Accessibility on the internet has long been more than a trend: in Germany it became mandatory for many companies on June 28, 2025. But what does that mean specifically? How can you design your WordPress website to be accessible to everyone, regardless of limitations or technical requirements? In this detailed guide you will learn step by step how to set up an accessible website, what benefits this will bring you and how to meet the legal requirements.
Accessibility: More than just a law
Accessibility on the web means that everyone – regardless of whether they have a disability or not – can use your website without any problems. This includes people with visual or hearing impairments, motor limitations as well as older users and people with little affinity for technology. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set the international standard for this and divide the requirements into four central principles:
- Perceptibility: Content must be accessible to all senses, for example through alternative texts, transcriptions and flexible representations.
- Usability: The page must be navigable with a mouse, keyboard or other aids.
- Understandability:Structures, language and processes should be clear and comprehensible.
- Robustness: The website must work on all devices and with all common tools.
These principles form the basis for every barrier-free website and will be mandatory for many companies in Germany from 2025.
The Accessibility Strengthening Act 2025: What awaits you?
With the Accessibility Strengthening Act (BFSG), Germany is implementing EU Directive 2016/2102. While public institutions have so far been primarily affected, from June 28, 2025 the obligation to ensure digital accessibility will also apply to private companies if they offer certain products or services in electronic commerce.
There are only exceptions for:
- Companies with fewer than ten employees and
- an annual turnover or a balance sheet total of a maximum of 2 million euros.
The following applies to everyone else: The website must be barrier-free - otherwise there is a risk of warnings and fines.
The benefits of an accessible website
Accessibility is not only a legal obligation, but also brings tangible benefits:
- Reach:You reach more people, including older users or people with disabilities.
- Better user experience:A barrier-free site is clear, understandable and pleasant to use - which makes all visitors happy.
- Search engine friendliness:Many accessibility measures also improve your SEO.
- Competitive advantage:Anyone who becomes barrier-free at an early stage stands out positively and avoids legal risks.
Step by step: Your checklist for an accessible WordPress website
Here you will find a comprehensive, logically structured checklist with which you can make your WordPress site ready for all visitors. The order is deliberately chosen so that you can start from scratch and systematically optimize your site.
1. Start with an accessible theme.
Not every WordPress theme is inherently barrier-free. Therefore, rely on themes that were explicitly developed for this, such as “Twenty Twenty-Four” (WordPress standard) or “Hello” for Elementor. These themes already have many important functions and make implementation easier for you.
2. Structure your content logically and consistently.
A clear, consistent structure is essential. Use headings (H1, H2, H3 ...) in a logical order, divide content into paragraphs and use lists where they make sense. This not only makes reading easier, but also helps screen readers to grasp the content correctly.
3. Optimize the readability of your texts
Use easy-to-read, sans serif fonts like Roboto or Source Sans Pro. The minimum size for body text should be 16 px, 18 px is better. Make sure there is sufficient line spacing and test the effect of your fonts using tools like Canva. The more readable your texts are, the more people will benefit from them.
4. Use simple, understandable language.
Avoid technical jargon, long convoluted sentences and unnecessarily complicated terms. Be clear, concise and in short paragraphs. For particularly important content, you can even offer a “simple language” version. This can be easily implemented with plug-ins like WPML or Easy Language. Place a clearly visible link to the simple version in the header of your page.
5. Offer customization features for users
Not everyone sees or reads equally well. Therefore, allow your visitors to individually adjust the font size, contrast or color. This can be done using special plugins or directly in the theme. A magnifying glass function or a contrast switch are simple but effective measures.
6. Ensure optimal color contrasts.
Make sure that text and backgrounds always have a high contrast - the standard is at least 4.5:1. Avoid bright colors and red-green combinations, as these are difficult for many people to distinguish. Tools like the “WebAIM Contrast Checker” or the “Accessible Color Palette Generator” will help you choose.
7. Allow keyboard navigation.
Test your website regularly without a mouse: Can you access all menus, buttons and forms with the tab key? The cookie banner should also be operable using the keyboard. This is important not only for people with motor disabilities, but also for anyone who prefers to use keyboard shortcuts.
8. Make interactive elements large and clear.
Buttons and links should be large enough and easy to click. Distinguish links in the continuous text not only by color, but also by underlining, for example. This means they are immediately recognizable even for people with poor eyesight or color blindness.
9. Avoid flickering or flashing elements.
Animations that flicker or flash can be dangerous for people with light sensitivity and can trigger epileptic seizures. You should consistently avoid such effects.
10. Include text alternatives for images and videos.
Every image needs a meaningful alt text that describes the image content. This not only helps people with visual impairments, but also search engines. Videos should be supplemented with subtitles, audio descriptions or sign language. Tools like CapCut or AI-supported services support you in this.
11. Make forms barrier-free
Label all fields clearly and unambiguously. Mandatory fields should not only be marked with “*”, but also with a note such as “required field”. Error messages must be clearly visible and understandable. Also make sure that all fields are accessible via keyboard and have a sufficient contrast ratio. Plugins like “WS Form” or “Gravity Forms” are particularly helpful for this.
12. Offer various contact options.
Not everyone can or wants to use a contact form. Therefore, also offer e-mail, telephone, chat or a callback function. This way you can reach users with different needs and preferences.
13. Integrate accessible PDFs.
PDFs should be just as accessible as your website. Use the PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC) to check whether your documents can be read by screen readers. Avoid hiding important information exclusively in PDFs.
14. Always present important content as text
Information such as the legal notice, the data protection declaration or the general terms and conditions should always be integrated as text on your website - never as graphics. This is the only way they can be accessed and searched by everyone.
15. Use ARIA markup for advanced accessibility.
With ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) you can better describe complex elements such as menus, buttons or interactive areas for screen readers. This is particularly interesting for developers and ensures even more accessibility.
16. Regularly check the accessibility of your website.
Accessibility is not a one-time project, but an ongoing process. Use plugins like “WP Accessibility” or “One Click Accessibility” to identify and eliminate stumbling blocks. These tools help you activate many important functions without any programming knowledge.
Conclusion: Accessibility as an opportunity for everyone
An accessible website is much more than a legal requirement. It stands for inclusion, a better user experience and sustainable success in the digital space. Anyone who acts now will be well prepared for the new legal requirements and will open up new target groups. Take the opportunity to make your WordPress website fit for everyone – and benefit from the advantages that accessibility brings!
