Web Accessibility Part 2: Practical Essentials for Frontend Developers

Tue, 12 Aug 2025 12:55:00 +0000
Accessibility, Web Accessibility, Digital Accessibility, Frontend

In Part 1 of this series, we looked at why accessibility matters and how the European Accessibility Act is reshaping digital standards across the EU. Now it's time to get practical.

In this second part, we dive into hands-on accessibility best practices for front-end developers. This guide is packed with actionable tips that will help you build interfaces that are inclusive, compliant, and simply better for everyone.

If you haven’t read Part 1 yet, start here: Why It Matters, Who It Helps, and What Changes Under the European Accessibility Act.

Introduction

Adapting a website or web application to EAA is not just about audits and documentation – it is primarily about the daily decisions made by the people who write the code. Below are practical tips that every frontend developer should know and apply when working on accessibility.

1. Semantic HTML

The basis of the accessible front-end is the use of appropriate HTML tags. Elements such as , , , , , , or not only organize the code but also enable assistive technologies (e.g., screen readers) to interpret the structure and function of the page correctly.


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Another example would be a website navigation:




Home Page
Articles
About






Home Page
Articles
About



2. Headings

Headings ( to ) play a key role in the structure of an HTML document, not only from an SEO perspective, but above all in terms of accessibility. Headings enable people using screen readers to quickly orient themselves in the page layout and navigate its content. Incorrect use of headings disrupts the document's semantics and makes navigation difficult.

It’s like a book without a table of contents – difficult to search, chaotic, and unreadable. The same applies to websites: assistive technologies use headings to outline the page structure, allowing users to quickly “scan” the content.

Key principles:

Each page should contain only one h1 heading, which represents the main topic or title of the subpage,

The order of headings should be logical and hierarchical, e.g., h1 → h2 → h3, without skipping levels without justification. This helps users understand the structure of the content,

Do not use a lower level heading (h3, h4, etc.) just because it looks better visually. If it is semantically the main title, use h1 and style it appropriately with CSS,

Avoid using non-semantic elements (e.g., p, span) as substitutes for headings—even if they look similar. Assistive technologies do not recognize them as structural reference points.


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Product news
Version 2.0 – what's new?
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Company blog
Product news
ersion 2.0 – what's new?
Guides
How to implement accessibility step by step?

The correct...