes, by priority: first the defects that completely block usage, then those that make it difficult. This can be spread across several stages without taking the site offline in the meantime.
How much work is involved for an existing site?
It varies widely. A well-built site often only needs contrast corrections, alternative texts, and focus indicators. A site with custom-built controls without keyboard support can be more work than building from scratch.
05 — Next
Related pages
- Accessible Website — Overview
- Accessible website — integration
- Accessible Website — How It Works
- Accessible Website — Contract and Ownership
- Accessible Website — Common Errors
- Accessible Website — Costs
- Accessible Website — Case Studies
- Accessible Website — Provider Comparison
- Have a website created
- Web design
- Website relaunch
- All guides
Accessible Website by Region
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