How to identify accessibility charlatans
The guide to save yourself from wasting money on fake accessibility.
With the European Accessibility Act (EAA) coming, some businesses are scrambling to comply. While others aren’t even sure if they need to, and are at a loss where to turn to for concrete information. Meanwhile, so-called “experts” are fueling panic among both small and large businesses, warning that non-compliance will lead to massive fines. Then, they swoop in with quick fixes and automated scans that don’t actually solve the problem.
By following this guide, you’ll learn how to:
- Recognize agencies that use fear-based sales tactics
- Test agencies’ own websites for accessibility failures
- Ask the right questions and spot weak answers
- Identify agencies with real expertise and proven results
- Evaluate the tools agencies use to ensure they support accessibility
To use this guide, you don’t need to know anything about web design, development, or content creation. By the time you finish, you’ll be able to essentially spot the difference between real expertise and empty promises. Because trusting the wrong person doesn’t just cost you money, it costs you customers.
1. Checking their marketing approach
Warning signs include slogans and texts like:
All webshops have to comply!
Our AI tool automatically fixes everything!
Act now to avoid lawsuits and fines!
Guaranteed instant compliance!
Lawsuits? Fines? Really?
Yeah. That’s what I mean. Scare tactics.
But does your webshop even need to comply with the European Accessibility Act (EAA)?
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Do you employ more than 10 people? Then Yes!
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Or do you have over 2 million Euros turnover per year? Then Yes!
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Do you need to meet both criteria? No, just one of them!
Ah, do you feel relieved now that you’ve found out you’re exempt?
Yeah, I get that it’s a relief. But don’t close this page just yet. Even though Damocles’ sword isn’t hanging over your head, you do, in fact, have to pay serious attention to the fact that your webshop is literally bleeding revenue.
Beyond the legal implications, it’s a missed business opportunity
Few things have such an impressive ROI as the investment in an accessible website! You will find some rocking calculation examples at the end of this guide.
The best news is that even small improvements become visible in your results!
Based on The Click-Away Pound Report 2019:
Online shopping is growing, and so is the number of disabled internet users. In the UK alone, over 7.15 million people with access needs shop online, contributing to a total online spending power of £24.8 billion. But here’s the catch: if a website is not accessible, 69% of these users will leave and shop elsewhere. This lost revenue, known as the Click-Away Pound, now stands at £17.1 billion.
When websites or applications lack accessibility features, they effectively shut out a significant segment of the population. This translates to a smaller customer base and lost opportunities for growth and revenue.
Read the full article called The e-commerce industry’s billion-pound mistake
2. The quick agency website “stress test” anyone can perform
You can test the website of that agency or freelancer, even if you are not a developer or a designer. All you need is your keyboard. You simply click inside of the URL bar of your browser, put your mouse aside, and then you keep hitting the tab key, on the top left of your keyboard.
Basic keyboard navigation
Tab: Moves forward from one interactive element to the next (e.g., buttons, links, form fields).
Shift + Tab: Moves backwards from one interactive element to the previous (e.g., buttons, links, form fields).
Enter: Activates a link or button, or submits a form and closes a popup.
Can you tab through all elements in a logical order? Is there a clear visual focus indication on interactive elements (a border or a highly contrasting background color)? Can you activate all buttons and links using Enter or Space keys?
If you can’t see where you are at all times, when tabbing through, or if you get stuck in a pop-up, chances are that this agency doesn’t take accessibility as serious as they should. “Practice what you preach!”
Full keyboard navigation tutorial
Although there are more keys for keyboard navigation, I wanted to keep things simple for you. The goal here is that you test the most basic things.
If you wish to know more, I have written an article about keyboard navigation in a guest blog for Greyd GmbH. The video above is the companion video for that article.
The people at Greyd are the creators of my go-to WordPress tool set to build sites with: Greyd.Suite*. I am their accessibility mentor. Together, we work hard to make sure the Suite’s output is accessibility ready, so people using it don’t have to worry if things are in order “under the hood”!
3. The WAVE test, does it light up like a Christmas tree?
Fast and ruthless
WAVE stands for Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool, it’s a tool for automated testing, freely provided by WebAIM. Good to know: automated tools can catch around 30% to 35% of all accessibility issues. It can’t replace human user testing. And remember the keyboard navigation test you just performed? That’s precisely what that is: human user testing.
Steps to test with WAVE
Please note, that in this test you will only have to look for two things. Even if you see a gazillion other issues. This is about the bare basics.
Go to wave.webaim.com and paste the link to the site to test.
It will show you the website and a summary in the left. To get to the view like in the screenshot, click the Details tab. The important results are Errors and Contrast Errors (both in red) and the Alerts (in orange). Search for ‘Image missing alternative text’ and ‘Skipped heading level’. I have highlighted in the screenshot where to look for them.
What really matters: what they can control!
While flashy funky fonts, videos, and animations might be a necessary compromise for their branding, there are things that even the wildest and broadest oriented creative agencies always have control over. No matter how funky all the mambo jumbo on their site is.
Alternative texts (called alt texts), heading levels, and keyboard focus (previous chapter) are very basic issues that any capable agency, claiming to have expertise in accessibility, can resolve. There is not one single excuse in the world not to. If their site shows these issues, they do not practice what they preach.
P.S. Of course, the other issues showing up have meaning. But it’s my goal to make your life easier checking an agency by yourself, not more complicated!
4. Questions to ask before hiring
Elimination rounds that save you time and money
By now, you’ve already checked the agency’s marketing message and their website for obvious accessibility mistakes. If you’ve made it this far (or better said, they made it this far), you need to do one last check.
Rushing into an accessibility project or a full website relaunch without thorough vetting can be a costly mistake. Time is precious, and as an entrepreneur myself, I know how expensive it is to waste time on agencies that ultimately can’t deliver. It’s why I’ve structured this guide as an elimination process.
In this last phase, you will ask critical questions that reveal whether an agency truly understands accessibility, or if all they really know is how to talk about it to someone.
I have divided these questions in three rounds, and one final question. If their answers aren’t satisfying, in the first or second round, I recommend you simply stop the conversation.
Wow, I see tech speak, help!
Don’t worry. You still don’t need to be a developer or web designer to use this guide. I promised that you don’t need technical knowledge for this, and that is still true. You might not know what the mentioned WCAG standards are, what ARIA attributes do, or what semantic HTML means. And that’s fine. You don’t need to understand the technical details for this. You just need to recognize whether the answers you receive align with the example answers I have listed. I have grouped the bogus and the serious answer with each question.
You don’t have to do this alone!
If you’re at a stage where you are seriously considering an agency for a relaunch, but you feel unsure, you don’t have to go through this alone. I’m more than happy to evaluate agencies on your behalf.
Round 1: Quick elimination questions
If they give vague or evasive answers to any of the questions, stop here. There’s no point going further.
Can you share examples of accessible webshops you’ve developed?
Bad response that sounds good
All our websites are accessible! We follow best practices on every project. Our portfolio showcases dozens of beautiful, modern sites that everyone can use.
What a professional answer sounds like
Yes, here are three examples of websites we’ve worked on, along with accessibility case studies. For each, we conducted an audit, remediated issues based on WCAG 2.1 AA, and tested with different assistive technologies. In one project, we made a high-traffic e-commerce store keyboard-navigable and screen-reader-friendly, reducing abandonment rates by 25%.
Do you test with people who have disabilities?
Bad response that sounds good
We use industry-standard testing tools that simulate different disabilities and accessibility needs. Our comprehensive testing suite covers all potential scenarios.
What a professional answer sounds like
We conduct both automated and manual testing. We also work with users with disabilities, such as blind users testing with screen readers and motor-impaired users testing keyboard navigation and voice control. Their feedback is critical in identifying real-world usability barriers.
Will you provide detailed audit reports with specific fixes?
Bad response that sounds good
We conduct thorough reviews throughout development and address issues as we go. Our process is so effective that we rarely need formal reports, since problems are fixed in real-time.
What a professional answer sounds like
Yes, we provide detailed audit reports outlining WCAG failures, their impact on users, and recommended fixes. Our reports include screenshots, code examples, and severity levels. We also offer retesting after fixes are implemented.
Round 2: Digging deeper into their actual process
If they passed the first round, you now want to see how they actually approach accessibility in their work.
Which WCAG level do you target (A, AA, AAA)?
Bad response that sounds good
We aim for the highest standards in all our work. Our goal is always to exceed expectations and create the most accessible experience possible.
What a professional answer sounds like
We ensure compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA as a baseline since it is the legal requirement in many regions. However, when working on government or high-risk sites, we also implement select AAA criteria, such as enhanced contrast and sign language interpretation.
How does your work benefit users?
Bad response that sounds good
Our accessible designs benefit all users! We believe good design works for everyone. By making sites accessible, we improve the experience for every visitor.
What a professional answer sounds like
Through our customer, we received feedback from a blind user who could finally navigate their banking dashboard independently after our updates. Another client saw an increase in newsletter signups after we improved their form labels and error messages, making them clearer for screen reader users.
Round 3: Evaluating their tools and technical approach
At this stage, you’re determining whether their development approach supports accessibility, or creates more problems.
First ask them which CMS they use, if they work with a page builder or if they use custom code from scratch.
If their answer is that they work with WordPress, I recommend you also read the section further down, called: A word about WordPress page builders.
How have you ensured that the output of that page builder is accessibility-ready?
Bad response that sounds good
Yes, our page builder of choice is designed to be user-friendly and flexible. We apply accessibility best practices and ensure the website looks great for everyone.
What a professional answer sounds like
We have thoroughly tested the output of the page builder we use against WCAG 2.1 AA criteria. This includes ensuring semantic HTML, focus management, and ARIA support. We also provide additional accessibility fixes if the builder has limitations, such as improving keyboard navigation, adding proper heading structures, and ensuring forms are labeled correctly. If needed, we apply custom code to address any accessibility gaps.
How do you ensure that a custom-built website is accessible?
Bad response that sounds good
We hand-code everything, ensuring full control over accessibility. Since we don’t rely on third-party tools, we guarantee the best possible experience for all users.
What a professional answer sounds like
We follow WCAG 2.1 AA standards throughout development, using semantic HTML, proper ARIA attributes, and accessible JavaScript practices. We conduct both automated and manual audits, including testing with screen readers and keyboard navigation. Additionally, we involve users with disabilities in our testing process to identify real-world issues beyond what automated tools can detect.
Final Question: The legal aspect
At this stage, you’re determining whether their development approach supports accessibility, or creates more problems.
Can you guarantee EAA compliance?
Bad response that sounds good
Yes, our page builder of choice is designed to be user-friendly and flexible. We apply accessibility best practices and ensure the website looks great for everyone.
What a professional answer sounds like
We cannot legally guarantee compliance because accessibility is an ongoing process, but we can ensure your website meets EAA requirements based on WCAG 2.1 AA standards. We will create and maintain the legally required accessibility statement mandated across all 27 EU member states, detailing compliance status, exceptions, and feedback mechanisms. Our services include regular audits, remediation, and ongoing monitoring to keep your site compliant as regulations evolve across different EU jurisdictions.
Did they make it through your assesment?
Congratulations! Now it’s time to faint over the price of a relaunch. Or is it? Here are those ROI Calculations I promised you earlier.
The true ROI of accessibility investments
Let’s examine the potential return on investment for a webshop with €1.5 million annual revenue investing €20,000 in accessibility improvements, and calculate and compare revenue growth scenarios (compounding year over year). The investment is earned back in less than a year.
Conservative estimate
1,5% annual revenue increase
First-year additional revenue: €22.500
Investment recouped in: ~10,7 months
Total additional revenue over 5 years: €115.926
ROI after 5 years: 579,63%
Moderate estimate
5% annual revenue increase
First-year additional revenue: €75.500
Investment recouped in: ~3,2 months
Total additional revenue over 5 years: €414.422
ROI after 5 years: 2.072%
Optimistic estimate
10% annual revenue increase
First-year additional revenue: €150.000
Investment recouped in: ~1,6 months
Total additional revenue over 5 years: €915,765
ROI after 5 years: 4.578,82%
Case Study: The investment in an accessible web shop that resulted in 37000% ROI
The European Commission cites this case in a press release
A study by the UK’s Royal National Institute of the Blind showed that a £35 000 investment by a supermarket chain in making their website accessible brought in additional revenue of over £13 million a year. (Fifth paragraph in a press release called “European Commission seeks public input on measures to break down barriers to disabled people” by the European Commission.)
That supermarket chain was Tesco!
You can find a more elaborate article about this case in my blog section.
Mind-blowing facts
1. This case is from more than 20 years ago
If anyone tries to tell you that online accessibility is something new and fashionable, now you know better.
2. They understood the value of user testing
This still stands today: Theory may get you a long way, automated testing is cool but also has limits. Nothing beats user testing by your target audience.
3. The number of key changes for accessibility was relatively low
They chose mainly to focus on blind and partially sighted visitors. Knowing the numbers, imagine how much more revenue they could have had when they had opened their digital doors to people with other disabilities.
A word on WordPress page builders and accessibility
In the core of WordPress (meaning the CMS as you have it at your disposal upon installation) the people involved in its development are paying a lot of attention to ensuring that the output of the Block Editor and Site Editor in the front-end (the web page you visit it) are accessibility-ready.
However, if a site is not being coded from scratch, ensuring that the agency or freelancer you consider to work with uses themes, tools, plugins and page builders that are accessibility-ready, is key.
An accessibility-ready page builder means that the tool itself follows best practices to support accessible websites. It provides features, for example, like the ability to add proper attributes, semantic HTML, landmarks, keyboard-friendly navigation, query loops inside an unordered list, accessible forms, accordions, tabs, pop-ups and modals, and ARIA support for screen readers. However, “accessibility-ready” does not mean your site is automatically accessible, it just gives you the right tools. You still need to use them correctly, ensuring your content, design, and interactions are truly inclusive.
I recommend Greyd.Suite*. I switched to using that after many years of page builders. It’s coded cleanly upon WordPress core. I work with this myself. Their focus on ensuring their output is accessibility-ready is high. I can not only attest to that as an agency owner, but also because I am their mentor in the field of accessibility.
It works well together with WooCommerce, the best known and most extensive WordPress plugin for online shops. The people behind WooCommerce worked hard too to make sure that their core version is now accessibility-ready!
Reading / Listening recommendation
Article: Is there life after page builders? (Switching from a commercial page builder to Full Site Editing).
Podcast at Do the Woo: Enhancing WooCommerce for Accessibility with Amber Hinds (CEO of Equalize Digital, creators of the Accessibility Checker plugin*) and James Kemp (Core Product Manager for WooCommerce) and myself.
About the accessibility of this page
Here’s a reality check from a real-world use case: this white paper!
Progress over perfection
While creating this page, I found myself in a situation that may find yourself in as well, in the future. This page faces a few accessibility issues that I was not yet able to resolve.
Adding a repeating Call To Action (CTA) to long form content is not unusual. Mine is the one inviting you for digital coffee. But it does pose a few challenges. They are flagged as having potential headings. And when I think about it, that is correct. But this poses a technical challenge in the TOC (Table Of Content) that needs to be resolved. I’m working on a feature request for the developer of this plugin.
And this, dear people, is what digital accessibility is about as well. It’s a work in progress. And progress goes over perfection!
– Anne
PS For transparency’s sake: Links with an * contain a referral link. There is no cost for you if you use them. Proceeds go to support open source developers and inclusion activists. Read more about this at “Why I have affiliate links on my website – full transparency“.
If you are looking to learn more about building lean accessible websites with Greyd.Suite, let me know. I’ll be more than happy to show you around in my dashboard.
Why this guide is not a PDF
When you offer a PDF to your audience, that too needs to be an accessible document. This is not a specialty of mine. Besides that, in my opinion, a PDF is not a user-friendly format at all, especially on mobile devices.
If you have a good reason to want this white paper in PDF format, please contact me.
