How to Build an Accessible Website in 2026: Best Practices & Trends

It feels disingenuous to claim that, in 2026, accessibility has ceased to be a nice-to-have.

That has long since been the case. If you’ve not made accessibility a priority until now, there’s every chance you’re leaving something on the table.

16 million people in the UK live with a disability. 1.3 billion do the same worldwide. That makes accessibility not just an ethical imperative, but a commercial one too.

And in 2026, that is more true than ever. Regulation has tightened, and continues to do so. AI search rewards clarity and structure. Most importantly, audiences expect inclusive digital experiences. 

Accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about reach, trust, and reputation. In the guide below, we dig into the best practices surrounding accessibility and the trends and developments to be aware of over the next 12 months. 

But first, let’s set the scene.

Why Accessibility Matters More Than Ever

Firstly, for an introduction to the topic and website accessibility more generally, head over to our accessibility guide for charities here…

The Audience is Bigger Than You Think

As we said up top, over 1.3 billion people live with a disability. That’s around 16% of the global population. 

But widen the lens and the number grows dramatically: temporary injuries, neurodiversity, low-bandwidth connections, ageing users, busy environments… 

Accessibility supports all of these contexts. In fact, the tenets of accessibility make websites easier to use for everybody.

Ultimately, if your website is hard to use, you’re going to be putting off buyers, donors, partners and advocates.

Regulation is Tightening

2025–26 is a turning point for accessibility compliance. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) came into force in 2025, influencing global expectations and standards. 

WCAG 2.2 - the latest version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines - is now the standard many organisations are judged against, and regulators have become noticeably less tolerant of inaccessible digital services.

For charities and public-sector-adjacent organisations especially, accessibility is no longer a reputational risk; it’s a legal one.

Search Engines Reward Accessibility

AI-led search experiences (including Google AI and LLMs) lean heavily on structured, semantically clear content. 

That means headings, alt text, captions, transcripts, meaningful link labels - the building blocks of accessibility - have already become SEO essentials.

Even more generally, search is about being useful and user-friendly. Therefore, accessibility, at least indirectly, helps you rank.

Ranking helps you reach the people who need you most.

💡Further reading: How to Optimise Your Website for AI Search

The Foundations: Core Web Accessibility Best Practices (2026 Edition)

Accessibility is a broad church. But you can make huge strides and differentiate yourself from the masses by focusing on and nailing the fundamentals. 

WCAG covers dozens of criteria, but in practice, most accessibility issues stem from just a handful of recurring problems. Focus on these five core considerations, and you’ll dramatically improve both compliance and user experience.

These map closely to WCAG’s POUR framework - Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust - but framed in a way that’s practical for marketing and content teams, not just developers.

1. Clear Structure & Semantic Markup

WCAG: Perceivable & Robust

The single biggest determinant of accessibility - and increasingly, AI search visibility - is how clearly your content is structured.

What good looks like:

• Use meaningful headings in order (H1 > H2 > H3)
• Use proper landmarks: <header>, <nav>, <main>, <section>
• Ensure tables, lists and forms have the correct markup
• Avoid using styling alone (like bold text) to imply meaning

Why it matters:

Screen readers rely on this structure to “map” your page. AI search engines rely on it to understand your content. Humans rely on it to scan. Everyone wins.

2. Text Alternatives for Visual & Multimedia Content

WCAG: Perceivable

The guidance is crystal clear: anything visual or auditory must have an accessible alternative.

What good looks like:

• Descriptive alt text for images (what the image means, not just what it “is”)
• Video captions and transcripts as standard
• Clear labels for icons and controls
• Meaningful descriptions for charts or complex visuals

Why it matters:

Alt text supports screen readers. Captions improve accessibility and boost video engagement. Transcripts improve discoverability. This is accessibility and SEO, and content reuse all at once.

3. Colour, Contrast & Sensory Accessibility

WCAG: Perceivable

Poor contrast remains one of the most common WCAG failures and one of the easiest to fix. Most people prefer good contrast. But bad contrast makes life particularly difficult for those with low vision and colour blindness. 

What good looks like:

• Minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal body text
• Ensure text isn’t the only way information is conveyed (avoid red = bad, green = good without labels)
• Avoid relying solely on colour, animation, or shape to communicate meaning
• Offer a reduced-motion or high-contrast mode where appropriate

Why it matters:

This isn’t just for visually impaired users. It helps people using cheap monitors, cracked phone screens, bright sunlight, or simply ageing eyes. Good contrast makes your message more visible to literally everyone.

4. Full Keyboard Accessibility

WCAG: Operable

Can users navigate your entire website with just a keyboard? If not, it can’t be considered fully accessible. Not everyone can use a mouse.

What good looks like:

• Logical tab order through the page
• Clear, visible focus states (e.g., outlining the active element)
• No “keyboard traps” where users get stuck in modals or components
• Interactive elements that behave predictably (menus, accordions, sliders, carousels)

Why it matters:

Keyboard accessibility is essential for many disabled users, but it can also reveal broken UX generally. If something is hard to navigate with a keyboard, there’s a good chance it’s hard to navigate full stop.

5. Content That Is Understandable & Predictable

WCAG: Understandable

Most of what we’ve covered above is technical or design-focused. But accessibility isn’t just technical, it’s also editorial. The way you write and communicate has a huge impact on how people experience your brand. 

What good looks like:

• Clear, plain-language content
• Short paragraphs and scannable sections
• Error messages that explain what went wrong and how to fix it
• Consistent labels, buttons and patterns across the site
• Forms that are logical, forgiving, and well-labelled

Why it matters:

Accessible content is clearer content for users, search engines, AI assistants, and your internal teams. This is the intersection of content strategy, UX writing, and accessibility.

What’s New? Web Accessibility Trends to Watch in 2026

1. Inclusive AI Interactions

As conversational interfaces spread through websites - chatbots, voice agents, or embedded LLMs - accessibility must be baked into these new and expanding user experiences. 

Expect higher adoption of:

• Screen-reader compatible chat UIs
• AI content summaries tailored to user preferences
• Voice-driven navigation assistance
• Predictive text that supports user intention

Accessibility should be a core consideration when businesses build AI into user experiences and customer journeys.

2. Personalised Accessibility Settings

Websites in 2026 are becoming more personalised - have you read our trends for next year? We’re seeing more and more adaptive navigation, recommendations, design and CTAs based on real-time data. And the same should be true of accessibility.

We’re seeing built-in toggles far more often:

• Reduced motion
• Dyslexia-friendly typography
• Adjustable text size
• High-contrast or low-light modes

The growth of personalised accessibility acknowledges that it isn’t one state. Accessibility looks different for everyone, and bundling them all together isn’t useful or effective.

3. Semantic-First Build Approaches

As developers move away from heavy client-side JavaScript, we’re seeing a renewed focus on server-side rendering (SSR), static site generation (SSG), and other semantic-first architectures. 

This is a practical shift toward reliability, predictability and machine-readable content. 

Expect greater emphasis on:

• Clean, minimal client-side scripting
• Predictable markup and document flow
• Frameworks that support SSR/SSG by default
• Structured data (schema - see our guide) paired with accessible HTML

These build approaches reduce the cognitive load on assistive technologies and help AI search interpret content more accurately. The outcome is simple: faster, clearer, more accessible websites.

4. Smarter Automated Accessibility QA

Accessibility tooling is rapidly evolving. Modern QA suites now integrate directly into design systems, component libraries and CI pipelines, flagging common failures before they ever reach production. 

But even with the advances, automation still catches only a portion of WCAG issues, and it’s usually the obvious ones.

Expect wider use of:

• Automated colour contrast scanning
• Component-level linting for headings, labels and semantics
• Plugins that detect missing alt text or form errors
• CI checks that block inaccessible builds

Automation accelerates accessibility, but it doesn't replace human judgment. The best practice remains: automate early, review critically, and test with real people who rely on assistive technology every day.

5. Accessibility as a Visible Brand Differentiator

Across sectors, accessibility is becoming a recognised marker of professionalism and trust. It signals that an organisation takes responsibility seriously, not just in the physical world, but also in the digital one.

We’re seeing accessibility emerge in:

• Procurement requirements and supplier scoring
• ESG and social-value reporting
• Brand guidelines and digital tone of voice
• Conversion messaging across high-intent user journeys

For charities, it expands reach. For B2B firms, it improves lead quality and conversion. For everyone, it strengthens credibility. Accessibility is no longer seen as a compliance task; it's part of brand identity.

Accessible Marketing: Not Just Accessible Development

All of our websites are built with accessibility in mind, but in truth, accessibility is a strategic mindset that extends far beyond development. It’s a strategic consideration, and marketing teams can have a meaningful impact by focusing on three key areas:

1. Content that is Clear, Structured, and Inclusive

The words you choose - and the way you structure them - determine how easily people (and the machines that support them) can understand your message.

Make sure to use:

• Short paragraphs
• Descriptive headings
• Bullet points for scannability
• Consistent terminology
• Clear calls to action

This supports users who rely on assistive tech, but it also helps everyone else: busy B2B buyers, donors scanning on mobile, and search engines trying their best to understand what you’re saying. Clarity and simplicity are inclusive.

2. A Culture of Accessibility from Project Kick-Off

Achieving any goal is often about the structure you build around it. Running a marathon is going to be far easier if you give yourself the time and framework required to get to 26.2 miles.

Accessibility is no different. Creating accessible customer journeys will be dramatically easier and more cost-effective when it’s a day-one consideration.

In the same way that “SEO” shouldn’t be bolted on at the end of a design project, neither should accessibility. You’re just creating obstacles and points of friction. Embed from the start for the greatest success. 

And it’s not just your website, build accessibility into:

• Creative briefs
• Wireframes and prototypes
• User journeys
• Acceptance criteria and QA checklists

Most importantly, take the time to sit down with stakeholders and define what “accessible” means for your organisation. Expectations differ across sectors, audiences and regulatory environments, so clarity early on sets everyone up for success.

3. Improvement Over One-Off Compliance

There’s a lot about website design and development - and the digital world in general - that’s much more than a one-time checklist or a pass/fail audit. Accessibility is the same.

Accessibility is an ongoing practice, much like SEO or content strategy. Standards evolve (see above), user needs and expectations are ever-changing, and new features and technology provide ever-changing goalposts. 

The best marketing teams consider all this:

• Set regular review cycles
• Run periodic automated and manual audits
• Listen to feedback from real users
• Treat accessibility as part of ongoing optimisation

In 2026, Accessibility is More Than Ethics

Building an accessible website in 2026 isn’t about ticking WCAG boxes. In truth, it never has been. No, accessibility is about reaching and communicating with more people, giving yourself a better chance to rank, protecting yourself legally, and ensuring your digital presence reflects your brand values. 

Most importantly, accessible design is - and always has been - simple and thoughtful.

If you're planning a website redesign or want to embed accessibility into your existing digital strategy, we can help you build something inclusive, compliant, and decidedly delightful to use.