---
title: "The Complete WCAG 2.2 Checklist for Non-Technical Business Owners"
description: "You don't need to code to understand WCAG. This plain-English checklist covers every Level AA requirement with actionable steps for business owners."
author:
  name: "WebAccessibility.co Team"
  role: "Accessibility Engineers & Compliance Experts"
  bio: "Our team combines expertise in WCAG standards, assistive technology, and AI-powered accessibility testing to help businesses build inclusive digital experiences."
category: "Guide"
tags: ["WCAG 2.2", "accessibility checklist", "business owners", "Level AA", "compliance"]
publishedAt: "2026-02-26"
updatedAt: "2026-03-01"
readTime: "11 min read"
featured: false
featuredImage: "https://cdn.webaccessibility.co/images/pexels-firmbee-com-22729701-7075408.webp"
---

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It's the international standard that defines how to make websites accessible to people with disabilities. Courts, regulators, and industry standards all reference WCAG — specifically Level AA — as the benchmark for compliance.

You don't need to be a developer to understand what WCAG requires. This checklist translates the technical criteria into plain-English checks you can verify yourself — or hand to your web team with clear direction.

## The Four Principles (POUR)

WCAG is organized around four principles. Every requirement falls under one of these:

### Perceivable
Users must be able to perceive the content. Information can't be invisible to all of a user's senses.

### Operable
Users must be able to operate the interface. No interaction can require an ability the user doesn't have.

### Understandable
Users must be able to understand the content and how the interface works. It can't be too complex to comprehend.

### Robust
Content must be robust enough to work with various technologies, including assistive technologies like screen readers.

## Level A: The Absolute Minimum

These are the most basic requirements. If your site fails these, it has fundamental accessibility barriers.

### Images and media

- [ ] **Every image has alt text.** Check: Right-click any image → Inspect. Look for `alt="..."`. Decorative images should have `alt=""` (empty, not missing).
- [ ] **Videos have captions.** Any pre-recorded video must have synchronized captions.
- [ ] **Audio has a transcript.** Podcasts and audio clips need text transcripts.
- [ ] **No information is conveyed by color alone.** Error messages shouldn't just be "red text" — they need an icon or text label too.

### Keyboard access

- [ ] **Everything works with a keyboard.** Try pressing Tab through your site. Can you reach every link, button, and form field?
- [ ] **No keyboard traps.** Can you Tab into AND out of every element? If focus gets stuck in a modal or menu, that's a trap.
- [ ] **No content requires specific timing.** Time limits must be adjustable or removable.

### Content behavior

- [ ] **Nothing flashes more than 3 times per second.** This can trigger seizures.
- [ ] **No auto-playing audio or video.** Media must not play automatically, or must have controls to pause/stop.
- [ ] **Every page has a title.** Check the browser tab — it should describe the page content.

## Level AA: The Standard You Should Target

Level AA is the standard referenced by ADA, EAA, and most accessibility regulations. These requirements build on Level A.

### Text and readability

- [ ] **Color contrast is sufficient.** Normal text needs a 4.5:1 contrast ratio against its background. Large text (18pt+) needs 3:1. Use a contrast checker tool to verify.
- [ ] **Text can be resized to 200%.** Zoom your browser to 200%. Does everything still work? Is text readable without horizontal scrolling?
- [ ] **Content reflows on mobile.** At 320px wide, content shouldn't require horizontal scrolling (except for data tables, maps, etc.).
- [ ] **Text spacing can be adjusted.** Users should be able to increase line height, letter spacing, and word spacing without breaking the layout.

### Navigation

- [ ] **There's a skip navigation link.** A "Skip to main content" link should appear when you press Tab on page load. This lets keyboard users bypass the navigation menu.
- [ ] **Multiple ways to find pages.** Your site should offer at least two ways to find content: navigation menu, search, sitemap, etc.
- [ ] **Headings are descriptive.** Headings should describe the content that follows, not just say "Section 1."
- [ ] **Focus order is logical.** When Tabbing through the page, focus should move in a logical order that matches the visual layout.
- [ ] **Focus is visible.** When you Tab to a link or button, there must be a visible indicator (outline, highlight) showing where focus is.

### Forms and input

- [ ] **Every form field has a label.** Click on the label text — does it activate the associated input? If not, the label isn't properly connected.
- [ ] **Error messages identify the problem.** If a form submission fails, the error message should specify which field has the issue and what's wrong.
- [ ] **Error suggestions are provided.** If you enter an invalid email, the form should suggest the correct format.
- [ ] **Labels don't disappear.** Placeholder text that vanishes when you start typing doesn't count as a label. Labels must remain visible.

### Interactive elements

- [ ] **Hover content is persistent.** Tooltips and dropdown menus that appear on hover must remain visible while the user moves their mouse to them, and must be dismissible with Escape.
- [ ] **Touch targets are large enough.** On mobile, interactive elements should be at least 24x24 CSS pixels (44x44 is recommended).
- [ ] **Status messages are announced.** When a form submits successfully or an error appears, screen readers must be informed without requiring a page refresh.

## How to Check Without Coding

You can verify many of these requirements yourself:

### Browser zoom test
1. Open your website in Chrome
2. Press Ctrl/Cmd + Plus until you reach 200% zoom
3. Navigate the entire page — does everything still work?

### Keyboard test
1. Put your mouse aside
2. Press Tab to navigate through the page
3. Can you reach everything? Can you see where focus is?
4. Press Enter/Space to activate buttons and links
5. Press Escape to close modals and dropdowns

### Contrast check
1. Visit webaccessibility.co/accessibility-color-checker
2. Enter your text color and background color
3. Check if the ratio meets 4.5:1 for normal text

### Automated scan
1. Visit webaccessibility.co/accessibility-checker
2. Enter your URL
3. Review the report — violations are ranked by severity with explanations

## Communicating Issues to Your Developer

When you find issues, give your developer clear, actionable information:

**Bad:** "The website isn't accessible. Fix it."

**Good:** "I ran an accessibility scan and found 23 violations. Here are the top 5 critical issues with the specific pages and elements affected. The scanner also generated code fix suggestions for each one."

Forward the accessibility scan report directly. Modern tools like WebAccessibility.co provide developer-friendly output with violation locations, WCAG criteria references, and fix code.

## Setting Up Continuous Monitoring

WCAG compliance isn't a one-time achievement. Every content update, design change, and new feature can introduce regressions. Set up:

- **Scheduled scans** (weekly or monthly) to catch new issues
- **Alerts** when critical violations are detected
- **Score tracking** to monitor compliance trends over time

This is like a smoke detector for accessibility — you want to know about problems before your customers (or a plaintiff's firm) find them.

## The Accessibility Statement

An accessibility statement is a public page on your website that describes:

1. Your commitment to accessibility
2. The standard you're targeting (WCAG 2.2 Level AA)
3. Known limitations and what you're doing about them
4. How users can report accessibility barriers
5. Contact information for accessibility inquiries

The EAA requires this document. Even where it's not legally required, it demonstrates good faith and provides a communication channel for users who encounter barriers.

WebAccessibility.co includes a statement generator that creates a professional accessibility statement you can embed on your site with a single line of code.

## Next Steps

1. **Run through this checklist** on your most important pages (homepage, product pages, checkout, contact)
2. **Run an automated scan** to catch violations you can't check manually
3. **Prioritize critical issues** — alt text, form labels, contrast, and keyboard access
4. **Set up monitoring** to prevent regressions
5. **Publish an accessibility statement** to demonstrate your commitment

You don't need to fix everything at once. Start with the critical issues, establish a process, and improve continuously. The goal isn't perfection — it's progress.