Website Accessibility Compliance 2026: WCAG 2.2 Checklist and Deadlines

A few years ago, website accessibility compliance looked like a technical topic that only mattered to government websites. That has changed. A furniture company selling online, a hotel taking bookings or a travel agency selling tours is now expected to make sure its site can be used by people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities.

In this article we explain in plain language who the Turkish Circular covers, what the deadlines mean and what you could face if you do not comply. We then share a WCAG 2.2 checklist you can apply straight away, free testing methods and how much work compliance involves on different platforms. If you sell into the EU as well, we cover that angle too.

What does Türkiye's accessibility circular 2025/10 introduce?

The core idea is simple: digital services should be usable by everyone. Someone using a screen reader should be able to listen to your product description, someone who cannot use a mouse should be able to add a product to the basket with a keyboard, and a guest with colour blindness should be able to tell the "Book now" button apart from its background.

The technical framework it refers to is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) published by the W3C. Alongside the Circular, processes such as conformity assessment, accessibility statements and monitoring for websites and mobile apps are also on the agenda. Details such as which document must be submitted, in what format and to whom may be clarified over time through secondary regulations, so it is important to keep an eye on official announcements.

Who must comply? The scope of website accessibility compliance in Türkiye

According to publicly reported summaries of the Circular, the scope is not limited to public institutions. Sectors that serve the public directly and rely heavily on digital channels are also on the list. The main categories are:

• Public institutions and organisations providing public services
• E-commerce sites and e-commerce intermediary service providers (marketplaces)
• Banks and financial institutions
• Private hospitals and healthcare providers
• Telecommunications companies
• Travel agencies and businesses offering accommodation and transport services

The deadlines are phased: in the general framework, the first phase is 20 June 2026 and the second is 20 June 2027. Which phase applies to you may depend on your field of activity and size. Our practical advice: assume you are subject to the first date and start planning now. Accessibility work is never finished in one go; it has to be maintained as you add content.

If you sell abroad

Businesses selling online into Europe also need to consider the European Accessibility Act. It began to apply to many e-commerce services in the EU market from June 2025. Furniture or textile companies selling cross-border will find it easier to plan for the Turkish and EU requirements together, because both rely largely on WCAG.

What is WCAG 2.2 and what do the levels mean?

WCAG 2.2 is the current version, published by the W3C in October 2023. Its criteria are grouped around four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Each criterion has a level:

• Level A: The most basic requirements. Without them, some users cannot use the site at all.
• Level AA: The level most international regulations aim for. Contrast and focus visibility sit here.
• Level AAA: The most advanced level; it is generally not expected for all content.

The additions in WCAG 2.2 matter especially for small and mid-sized business websites: the focused element must not be hidden under a sticky header or cookie banner, touch targets must be large enough, actions done by dragging need an alternative, help links should sit in the same place on every page, users should not have to type the same information twice, and login steps should not rely on memory puzzles. You can find the full list of criteria on the official W3C WCAG 2.2 page.

Web accessibility checklist: first steps towards WCAG 2.2

The list below is based on Level A. Some items are Level AA, but since in practice they should be handled together we have included them and marked their level.

Common mistakes when writing alt text

Alt text such as "IMG_4521.jpg" or "product image" tells nobody anything. On a furniture site, something like "Three-seater sofa in anthracite fabric with wooden legs, side view" gives real information to screen reader users and to search engines alike. Keyword stuffing, on the other hand, works against you.

A five-minute keyboard test

1. Put your mouse aside.
2. Press Tab on the home page; the first focused element should be a "Skip to content" link.
3. Try opening drop-down menus with Enter or the arrow keys.
4. Add a product to the basket and continue through to checkout.
5. If a pop-up opens, check whether it closes with Esc and whether focus returns to the page.

This simple test reveals the biggest accessibility problems of most sites within a few minutes.

What happens if you do not comply?

The administrative consequences of non-compliance and the details of enforcement are being shaped by the related legislation and implementing rules. Quoting a specific penalty figure would therefore be misleading; you need to follow the official text. Regardless of sanctions, there are three real risks:

• Lost customers: A checkout that cannot be completed by keyboard is a closed shop for that user.
• Complaints and reputation: Accessibility problems can become visible on social media and complaint platforms.
• Public sector and corporate work: Corporate buyers or public tenders may start requiring accessibility compliance from suppliers.

The good news is that most accessibility fixes also help SEO, the mobile experience and conversion rates. A clean heading structure, meaningful alt text and clear forms benefit everyone.

Why accessibility overlays are not enough

The idea of "let's add an accessibility icon to the site and be done with it" is tempting. These tools usually offer settings such as larger text, contrast switching or a reading guide. The problem is that the real barriers sit in the page's code:

• An overlay cannot write accurate alt text for your product images on your behalf.
• It does not permanently fix a menu that cannot be opened with a keyboard.
• It cannot give meaning to form fields that have no labels.
• In some cases it can conflict with the assistive technology screen reader users already rely on.

Accessibility is not a layer added on top of a website; it is a quality of how the website is built.

There is no need to ban overlays entirely, but assuming they replace compliance is risky. Fix things at the source first, then offer extra conveniences if you wish.

Website accessibility test: free tools and a first scan

Accessibility testing has two layers: automated scanning and human review. Automated tools are fast but only catch part of the problems; they can see that alt text exists, but not whether it makes sense.

Free automated tools

• Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools; shows an accessibility score and basic errors.
• WAVE: Visually flags missing labels, contrast errors and heading structure on the page.
• axe DevTools: Runs as a browser extension and maps errors to WCAG criteria.
• Contrast checkers: Let you test the text and button combinations of your brand colours one by one.

Manual checks

After the automated scan, run the keyboard test above, then switch on VoiceOver or TalkBack on your phone and listen to your home page and a product page. Whether the screen reader announces your buttons as "button" or just "click" tells you a lot.

If you want a quick view of your site's overall health, you can run a first scan with our free Site X-Ray analysis tool. It runs more than 40 checks, shows the top 10 issues instantly and emails you the full report. Because it also surfaces speed, SEO and technical structure problems, it gives you a useful map before you start accessibility work. We explain how to read the results in our article on how to audit a website.

Compliance effort on hosted platforms, WordPress and custom software

The workload of accessibility work varies considerably depending on what your site is built with. The table below is a general indication only, not a fixed price or timeline; every site needs to be assessed individually.

If you are on a hosted platform, ask your provider for written information on WCAG 2.2 compliance. If you use WordPress, start with the theme and the form plugin; most accessibility issues concentrate in those two places. If you are rethinking your platform, our comparison of website builders vs WordPress vs custom builds may help.

E-commerce accessibility requirements: examples from furniture sites

In furniture e-commerce, accessibility issues tend to appear in the same places. Working with furniture brands in İnegöl and Bursa, Türkiye's furniture manufacturing hub, these are the points we come across most often:

• Colour and fabric selectors: Selectors made only of small colour swatches give no name to a screen reader and are hard to tap on mobile. Each option needs a text equivalent ("Anthracite", "Cream").
• Product galleries and 360-degree views: Views rotated by dragging should offer alternative controls such as arrow buttons.
• Dimension tables: If dimensions are written inside an image, a screen reader cannot read them; use a real HTML table.
• Instalment and shipping information: "Free delivery" shown only in green should also be stated in text.
• Checkout form: Unlabelled fields and vague error messages turn into abandoned baskets.

In e-commerce website projects, these fixes should be treated as part of a good product page rather than an extra module.

Accessibility on hotel and travel agency websites

Accommodation and travel are among the sectors named directly in the Circular. Key checks for hotel and agency sites:

• Booking engine: The date picker calendar must work with a keyboard, and dates should also be typeable by hand.
• Room and tour images: Use descriptive alt text such as "Sea-view family room, two bedrooms, balcony".
• Accessible room information: Details such as wheelchair-accessible rooms, lifts and ramps should have their own clear section.
• Multilingual content: Declaring the page language correctly in the code lets screen readers pronounce the text properly.
• Chat and help tools: The chatbot window should open and close with a keyboard, not trap focus, and stay in the same place on every page in line with the WCAG 2.2 consistent help criterion.

At Fietto Creative, when we design the booking flow for hotel and tourism websites, we build these checks into the process from the start, because an accessible booking form is also a shorter, less error-prone form for everyone.

Where should you start now?

1. Read the official text of the Circular and confirm which date applies to your sector.
2. Run a first scan with free tools and Site X-Ray, and list the issues.
3. Check your most critical flows (product page, basket, booking, contact form) with keyboard and screen reader tests.
4. Prioritise: first the issues that block users completely (Level A), then AA improvements.
5. Give your content team a short style guide for alt text and heading structure.
6. Repeat the same checks for every new campaign page and product you add.

If you would like to review your site's current state together and draw up a realistic compliance plan, get in touch with us. The 2026 date may seem far away, but planning design, development and content fixes together takes time; businesses that start early finish the process without rushing and at lower cost.

Frequently asked questions