WCAG 2.2 accessibility scanner for websites

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is the globally recognised technical standard for web accessibility, underpinning accessibility laws across the US, UK, EU, and beyond. The guidelines are published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) through its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

WCAG is organised into three conformance levels:

• Level A: The minimum level, covering the most basic accessibility requirements for a site to be usable by people with disabilities.
• Level AA: The standard required by most accessibility laws and procurement policies worldwide.
• Level AAA: The highest standard, addressing the most complex accessibility needs.

WCAG has gone through several major versions since its introduction:

• WCAG 1.0 (1999): The original web accessibility guidelines, establishing the foundation for accessible web content.
• WCAG 2.0 (2008): A significant update that improved clarity and introduced a more flexible, technology-neutral framework.
• WCAG 2.1 (2018): Extended the guidelines to address mobile accessibility and the needs of users with cognitive impairments.
• WCAG 2.2 (2023): Added nine new success criteria with a further focus on cognitive disabilities, mobile users, and improved focus indicator requirements. This is the version Welcoming Web scans against.
• WCAG 3.0 (in development): The next generation of guidelines, currently in draft, with a broader approach to accessibility measurement and inclusive standards.

WCAG is referenced in or required by several major accessibility laws. In the US, courts consistently apply WCAG as the standard for ADA Title III website compliance. Section 508 requires WCAG 2.0 Level AA for federal agencies. In the EU, the European Accessibility Act requires conformance with EN 301 549, which maps to WCAG 2.1 Level AA. The UK Equality Act and AODA in Canada reference similar standards. Most organisations operating across multiple regions need to meet at least WCAG 2.1 Level AA as a baseline.

The most frequently identified WCAG failures involve missing image descriptions, insufficient colour contrast, inaccessible form fields, missing keyboard navigation support, and unclear link text. These failures appear consistently across audit data and are among the first issues Welcoming Web flags in a scan.

Welcoming Web does not certify compliance and cannot guarantee a legal outcome. The platform identifies which WCAG 2.2 criteria your site fails, suggests fixes mapped to each criterion, and maintains a dated record of your remediation work.

Maintaining WCAG compliance requires integrating accessibility into how your team designs, builds, and publishes content:

• Integrate accessibility checks into your design and development workflow before pages are built.
• Run scheduled scans against WCAG 2.2 criteria so failures are caught as your content changes.
• Track which criteria your site consistently fails to address root causes rather than individual instances.
• Test with real assistive technology users periodically, as automated scanning does not catch every failure.
• Stay informed as WCAG versions develop, particularly as WCAG 3.0 moves toward publication.