Consulting
Accessibility audit (WCAG)
An accessibility audit checks whether disabled people can use your website, online store or app, measured against WCAG and the European Accessibility Act. It is for online stores and consumer services, which have been covered since 28 June 2025, and for anyone who wants to reach every customer. You receive a list of issues, a prioritised fix plan and an accessibility statement.
An obligation and an opportunity
Since 28 June 2025, the European Accessibility Act, brought into Portuguese law by Decree-Law 82/2022, has required many online stores and consumer services to be accessible. But accessibility isn't only for blind or deaf people. It helps anyone using a phone in bright sunlight, anyone with limited movement, anyone whose eyesight has worsened with age. An accessible website is almost always easier for everyone to use.
What we find most often
- Product images with no alternative text
- Buttons and links that can't be reached with a keyboard
- Text with too little contrast against its background
- Forms without labels, or with unclear error messages
- Pop-ups and menus that trap focus or can't be closed
- A checkout that can't be completed with a screen reader
A plan your team can follow
Each issue comes with the page where it appears, the WCAG criterion it breaks and how to fix it, written for whoever will change the code. The plan starts with anything that stops someone completing a purchase or a request. If your site needs a deeper overhaul, a redesign and speed-up can build accessibility in from the design stage.
Accessibility in e-commerce
In an online store, the critical path is finding the product, choosing the options and paying. That is where we focus manual testing, because a barrier at any of those steps means a lost sale and a customer shut out. For a wider review of your store, from payment methods to conversion, see e-commerce consulting.
What you get
- A check against WCAG level AA, covering the 2.1 criteria the European standard requires and the newer 2.2 ones
- Keyboard, screen-reader, zoom and contrast testing of the main user journeys
- An assessment of how Portugal's Decree-Law 82/2022 applies to your business
- A list of issues with examples, the criterion affected and how to fix it
- A fix plan ranked by priority and relative effort
- An accessibility statement, ready to publish once the fixes are in
- A final check once the fixes are done
Best for
- Online stores and services sold to consumers over the internet
- Booking, ticketing and passenger transport services
- Businesses that want to reach disabled and older customers
- Organisations launching or rebuilding a website
Typical features and modules
Communication & leads
- Advanced forms
Visibility & SEO
- Performance optimisation
Compliance & security
- Consumer-law essentials
- GDPR pack
Hosting, e-mail & maintenance
- Monthly maintenance
- Admin training
How we deliver it
A conversation to agree the site, pages and journeys to assess
Automated and manual testing, with keyboard and screen reader
A report with issues, examples and a fix plan
Support for your team or supplier while the fixes are made
A final check and delivery of the accessibility statement
Frequently asked questions
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to my business?
It applies to services provided to consumers, such as e-commerce, consumer banking and passenger transport. Microenterprises providing services, with fewer than 10 staff and annual turnover or balance sheet of no more than two million euros, are exempt. We look at your specific situation at the start of the audit.
Won't an accessibility plugin solve it?
No. Widgets that change font size or contrast don't fix the page structure, forms or keyboard navigation. Issues have to be fixed in the website itself, and that is what the fix plan sets out.
Do you only test with automated tools?
No. Automated tools catch only some of the issues. We go through the main journeys, such as searching, choosing a product and paying, with a keyboard and a screen reader, because that is where you find out whether someone can actually buy.
What is an accessibility statement?
It is the public page explaining how accessible a service is, what is still missing and how to report problems. Public bodies must follow a set template; for private services, the law asks for information on the service's accessibility, and the statement sets it out clearly. We write it from the audit's actual findings, not from a generic template.
What about public-sector websites?
In Portugal they fall under a different law, Decree-Law 83/2018, with its own rules and statement template. The audit works for both.
How much does it cost?
Every project is quoted by hand from your requirements, so pricing is on request. Send us the website address and tell us roughly how many different page types it has. Request a quote
Shall we talk about your project?
Tell us what you have in mind and what you want to achieve.