EAA SME website checklist — a practical first pass
The European Accessibility Act (EAA) raises the bar for many digital products and services sold in the EU. If you run a small or medium business site — brochure, booking, or shop — a structured website pass beats guessing. This page is educational only. It is not legal advice, not a compliance stamp, and not a substitute for counsel in your country.
Who this checklist is for
- SME owners with a public marketing or e‑commerce site
- Teams without an enterprise accessibility auditor on retainer
- Anyone aiming for a realistic first pass toward WCAG 2.2 AA as a practical technical target
What to review first on an SME site
- Keyboard path: Can you reach menus, links, forms, and the cart with Tab / Shift+Tab only?
- Visible focus: Is the focused control always obvious?
- Headings & page title: One clear H1; logical heading order; unique titles per page.
- Images: Meaningful alt text; decorative images marked empty or CSS.
- Contrast: Text and UI against backgrounds meet AA contrast where required.
- Forms: Labels tied to inputs; errors described in text; required fields clear.
- Skip link: A “skip to main content” link helps keyboard users.
- Media: Captions for meaningful video; transcripts where audio carries info.
- Name, role, value: Custom widgets expose accessible names (native HTML preferred).
- Statement draft: Note known limits, contact, and the date you last reviewed.
What this does not mean
Checking boxes does not “make you EAA compliant.” Overlay widgets do not replace semantic HTML. National rules and product scope vary. When stakes are high, talk to a qualified attorney and, if needed, a human auditor.
Want a printable pack? A11yReady Starter includes a prioritised WCAG 2.2 AA checklist, an accessibility statement template, and top‑20 SME fixes — $39.90 one-time via Polar.
Educational materials only. Not legal advice. Not ADA/EAA certification. A11yReady does not guarantee legal outcomes.