Accessibility Services: from WCAG Audit to BFSG Monitoring

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 three groups — test and audit, implement, and enable and operate — whose services can be flexibly combined and build upon each other. Further below, the individual services — from the WCAG audit and the BITV assessment through accessible PDFs to easy language — are broken down by service group and with fixed prices.

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 WCAG 2.2 success criteria at conformance levels A and AA. We combine three testing levels: automated measurements quickly and reliably identify technical barriers, the assessment of every criterion checks context and understandability, and checking keyboard operation and screen reader output shows whether every flow works without a mouse and is marked up for screen readers. The fixed price for an SME website up to 30 pages starts at €2,480.

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.

A broader benchmark applies to public bodies: BITV 2.0 links the presumption of conformity to EN 301 549, and its Table A.1 contains further requirements beyond the WCAG criteria in chapter 9, for example on user preferences, documentation and support services. That is what the BITV assessment is for: against EN 301 549 V3.2.1, Annex A, Table A.1, level AA, with the result per test step and view, plus a prioritized list of findings with fixes. As in the audit, we test with automated measurement, assessment per view, operation without a mouse and screen reader output, meaning the names, roles, states and status messages the page passes to the browser's accessibility interface, in the desktop and the smartphone layout. The fixed price starts at €2,980 for up to 11 views; each additional view costs €190, a re-test after remediation €590 (prices as of October 2026). Tests with specific screen readers on specific devices, seals and certificates are not included.

Automated tools detect only part of all accessibility issues. WebAIM also points out that accessibility tools can only partially check accessibility through automation. A screen reader can only announce what the page passes on to it: the name, role and state of every control, headings, landmarks and status messages. We check this markup in every flow, in the desktop and smartphone layout and in the states that only open after a click, and we operate every flow without a mouse. We document the barriers that interrupt the flow or impair information intake. Tests with specific screen readers on specific devices are not included.

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. Such problems show up when you operate every flow with the keyboard and check what is marked up and announced after each step. That is why this check is part of our audit.

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 from €49 per month continuously checks whether your website remains conformant. Automated scans run regularly across your key pages and report newly detected issues. Additionally, we conduct manual re-audits during significant changes to your website to catch barriers that automated tools cannot detect.

Monitoring also documents your conformance. On this basis we create and update your accessibility statement per BFSG Section 14. This information must be available to the public in an accessible form and describe, among other things, how your service meets the accessibility requirements; the competent market surveillance authority must also be named. Updating the statement is not included in monitoring; it costs €149 net per update and ensures that the statement reflects the actual state of your website.

The duration and scope of an accessibility project depend on your website's complexity and current state. Below we describe three illustrative scenarios and show what drives the effort in each. We agree the timeline for your project with you after reviewing your website.

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 search engines understand a page's topic structure. Meaningful alt texts for images provide additional context for image search. A logical tab order and clear navigation make orientation easier for all visitors. Fast loading times, important for accessibility (users with older assistive technologies are particularly affected), are also recommended by Google for success in Search. These synergies are an added benefit of accessibility optimization.

The role tools play in our testing process and where their limits lie is described in the article on accessibility testing tools. How the effort pays off and which items belong in an honest calculation is shown in the article on audit cost and ROI. And anyone planning a relaunch anyway saves most by carrying accessibility along from the start — see accessibility by design.