What accessible content is

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) help make websites and digital services accessible to more people.

On this page

• What WCAG means
• Understanding WCAG
• Levels of WCAG compliance 
• How we follow WCAG

What WCAG means

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is an international standard that makes digital content usable for everyone, including those who:

• have a disability affecting how they access digital information
• use different devices or screen sizes, such as desktop or mobile
• use different web browsers or assistive technologies, like screen readers

The latest version is WCAG 2.2, but we are legally required to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA (W3C)

Understanding WCAG

WCAG is based on four principles, known as POUR:

• Perceivable - content must be available to at least one of a person’s senses
• Operable - people must be able to navigate and use the interface
• Understandable - content should be easy to understand
• Robust - content must work with the technologies people use

Following these principles ensures our content can be used by the widest range of people, including those with disabilities or using assistive technology.

The Government Digital Service explains POUR in this 3-minute YouTube video.

Levels of WCAG compliance 

WCAG 2.1 has three levels:

• Level A – basic accessibility (essential)
• Level AA – intermediate accessibility (our legal minimum)
• Level AAA – advanced accessibility (best practice)

Meeting Level AA ensures our websites are usable by as many people as reasonably possible.

Where it benefits a wide range of users, we aim to meet Level AAA, for example by writing in clear, plain English.

How we follow WCAG

We divide accessibility actions into content and design.

Content accessibility

When creating web content, we:

• prioritise text first,  using images and videos as support
• use web pages instead of PDFs or other formats for important information
• write in plain English to make content easier to understand
• structure headings, lists, and tables correctly so assistive tools can read them
• write clear links and buttons that explain their purpose
• add text alternatives for non-text content, like alt text for images or captions for videos
• keep a flexible layout and logical order so content works on small screens or when zoomed
• use good colour contrast for people who have trouble seeing colours

Design accessibility

When designing websites, we:

• use good colour contrast for people who have trouble seeing colours
• design accessible elements, like easy-to-tap buttons and clear headings
• provide clear focus indicators for keyboard navigation
• label interactive items so assistive tools can access them in order
• make sure digital tools can read the page, including headings, lists and labels
• add skip links so people can jump straight to the main content

Following WCAG improves the experience for all users, ensures our websites work well with digital tools, and removes barriers so people can use online services independently.