October 22, 2026

What is WCAG and does my small business site need it?

WCAG is a shared set of rules for usable web pages. This is a plain explanation, not legal advice.

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is a shared set of rules for making web pages usable by more people. Version 2.2 is the one most people cite now.

This page is not legal advice. A lawyer can tell you what applies to your business. The notes below are the practical picture for a small site.

What the rules are trying to do

People often group the rules into four ideas:

• People can perceive the content. That includes text, not only color, and text for images.
• People can operate the page. That includes a keyboard, not only a mouse.
• People can understand the page. That includes clear labels and a language setting.
• The page works with the tools people bring. That includes screen readers.

You do not have to memorize the numbers to start. The failures that hurt visitors on small sites are often simple. A picture with no description. A form field with no label. Pale gray text. Headings that skip around. Buttons with no name. A page with no language set.

Does a small business site need it?

Many people need it, whether or not a law names your shop. Customers zoom text. Some cannot use a mouse. Some use a screen reader. If they cannot book, buy, or read your hours, you lose the visit.

Some laws and many contracts point at WCAG. In some places, a customer can file a complaint about a site they cannot use. Whether that applies to you depends on where you are, what you sell, and other facts. This site cannot tell you that. Do not treat a scan score as proof that you meet a law.

What a scan can add

An automated scan can find a lot of the simple failures. It cannot click through a checkout, log into an account, or listen to a screen reader. A high score is a good sign about the checks we ran. It is not a certificate.

Fix the basics first. Then ask a person who uses a keyboard to try the main task on the site. If you can, ask a screen reader user too.

ReachSeen checks common WCAG 2.2 issues on one page and explains each one in plain words. It says, on every report, that the scan is not legal advice and not proof of compliance.