Creating an accessible website means designing and building it so that anyone, regardless of their physical, cognitive, or technological abilities, can use it without barriers. This is not just an ethical duty or a legal obligation, but a strategic choice that combines innovation and inclusion, two fundamental pillars in the European digital market and in Mediterranean culture, which has always been dedicated to hospitality. An accessible site is a portal open to everyone, just like an Italian piazza, a meeting place that excludes no one. Ensuring access to online information and services is a fundamental human right also recognized by the United Nations Convention. In a world where digital is an integral part of daily life, online inclusivity becomes an opportunity to expand your audience and improve the user experience for every visitor.

Web accessibility isn’t just about people with permanent disabilities, but a much broader audience. It’s estimated that over 16% of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. In Italy, ISTAT data indicates that about 3.15 million people have severe limitations. To these are added the elderly, people with temporary disabilities (like a broken arm), or those in particular situations, such as a noisy environment or with a slow internet connection. An accessible website, therefore, is not a niche product, but a resource designed to be universal. This approach improves usability for everyone, reduces bounce rates, and increases conversions, proving to be a smart business choice.

Why Web Accessibility Is an Advantage for Everyone

Investing in an accessible website brings numerous benefits that go beyond social responsibility, turning into a concrete competitive advantage. A site designed according to the principles of inclusivity is, by its nature, easier to use and navigate for every type of user, improving the overall experience and strengthening the brand’s reputation. Furthermore, there is a close correlation between accessibility and SEO (Search Engine Optimization): many of the practices that make a site accessible are the same ones that search engines like Google reward with better rankings. A clear page structure, the correct use of HTML tags, and well-organized content make the site easier for crawlers to interpret, leading to greater organic visibility. Expanding your audience to people with disabilities, who represent a significant portion of the population, also means accessing new market opportunities.

The Regulatory Context in Italy and Europe

In Italy, the journey toward digital accessibility began in 2004 with Law no. 4 of January 9, known as the Stanca Law. Initially created for the Public Administration, its scope has been progressively extended. This legislation laid the groundwork for ensuring access to IT services without discrimination. The real turning point, however, is the European Accessibility Act (EAA), Directive (EU) 2019/882, transposed into Italian law in 2022. Starting from June 28, 2025, this directive will make accessibility a requirement for a wide range of digital products and services in the private sector, including e-commerce, banking services, and e-book readers. Unlike the Stanca Law, which focused on public bodies and large companies, the EAA involves almost all commercial entities with an online presence, with the exception of some micro-enterprises. The Agency for Digital Italy (AgID) is the national reference body for the application of these rules and for monitoring compliance with the obligations.

The 4 Pillars of Accessibility: The WCAG Principles

To create a truly accessible website, the international benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines are based on four fundamental principles, summarized in the acronym POUR, which define the foundations of an inclusive digital experience. A site must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. The goal is to ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can interact with the content effectively and without obstacles. The WCAG also define three levels of conformance (A, AA, AAA) to measure the degree of accessibility achieved: Level AA is generally considered the standard benchmark for legal compliance.

Perceivable

The principle of perceivability requires that information and user interface components be presented in ways that everyone can perceive. This means that no user should be excluded because they cannot see, hear, or touch content. A classic example is providing alternative text (alt text) for images, which allows users with visual disabilities to understand visual content via screen readers. Similarly, videos must have captions for those who cannot hear the audio and transcripts for audio-only content. Another crucial aspect is color contrast: the text must have sufficient contrast against the background to be readable by people with low vision or anyone in poor lighting conditions.

Operable

A website is operable when all its interactive components and navigation can be successfully managed by every user. This principle focuses on the functionality of the interface. One of the fundamental rules is that all site functionalities must be accessible via keyboard, without requiring the use of a mouse. This is essential for people with motor disabilities, but also for power users who prefer to navigate quickly. The site must also provide users with enough time to read and use the content, avoiding overly strict time limits. Finally, navigation must be clear and consistent, helping users to orient themselves and easily find what they are looking for.

Understandable

The principle of understandability states that both the information and the operation of the user interface must be clear and easy to understand. This concerns both the language used and the predictability of the site’s operation. Texts should be written in simple and direct language, avoiding jargon and complex sentences. Pages must appear and operate in predictable ways, with a logical structure and consistent navigation throughout the site. For example, help mechanisms like instructions for filling out a form must be clear and easy to find. Making the site understandable not only helps users with cognitive disabilities but improves the experience for everyone, reducing the chance of errors.

Robust

Finally, a site must be robust, meaning its content must be able to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of technologies, including assistive technologies like screen readers. This means the site must be built following web standards, such as the correct use of HTML and CSS code. Clean and semantically correct code, for example, by appropriately using heading tags (H1, H2, H3), ensures that the site works correctly on different browsers, devices, and assistive technologies, both now and in the future. Robustness is the technical foundation that allows a site to be compatible and durable over time.

Practical Guide to an Accessible Website

Making a website accessible requires a methodical approach that starts from design and extends to publication and maintenance. It’s not about applying a few superficial fixes, but about integrating accessibility into every phase of development. This process, which combines tradition and innovation, can be seen as a craft: taking care of every detail to create a high-quality digital product that can be used by everyone. Below are some practical steps to start building an inclusive online experience.

Content Structure and Semantics

A clear and logical structure is the foundation of an accessible site. Use HTML tags semantically to define the content hierarchy:

for the main page title,

for the main sections, and so on. This not only helps search engines understand your content but is crucial for users who use screen readers, as they can navigate the page by jumping from one heading to another. Organize text into short paragraphs and use bulleted or numbered lists to improve readability. Good responsive design is also crucial, as it ensures the site is usable on any device, from desktop to smartphone.

per le sezioni principali, e così via. Questo non solo aiuta i motori di ricerca a comprendere i tuoi contenuti, ma è fondamentale per gli utenti che utilizzano screen reader, i quali possono navigare la pagina saltando da un’intestazione all’altra. Organizza il testo in paragrafi brevi e usa elenchi puntati o numerati per migliorare la leggibilità. Anche un buon design responsivo è cruciale, perché garantisce che il sito sia fruibile su qualsiasi dispositivo, dal desktop allo smartphone. per le sezioni principali, e così via. Questo non solo aiuta i motori di ricerca a comprendere i tuoi contenuti, ma è fondamentale per gli utenti che utilizzano screen reader, i quali possono navigare la pagina saltando da un’intestazione all’altra. Organizza il testo in paragrafi brevi e usa elenchi puntati o numerati per migliorare la leggibilità. Anche un buon design responsivo è cruciale, perché garantisce che il sito sia fruibile su qualsiasi dispositivo, dal desktop allo smartphone. Testi, immagini e contenuti multimediali Per i contenuti testuali, scegli font leggibili e assicurati che ci sia un contrasto di colore sufficiente tra testo e sfondo. Tutte le immagini che veicolano informazioni devono avere un testo alternativo (alt text) descrittivo, che ne spieghi il contenuto a chi non può vederle. Questa pratica è anche un ottimo segnale per la SEO. Per i contenuti multimediali come i video, fornisci sempre sottotitoli sincronizzati e, se possibile, una trascrizione testuale. Questi accorgimenti rendono i contenuti accessibili alle persone con disabilità uditive e offrono a tutti gli utenti modi alternativi per fruire delle informazioni. Ricorda di ottimizzare le immagini per il web per garantire tempi di caricamento rapidi, un altro fattore che migliora l’esperienza utente generale. Navigazione e interazione La navigazione deve essere intuitiva e coerente in tutte le pagine. Assicurati che ogni elemento interattivo, come link e pulsanti, sia chiaramente identificabile e raggiungibile tramite tastiera. Il “focus” visibile, ovvero l’indicatore che mostra quale elemento è selezionato durante la navigazione da tastiera, deve essere sempre ben evidente. I moduli di contatto o di acquisto sono un altro punto critico: ogni campo deve avere un’etichetta (<label>) associata che ne descriva la funzione. Fornisci messaggi di errore chiari e utili che aiutino l’utente a correggere eventuali imprecisioni, evitando così frustrazione e abbandono. Conclusioni

For textual content, choose readable fonts and ensure there is sufficient color contrast between text and background. All images that convey information must have a descriptive alternative text (alt text) that explains their content to those who cannot see them. This practice is also an excellent signal for SEO. For multimedia content like videos, always provide synchronized captions and, if possible, a text transcript. These measures make content accessible to people with hearing disabilities and offer all users alternative ways to consume information. Remember to optimize images for the web to ensure fast loading times, another factor that improves the overall user experience.

Navigation and Interaction

Navigation must be intuitive and consistent across all pages. Ensure that every interactive element, such as links and buttons, is clearly identifiable and reachable via the keyboard. The visible “focus,” which is the indicator showing which element is selected during keyboard navigation, must always be clearly visible. Contact or purchase forms are another critical point: each field must have an associated label (<label>) that describes its function. Provide clear and helpful error messages that help the user correct any inaccuracies, thus avoiding frustration and abandonment.

Conclusions

Creating an accessible website is a journey that combines ethical responsibility, regulatory obligations, and business strategy. In a context like Italy and Europe, where the culture of inclusion and hospitality has deep roots, extending these values to the digital world is a natural and necessary step. Accessibility is not a technical constraint, but an opportunity for innovation that allows you to reach a wider audience, improve visibility on search engines, and strengthen your brand’s reputation. With the European Accessibility Act coming into force in 2025, compliance is no longer a choice but a necessity for almost all companies. Embracing a “design for all” approach means building a better, fairer, and ultimately more effective web for everyone.

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