Services that implement accessibility measurably and sustainably

Every accessibility project is different: an online shop with a complex checkout poses different requirements than a corporate website with a contact form or a customer portal with self-service functions. Our service spectrum is divided into six core areas that can be flexibly combined and build upon each other.

The WCAG 2.2 accessibility audit is the starting point of every accessibility initiative. Without a solid baseline assessment, neither efforts can be realistically estimated nor measures meaningfully prioritized. Our audit process follows the methodology of EN 301 549 and systematically tests all 78 success criteria of WCAG 2.2 at conformance level AA. We combine three testing levels: automated tests quickly and reliably identify technical barriers, manual expert evaluation checks context and understandability, and assistive technology testing ensures actual usability.

The audit begins with joint scope definition: which pages and processes will be tested? For online shops, the typical audit scope covers the homepage, category overviews, product detail pages, search function, shopping cart, checkout process, login, registration and contact form. For corporate websites, service pages, blog articles, FAQ sections and interactive elements like tabs, accordions and sliders are commonly added. Selection follows the principle of representativeness: we test all page types that map typical usage paths.

The audit report you receive is not a generic automated report but an individually created document. For each identified barrier we document the affected WCAG success criterion, severity (critical, high, medium, low), a description with screenshot, the impact on affected user groups and a concrete solution proposal with code examples. Prioritization considers both severity and estimated remediation effort, so you can immediately start with the most impactful measures.

After the audit comes implementation. Our technical remediation covers fixing all barriers identified in the audit, directly in the source code of your CMS, shop system or custom solution. We work with common CMS platforms, shop systems based on Shopware Community Edition and custom frameworks. With every change we document the previous state, the measure taken and the expected result, so your team can understand and learn from the changes.

The most common barriers we fix in practice fall into six categories: missing or inadequate text alternatives for images and media, insufficient color contrasts for text and interactive elements, missing or incorrect semantic HTML (heading hierarchy, landmarks, lists), poor keyboard accessibility for interactive components (dropdown menus, modals, carousels), missing or incorrect ARIA attributes for dynamic content, and insufficient error messages and form validation. For each category we have proven approaches that we adapt to your specific technology and design.

Automated tools detect only a fraction of all accessibility issues. A WebAIM study shows that automated tests identify at most 30 to 50 percent of actual barriers (Source: WebAIM 2024). Complex issues like inconsistent screen reader output, confusing focus orders in dynamic content or context-dependent understandability problems require manual testing with real assistive technologies. Our test team works with NVDA and JAWS on Windows, VoiceOver on macOS and iOS, and TalkBack on Android. We run through real user scenarios and document every barrier that interrupts the usage flow or impairs information intake.

Particularly critical are interactive areas like forms, checkout processes and dynamic content. A dropdown menu that works perfectly visually can be completely unusable for screen reader users if ARIA attributes are missing or focus management is not correctly implemented. A shopping cart that updates via JavaScript without announcing the change through an ARIA live region leaves screen reader users in the dark. These problems only surface when you actually test the website with the technologies that people with disabilities use daily. That is exactly what we do in every project.

The most sustainable investment in accessibility is training your team. When developers, designers and content editors consider accessibility from the start, fewer barriers arise and costs for retroactive corrections decrease dramatically. Our training courses are practice-oriented and tailored to your team's specific technologies and workflows. We offer formats from one-day intensive workshops to multi-week training series with practical exercises.

For developers we teach accessible web development with semantic HTML, WAI-ARIA, focus management and automated accessibility testing. Designers learn to create accessible color palettes, ensure sufficient contrasts and design interactive elements for keyboard and assistive technology operability. Content editors learn to create accessible texts, images and multimedia content, from heading hierarchy to alt texts to plain language.

A website is not a static product. Content updates, new features, design changes and plugin updates can introduce new barriers at any time. Our compliance monitoring ensures your website remains conformant permanently. Automated scans with axe-core and Pa11y run regularly across your key pages and immediately report new issues. Additionally, we conduct manual re-audits during significant changes to your website to catch barriers that automated tools cannot detect.

Monitoring also includes documenting your conformance. We support you in creating and updating your accessibility statement per BFSG Section 14. This statement must be published on your website and contain the current accessibility status, known limitations and a feedback mechanism for users. Our monitoring service ensures this statement is always current and reflects the actual state of your website.

Not every company needs a complete audit of all digital offerings immediately. Our strategic consulting helps you set the right priorities. We analyze your legal obligations under the BFSG, assess the maturity of your current accessibility and create a roadmap with realistic milestones and budget estimates. We consider your existing resources, technology stack and business objectives.

A typical consulting process starts with a workshop where we capture the status quo and identify the most important action areas. This is followed by a prioritized action plan that distinguishes short-term quick wins (for example alt texts and contrast adjustments) from medium-term measures (semantic HTML refactoring, focus management) and long-term goals (complete WCAG 2.2 AA conformance, training program). This plan serves as a binding basis for collaboration and is reviewed and adjusted at each milestone. Contact us for a non-binding initial consultation.

The duration and scope of an accessibility project depend on your website's complexity and current state. Below we describe three typical scenarios that give a realistic impression of workflow and timeline.

A common misconception is that accessibility is a one-time project: you conduct an audit, fix the findings and the topic is done. Reality looks different. Websites are living systems: new content is published, the design is adjusted, plugins are updated, new features are added. Each of these changes can introduce new barriers. A content editor who inserts an image without alt text, a designer who creates a button with insufficient contrast, a developer who implements a new widget without keyboard navigation: all these everyday activities can impair the accessibility previously painstakingly established.

That is why we view accessibility as a cycle of four phases: Test (Audit), Fix (Remediation), Enable (Training) and Watch (Monitoring). Each phase strengthens the others: the audit identifies the problems, remediation fixes them, training prevents them from recurring and monitoring detects new problems early. This cycle ensures your website is not only conformant at the time of the audit but remains permanently accessible. Our service portfolio fully covers this cycle.

Many measures that improve accessibility simultaneously have a positive effect on search engine optimization. Semantic HTML gives search engine crawlers a clear structure: correct heading hierarchies (h1 to h6) help Google understand a page's topic structure. Meaningful alt texts for images provide additional context for image search. A logical tab order and clear navigation improve session duration and reduce bounce rate, both factors search engines consider in ranking. Fast loading times, important for accessibility (users with older assistive technologies are particularly affected), are simultaneously a direct ranking factor. These synergies make accessibility optimization one of the most cost-efficient measures in digital marketing.

Not every company needs the full service spectrum immediately. Depending on your starting situation we recommend different entry points: if you have not yet implemented any accessibility measures, a WCAG 2.2 audit is the logical first step to capture the status quo and create a prioritized roadmap. If you already have an audit report (from us or another provider), you can start directly with remediation. If your development team should implement accessibility independently, training is the most efficient entry. And if you want to permanently secure the standard achieved after successful remediation, our compliance monitoring is the right choice.

In practice most of our clients combine several services: the typical entry consists of an audit followed by remediation of the most critical barriers. In parallel we train the development team so new features and content are developed accessibly from the start. After completing initial remediation the project transitions to the monitoring phase where we permanently secure achieved conformance. This integrated approach ensures accessibility does not end as a one-time project but becomes a fixed part of your digital strategy. Contact us for an individual recommendation that fits your situation.