Accessible website design for Australian businesses
An accessible website is one that people with disability can use: with a keyboard, a screen reader, larger text or captions. It costs far less to build that in from the start than to repair a finished site. We build new sites to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, the level the Australian Human Rights Commission points to. This page covers what that means in the build and what the checks involve. For the legal background, read our guide on website accessibility for small business in Australia.
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The short answer
WaTo Consulting in Adelaide builds websites to WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which is the minimum the Australian Human Rights Commission's 2025 guidelines recommend. That covers readable contrast, full keyboard use, proper headings, labelled forms, image descriptions and pages that still work when zoomed to 200%. We check with a scanner, a keyboard and a screen reader, because scanners alone miss most problems.
What WCAG 2.2 AA means
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. Version 2.2 sets out testable rules under four ideas: content must be perceivable, usable, understandable and work with different tools. Level AA is the middle tier and the one most organisations aim for. Meeting it does not mean a certificate, because none exists. It means the site has been built and checked against the rules, and that the main paths, such as reading, booking and contacting you, work for people using assistive tools.
What we build in
Readable contrast
Text is dark enough against its background, including grey text and text over photos. We check colours when the design is made, not after.
Full keyboard use
Menus, buttons and forms work with the Tab and Enter keys, and you can always see where you are on the page.
Proper headings and structure
Pages use real headings in order, so a screen reader user can jump around and find what they need.
Forms people can finish
Every field has a label, errors explain the problem in words and not just red, and the form works with a screen reader.
Image descriptions
Images that carry meaning get a short description. Decorative ones are marked so they are skipped.
Text that can grow
Pages still work when someone zooms to 200%, with nothing overlapping or cut off. Captions go on video, and a phone or email option sits beside any form.
Who this matters most for
- Businesses whose customers book, buy or apply online.
- Health, aged care, disability and community services.
- Suppliers to government or councils, where accessibility can come up in tenders.
- Anyone planning a new site or redesign. See website design for how we build.
How we check a site
- Design with the rules in mind. Colours, type sizes and layouts are chosen to meet AA before anything is coded.
- Run an automatic scanner. Tools such as axe, WAVE and Lighthouse find what a computer can detect, such as missing descriptions and low contrast.
- Test with a keyboard only. We go through the main pages and send the form using only Tab, Shift-Tab and Enter.
- Listen with a screen reader. We try the key pages with a screen reader, such as NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Apple devices.
- Fix, retest and hand over. We fix what we find, test again and tell you what to keep in mind when you add new content.
Why WaTo for an accessible website
- Accessibility is part of how we build, not an extra at the end. See our general website design service.
- We do not install overlay plug-ins. The Commission's guidelines warn against relying on them, so we fix the site itself.
- We use scanners, keyboard testing and a screen reader, and we are clear about what each one can and cannot show.
- We can include a quick accessibility check in our website security and compliance audit.
- For a full audit with testing by people with disability, which some large or government suppliers need, we will tell you who to talk to.
Accessible website questions
Do you build accessible websites in Australia?
Yes. WaTo Consulting builds new websites to WCAG 2.2 Level AA and works with clients Australia-wide from Adelaide.
Is an accessible website a legal requirement?
No law sets a technical standard for private business websites. The Disability Discrimination Act, though, makes it unlawful to discriminate in providing a service, and a website counts as one. It is enforced through complaints. Our accessibility guide explains the detail.
Which standard do you build to?
WCAG 2.2 at Level AA. The Australian Human Rights Commission's 2025 guidelines name that as the minimum. The guidelines are not legally binding, but they are what the Commission points to.
Will an accessibility plug-in fix my site?
Not reliably. The Commission's guidelines say automatic overlay tools should not be relied on. Fixing the site itself works better, which is what we do.
Can a free scanner tell me if my site passes?
Only in part. Scanners catch what a computer can detect. In a GOV.UK test of ten tools, the best found about 41% of the planted barriers. Keyboard and screen reader testing find the rest.
Does accessibility cost more?
Building it in from the start adds little to a new site, because it shapes choices you are making anyway. Repairing an inaccessible site later usually costs more. We include it in the quote, so there is no surprise.
Can you make my existing website accessible?
Often, yes. We check the main pages first, fix the problems that block people most and tell you honestly if a rebuild would be better value. See our guide on whether to fix or rebuild.
Does accessibility help with Google?
Often. Clear headings, image descriptions and readable text help search engines understand a page as well as people.
Related services
Guides on this topic
- Website accessibility for small businesses in Australia
- Website compliance checklist for Australian small businesses
- Website redesign checklist: improve the site without losing what already works
- Do I need a new website, or can the old one be fixed?
Planning a site that everyone can use?
Call (08) 7123 0805 or book a call. Tell us what the site needs to do and we will explain how we would build and check it.
Mon to Fri, 8:30am to 5pm
