What is WCAG ?
1st April 2025
4 min read
Easy guide to WCAG …
> Key point: this helps people with vision, hand mobility, hearing & cognitive disabilities.
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
It is used as the international benchmark to measure the accessibility of digital content.
WCAG was created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C); the official organisation that is responsible for world wide web standards in general.
To ensure focus is on the end user, WCAG uses 4 guiding principles (POUR):
P - Perceivable; content should be made available so that everyone realises it exists, (e.g. a person with a vision disability is aware of all content, the same as a person with full sight).
O - Operable; content should make it easy for people to interact with it in ways that suit all abilities.
U - Understandable; content should be clear & easy to grasp.
R - Robust; content should be adaptable to all devices, operating systems, browsers, and assistive technology.
To test all that, there are up to 87 possible Success Criteria that can be used to evaluate if content is accessible.
Over time, WCAG versions have evolved:
WCAG 1.0 (1999), WCAG 2.0 (2008), WCAG 2.1 (2018), and WCAG 2.2 (2023).
Each version inherits the previous versions Success Criteria, in addition to its own, thereby improving each time.
There are 3 levels of compliance standards applicable to all WCAG versions:
Level A (single A) compliance; the mandatory, basic level.
Level AA (double A) compliance; the mandatory, medium level.
Level AAA (triple A) compliance; the non-mandatory, highest level.
What level of WCAG compliance is required?
When it comes to currently ensuring digital content is accessible & legally compliant, WCAG 2.1 (Level A + AA standard) is most often required by law. This is also the standard adopted by the European Accessibility Act (EAA).
WCAG 2.1 (Level A + AA standard combined) has a total of 50 different Success Criteria that must be met in order for digital content to be deemed reasonably accessible & compliant.
However, depending on the digital content that exists within a website / app / video / media or document, not all 50 Success Criteria may be relevant.
It’s worth noting that some countries differ in which WCAG versions & compliance levels they require by law. They also vary whether or not those laws only apply to government regultated bodies, or if they also include private business.
Overall, WCAG aims to ensure minimum best practice when it comes to promoting a more inclusive approach to digital content. The ultimate end goal is to provide equal access for everyone.
Contact me today if you wish to know more about WCAG & any other digital accessibility query.