Make Your WordPress Site Accessible: BFSG Duty, WCAG and Plugins

No plugin makes WordPress accessible on its own. A WordPress site becomes accessible in four places: the theme, the content in the editor, forms including the checkout, and regular testing. Plugins mainly help with checking. Since 28 June 2025 this has been a legal duty for many businesses in Germany, because the German Accessibility Strengthening Act (Barrierefreiheitsstärkungsgesetz, BFSG) now applies to online shops and many online services. In this guide (as of October 2026) I show you what the law requires, which theme fits, how to set up content and forms correctly, which plugins help with checking and how to test your site yourself in 30 minutes.

What is the BFSG – and who does it affect?

The BFSG implements the EU’s European Accessibility Act in Germany. It requires businesses to offer certain digital products and services in an accessible way. This is particularly relevant for online shops, including your WooCommerce shop, for booking portals and for websites on which consumers conclude contracts.

• Deadline: 28 June 2025, so the obligation is already in force.
• Who it affects: primarily online shops and providers of digital services for consumers.
• Exemption: micro-enterprises that provide services. Under § 2 no. 17 BFSG (German), a micro-enterprise employs fewer than ten people and has either an annual turnover or an annual balance sheet total of no more than 2 million euros. The exemption is in § 3 (3) BFSG and only covers services, not products.
• Risk: the market surveillance authority can demand corrections. Anyone offering a service that does not meet the requirements risks a fine of up to 100,000 euros under § 37 BFSG. Formal warning letters (Abmahnungen) are possible too.
• Mandatory information: businesses covered by the law must also describe how their offering meets the requirements. What belongs in this accessibility statement under the BFSG is explained in a separate article.

The foundation: WCAG

The technical benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), usually conformance level AA. Their four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. In practice that means sufficient colour contrast, full keyboard operability, meaningful alt text for images, a clear heading structure and clear labels for forms.

For the BFSG, the European standard EN 301 549 serves as the practical reference. According to Germany’s Federal Accessibility Agency (German), it refers to WCAG 2.1, and the revised version of the standard is to refer to WCAG 2.2. WCAG 2.2 is the current W3C version. If you build to 2.2 today, you meet 2.1 as well.

How many people this concerns: according to the German Federal Statistical Office, at the end of 2025 a good 7.8 million people with a severe disability lived in Germany, 9.4 per cent of the population. Add older people with declining eyesight and anyone who only has one hand free at the moment.

Is WordPress accessible?

WordPress core is a good foundation, but it does not produce an accessible website by itself. The WordPress project states that it aims to make the admin area and the bundled themes compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA where possible, and that new code must follow these guidelines. It cannot guarantee that for third-party themes and plugins. Whether your website is accessible therefore depends mainly on three things: the theme, your content and the plugins that output something on the page, such as forms, sliders, cookie banners or the checkout.

The theme: the most important decision

The theme generates the header, menu, heading framework, focus styles and colours on every page. No plugin can fully make up for a weak theme. This is how to go about it:

• Use the “Accessibility Ready” filter: in the theme directory you can filter for themes with this tag. It means the theme meets the theme team’s minimum requirements. According to the theme handbook, it explicitly does not mean the theme meets WCAG at level AA. It is a good starting point, not proof.
• Consider block themes: the current default theme, Twenty Twenty-Five, carries the tag and works as a lean base on which you adjust colours and fonts yourself.
• Test page builders critically: with Elementor, Divi and similar tools, every single element decides on headings, keyboard operation and focus. You have to check the result on the finished page, not in the builder.
• Fixes in a child theme: missing focus outlines, weak contrast or wrong headings in the theme belong in a child theme so that the next theme update does not overwrite them.

Setting up content correctly in the block editor

Many barriers are not created in the code but while writing. These are the rules that help most in everyday work:

• One H1, then headings without gaps. An H2 is followed by an H3, not directly by an H4. In the block editor, the Document Overview under “Outline” shows whether the order is right.
• Alt text for every image with content. You enter the alternative text in the media library or in the image block settings. Describe what the image says. Purely decorative images get no alt text.
• Descriptive link text. “View maintenance prices” instead of “click here”. Someone who calls up a list of all links with a screen reader only hears the link text.
• Real lists and tables. Lists with the list block instead of hyphens, tables with the table block and a header row, never as an image.
• The right language. The site language under Settings, General makes sure screen readers read the text in the right language. It also decides whether the browser hyphenates long words correctly, see my article on hyphenation in WordPress.

Forms and WooCommerce checkout

Forms are where people using a screen reader or keyboard fail most often, and in a shop the checkout is the form that brings in revenue. Check these points:

• Every field has a visible label that is linked to the field. Placeholder text in the field does not replace a label.
• Required fields are not only marked in red but also recognisable in the text.
• Error messages appear as text right at the field and say what to do, for example “Please enter a five-digit postcode” instead of “Invalid input”.
• Related fields such as payment methods or the delivery address are marked up as a group with a heading (in the code: fieldset and legend).
• A spam check works without picture puzzles.

In a WooCommerce shop, play through an entire purchase once using only the keyboard, from the product via cart, coupon and payment method to the order confirmation. Barriers can also come from add-on plugins, for example for payment, shipping or legal texts, so the whole flow belongs in the test. What the law specifically requires of shops is covered in the article on the BFSG for online shops. If your checkout needs adjusting, I take care of it as a WooCommerce freelancer.

Which plugins help: an overview

Accessibility plugins fall roughly into three types. Checking plugins find errors in your content, which you then fix at the source. Repair plugins make up for typical theme weaknesses. Toolbars show visitors switches for font size or contrast but change nothing in the code. For the BFSG duty the first two are useful, the third is at most an add-on. The figures come from the WordPress directory, retrieved on 24 October 2026.

Plugin	Type and use
Accessibility Checker (Equalize Digital), 10,000+ installs	Checking: over 40 checks based on WCAG 2.2 when saving in the editor, free with a Pro version
Editoria11y, 1,000+	Checking: hints while you write, results stay on your server
WP ADA Compliance Check Basic, 3,000+	Checking: against WCAG 2.1 or 2.2, free for up to 15 pages per full scan
Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder, 3,000+	Checking: finds images without alt text, with a contrast checker
WP Accessibility, 60,000+	Repair: skip links, focus outlines, language attributes and other theme weaknesses
Web Accessibility (Elementor), 500,000+	Checking and toolbar: scan with guided fixes
WP Accessibility Helper, 10,000+	Toolbar for visitors
AccessiYes Accessibility Widget, 20,000+	Toolbar for visitors

Below I introduce the plugins one by one and explain where their limits are. Why overlay services such as accessiBe or UserWay are not the way to meet the BFSG has its own section.

WP Accessibility

WP Accessibility by Joe Dolson is free and fixes typical theme weaknesses through a settings menu, without any coding. It adds skip links that let keyboard and screen reader users skip the menu and go straight to the content. It makes the focus on links, buttons and input fields more visible, sets the language for screen readers, removes redundant title attributes and allows long image descriptions. According to the WordPress directory it is active on over 60,000 websites and was last updated in October 2026. It does not replace a good theme, but for older themes it is often the quickest win.

Web Accessibility (formerly One Click Accessibility)

Elementor’s free plugin used to be called One Click Accessibility, then Ally, and is now listed as Web Accessibility in the WordPress directory, with over 500,000 active installs. It combines a scan for WCAG issues with guided fixes and a toolbar for visitors. The scan is the more useful part: it shows where something is missing in your content, such as alt text or labels, and you fix it at the source.

What overlay tools like accessiBe and UserWay cannot do

accessiBe and UserWay are paid services that embed a script in your website. The script shows a toolbar and tries to fix problems such as missing image descriptions or labels automatically in the browser. Tools like these are called overlays.

They are not a way to meet the BFSG requirement. In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered accessiBe in a final order to pay 1 million US dollars. The FTC objected to the promise that the product accessWidget could make any website WCAG-compliant; according to the FTC, that was not true. Since then accessiBe may only make such claims if it has evidence to support them.

The reason is technical. A script in the browser can guess a missing image description. It does not rebuild a clean heading structure, keyboard navigation through the checkout or understandable error messages in forms, because those live in the theme and in the code. A toolbar for font size and contrast can help visitors, but it does not replace that work. How I build an accessible website to BFSG, in the code rather than with an overlay, is described on my service page.

A note on a plugin that used to be on this list: wA11y has been removed from the WordPress directory since 4 March 2025; WordPress.org gives a security issue as the reason. If it is still installed on your site, you should delete it.

WP Accessibility Helper

WP Accessibility Helper adds a toolbar that lets visitors change the font size, increase contrast, underline links and turn off animations. The basic version is free. As with every toolbar: it helps with reading, but it does not fix errors in the code or the content.

AccessiYes Accessibility Widget

The Accessibility Widget plugin now belongs to CookieYes and is called AccessiYes there. It is free and adds a toolbar for visitors. The same applies here: it helps with reading but changes nothing in your site’s code.

Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder

Accessibility Tools & Alt Text Finder (formerly WP Accessibility Tools & Missing Alt Text Finder) searches your media library, pages and posts for images without alt text and helps you add it. It also includes a contrast checker and checklists for the WCAG requirements. The plugin is free.

WP ADA Compliance Check Basic

WP ADA Compliance Check Basic does not change your site, it checks it. It scans content on publication against WCAG 2.1, WCAG 2.2 or Section 508 and creates reports with instructions for fixing the issues. The free version checks up to 15 pages or posts in a full scan, uses 52 rules and does not detect errors in theme files. The paid version checks the whole website and fixes some errors automatically.

Accessibility Checker by Equalize Digital

Accessibility Checker by Equalize Digital checks every post and page when you save it and shows the problems directly in the editor. According to the developer, it runs over 40 automated checks based on WCAG 2.2, with an explanation for every finding. The free version is enough for day-to-day editing; the Pro version scans the whole website at once. For teams that publish content regularly, in my view this is the most useful plugin on this list, because it shows errors where they are created.

A lean alternative is Editoria11y. It gives hints while you write, checks the published page and stores the results on your own server.

Important for both: automated checks only find some of the problems. Whether the checkout can be operated with the keyboard or whether an error message is understandable can only be judged by a person. That is why the self-test below is part of the job.

WordPress Accessibility – Make It a Priority

Accessibility is not a one-off task, because every new post, every plugin update and every new form can introduce new barriers. So build the check into your ongoing website maintenance, and the site stays accessible instead of being made accessible only once.

Test it yourself in 30 minutes

A plugin report does not show how your site feels for people who use it without a mouse or without a screen. When I review a website, I therefore test it with a screen reader and the keyboard alone and then work through the points with the biggest impact first. You can do this test yourself in half an hour:

1. Keyboard (10 minutes): put the mouse aside. Use the Tab key to go through the home page, the menu, a form and, if there is one, a purchase. Shift and Tab goes back, Enter triggers links and buttons, Escape closes menus and dialogs. Can you always see where you are? Can you get everywhere and back out again?
2. Screen reader (10 minutes): on Windows with the free NVDA, on a Mac with VoiceOver, which you switch on with Command and F5. Listen to the headings and a form. Does it make sense without seeing the page?
3. Automated check (5 minutes): the browser extensions WAVE by WebAIM or axe DevTools show missing alt text, empty links, contrast errors and wrong headings on the current page.
4. Contrast and zoom (5 minutes): under WCAG, normal text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1, large text 3 to 1. Zoom the browser to 200 per cent: can you still read everything without content being cut off?

Six steps to an accessible WordPress site

1. Choose or check the theme. A theme with the “Accessibility Ready” tag is a good start. Still check the menu, focus and headings yourself.
2. Fix colour contrast. Text to background at least 4.5 to 1, including buttons and links. You change the colours in the theme or child theme.
3. Ensure keyboard operation. Every menu, form and slider must work without a mouse, with visible focus and a logical order.
4. Add alt text. Every image with content gets a short description. A checking plugin shows you where it is missing.
5. Rework forms and checkout. Linked labels, understandable error messages as text and grouped fields, especially in the checkout.
6. Test and keep at it. With WAVE or axe, with keyboard and screen reader, and then regularly, because new content can bring new errors.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a plugin that makes WordPress BFSG-compliant?

No. Checking plugins show errors, repair plugins fix individual weaknesses and toolbars help with reading. A website only becomes compliant through a suitable theme, clean content and accessible forms. The US Federal Trade Commission explicitly objected to overlays making that promise in the accessiBe case.

Which theme is accessible?

Themes with the “Accessibility Ready” tag in the WordPress directory are a good start, for example the default theme Twenty Twenty-Five. The tag stands for minimum requirements, not verified WCAG conformance. So test your theme with keyboard and screen reader before you build content on it.

Is WooCommerce accessible?

WooCommerce provides the shop and the checkout, but whether the shop is accessible depends mainly on the theme, add-on plugins in the checkout and your product pages. Play through an entire purchase once using only the keyboard, from the product to the order confirmation.

What happens if my website is not accessible?

If your offering falls under the BFSG, the market surveillance authority can demand corrections. For a service that does not meet the requirements, § 37 BFSG provides for a fine of up to 100,000 euros. On top of that come warning letters and customers who abandon their purchase because they cannot get any further.

Does every website have to be accessible?

No. The BFSG applies to certain products and services for consumers, above all online shops and websites where contracts are concluded. Micro-enterprises with fewer than ten employees and no more than 2 million euros in annual turnover or balance sheet total are exempt for services. A pure brochure website without ordering is usually not covered. Building accessibly still pays off, because more people can use your site.

Meet the BFSG requirement – without the stress

Accessibility is not a one-off project but part of ongoing, solid website maintenance. If you run a shop or company website on WordPress or WooCommerce, I audit your site for BFSG and WCAG compliance, implement the necessary changes, and keep it accessible long-term as part of my WordPress maintenance.

Want it implemented properly? I build your accessible website to BFSG.

Get in touch about the accessibility of your website →