A week before the European Accessibility Act came into force in June 2025, we tested 100 top EU websites against WCAG 2.1 Level AA requirements to get a snapshot of accessibility readiness ahead of enforcement.
One year on, we ran the same assessment on the same websites to see how things have changed. The sections below present our updated findings, highlight where progress has been made, and where gaps remain.
How this assessment was conducted
To allow a direct comparison with our 2025 assessment, we used the same methodology throughout.
- Website selection: The same 100 EU websites sourced from DomainTyper’s Top .EU Websites list.
- Pages tested: Only the homepage of each website was evaluated.
- Type of testing: The assessment was fully automated.
- Testing tool: Each homepage was scanned using WebYes Accessibility.
- Standards referenced: Homepages were checked against WCAG 2.1 Level AA.
- Change tracking: WebYes Accessibility’s scan change detection feature was used to identify which websites had resolved accessibility issues since the 2025 assessment.
Of the 100 websites assessed in 2025, 12 could not be scanned in 2026 due to technical restrictions. All findings below are based on the 88 websites that could be assessed.
As with the original assessment, automated testing has inherent limitations. Not all WCAG conformance failures can be detected automatically. A page with no detected issues should not be assumed to be accessible or conformant without further manual accessibility testing.
Our findings
Automated WCAG 2.1 Level AA checks were run on the homepages of 88 top EU websites. The findings suggest that while some progress has been made, the gap between regulatory requirements and current implementation remains significant.
- 93% of websites failed at least one automated WCAG 2.1 Level AA check.
- 7% of websites passed all automated checks performed.
We like to reiterate that passing automated checks does not mean a website is fully accessible or legally compliant. Automated accessibility testing tools typically detect only 20–30% of WCAG accessibility issues, meaning their results represent only a partial view of accessibility.
That said, failing automated checks is a strong indicator that basic accessibility requirements have not been met. These are issues that are relatively easy to detect and fix, yet many websites continue to ship with them.
A reason for optimism
While the headline failure rate has barely moved, there are signs that EAA enforcement is beginning to prompt action.
46 of the 88 websites assessed have fixed at least one accessibility issue since our 2025 assessment. That means more than half of the websites we tested have made some form of measurable improvement in the past year.
Three websites that failed in 2025 now pass all automated checks. However, two websites that passed in 2025 have since regressed and now fail, resulting in a net gain of just one additional passing site. This shows that remediation is achievable, but maintaining accessibility standards over time requires ongoing attention, not a one-time fix.
The most common accessibility issues we identified
The assessment revealed the same categories of accessibility issues found in 2025, though the prevalence of some issues has shifted considerably.
| Issue | 2025 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Poor color contrast | 74% | 67% |
| Vague or missing link text | 61% | 51% |
| Missing alternative text for images | 33% | 53% |
| Missing page language declarations | 9% | 33% |
Poor color contrast — 67% of websites (was 74%)
The issue: Insufficient color contrast between text and its background, making text difficult to distinguish from surrounding content.
Who it affects: Users with low vision, colour vision deficiencies, or age-related vision loss. Poor contrast can also affect users’ viewing content in bright environments.
WCAG requirement: WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (Success Criterion 1.4.3).
Color contrast remains the most widespread issue identified, though the proportion of affected websites has fallen from 74% to 67%, the largest improvement of the four issues measured.
Tip: Use a color contrast checker to test your text and background combinations before publishing. Enter your foreground and background colour values to instantly see whether they meet the 4.5:1 ratio for normal text or 3:1 for large text.
Vague or missing link text — 51% of websites (was 61%)
The issue: Links that are missing descriptive text or use generic labels such as “Click here” or “Read more,” without clearly describing their destination or purpose.
Who it affects: Screen reader users, who often navigate pages by scanning a list of links without surrounding visual context.
WCAG requirement: WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires that the purpose of a link can be determined from the link text alone (Success Criterion 2.4.4).
This issue has seen the most improvement of the four measured, falling from 61% to 51%. While still affecting half of all websites assessed, the downward trend is a positive sign.
Missing alternative text for images — 53% of websites (was 33%)
The issue: Images that lack alternative text, preventing non-visual users from understanding their content or function.
Who it affects: Blind and visually impaired users who rely on screen readers to access content and interact with image-based controls.
WCAG requirement: WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires that non-text content has a text alternative that serves an equivalent purpose (Success Criterion 1.1.1).
Missing alt text has increased significantly since 2025, rising from 33% to 53%. This is the most concerning shift in this year’s findings and suggests that changes to website content, such as the addition of new images, are not consistently accompanied by accessibility review.
Tip: If your website runs on WordPress, an alt text generator plugin can bulk generate alt text for all images in your media library at once, including images that were uploaded without it.
Missing page language declarations — 33% of websites (was 9%)
The issue: The absence of a declared language for the page in the HTML.
Who it affects: Screen reader users, who rely on language information to apply correct pronunciation and speech rules.
WCAG requirement: WCAG 2.1 Level AA requires that the default human language of a page is programmatically determined (Success Criterion 3.1.1).
Missing page language declarations have risen from 9% in 2025 to 33% in 2026. This is a straightforward fix that requires a single HTML attribute, making its prevalence particularly notable.
How does your website compare?
Our assessment shows that one year into EAA enforcement, most EU websites still have detectable accessibility issues. If you have not checked your website recently, there is a reasonable chance it has some issues too.
WebYes Accessibility scans your homepage against WCAG 2.1 Level AA, the same standard and tool used in this assessment, and shows you exactly where issues exist and what needs to be fixed.
Check your website’s accessibility →
AUTHOR
Melwyn holds a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science and has been writing professionally for over 4 years. He has a strong background in SEO and is certified in web accessibility from the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). When he's not writing about website optimisation, you can find him enjoying a game of FIFA or exploring the open world of GTA.
Melwyn Joseph 
