PIPELINEGuide
What do you need for an accessible website? The requirements
Before an accessible website even makes sense, a few things need to be in place within your business. What those are — and which supposed requirements actually aren't.
For an accessible website, a business needs three things: a specifically named process that currently costs time or orders, existing content or data to work with, and a person authorized to make decisions. Technical knowledge is explicitly not required.
01 — Requirements
What you need for an accessible website
- A clearly defined trigger. Not “we should do something with AI,” but a process that demonstrably costs time or orders today.
- Existing content or data. An accessible website works with what is already there. The more complete the starting point, the shorter the setup.
- Access to the systems involved. Whoever manages the credentials needs to be involved from the start — this is, in our experience, the most common cause of delays.
- One decision-making contact person. One, not three.
- Willingness to refine after launch. The first weeks in real operation show what was missing in the concept. That's normal and accounted for.
02 — Participation
What we need from you
- A contact person who can make decisions — not just forward them.
- Access to the affected systems, in time and not on launch day.
- Real examples from daily business — the messier, the more useful for testing.
- Two to four hours for coordination, distributed over the project duration.
- An answer to the question of what success means. Without it, nothing can be assessed afterward.
03 — Fit
When it's worth it
- The process in question occurs at least weekly.
- It follows rules you can write down — even if there are exceptions.
- Today it's manual work that no one enjoys doing.
- There's one person who decides, not three who need to coordinate.
- You can name what would tell you it worked.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
How long does a complete audit take?
For a medium-sized website, one to two weeks, depending on the number of different page types and interactive elements such as forms or filters.
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.
05 — Next
Related pages
- Accessible Website — Overview
- Accessible Website — Privacy
- Accessible Website — Common Errors
- Accessible Website — Value
- Accessible Website — Funding
- Accessible Website — Do It Yourself
- Accessible Website — Status 2026
- Accessible website — integration
- Have a website created
- Web design
- Website relaunch
- All guides
Accessible Website by Region
Next step
Let's talk briefly about whether this makes sense for you.
A twenty-minute conversation is usually enough to clarify whether a project makes sense. If not, we'll say so — that's cheaper for both sides than an offer nobody needs.