The verdict in three sentences
If your company sells online, provides banking, transport or consumer digital services to customers in the EU, the European Accessibility Act has applied to you since 28 June 2025, whether you operate from Paris, Dublin, London or New York, and your site should target WCAG 2.1 AA (the RGAA 4.1 standard in France). The safest path starts with an audit at 2,500 to 6,000 EUR (about 2,700 to 6,500 USD), which tells you whether targeted fixes (5,000 to 20,000 EUR) are enough or whether an accessible-by-design rebuild (20,000 to 60,000 EUR) is cheaper. Doing nothing exposes you to fines up to 50,000 EUR per breach in France, renewable, and to lost customers: around 87 million people in the EU live with a disability.
Who is covered and what is required
| Situation | Covered by the EAA? | Main obligations |
|---|---|---|
| B2C e-commerce site | Yes | Accessible checkout, accessibility statement |
| Online banking, insurance, credit | Yes | Accessible customer area, sign-up and payment |
| Passenger transport | Yes | Ticketing, timetables, travel information |
| Communication and digital services | Yes | Accessible apps and websites |
| Service microenterprise (under 10 staff and 2M EUR turnover) | Exempt | Recommended, not mandatory |
| B2B brochure site without transactions | Not directly | Often required by large buyers |
| Public sector body | Yes, under the earlier Web Accessibility Directive | Multi-year plan, annual plan, statement |
Covered companies must publish an accessibility statement showing the compliance rate, non-accessible content and a contact channel. In France, a 3-year accessibility plan and an annual action plan complete the framework for bodies under the RGAA regime. RGAA 4.1 has 106 criteria aligned with WCAG 2.1 level AA. A UK or US company selling to EU consumers falls under the rules of each member state where it sells, Ireland's transposition being the reference for many Dublin-based platforms.
Audit, fixes or rebuild: the costed comparison
| Criterion | WCAG / RGAA audit | Fixes on existing site | Accessible-by-design rebuild |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 budget | 2,500 to 6,000 EUR | 5,000 to 20,000 EUR | 20,000 to 60,000 EUR |
| Scope | Sample of 15 to 20 pages | Audit issues, key templates | Whole site, design and code |
| Timeline | 2 to 4 weeks | 4 to 10 weeks | 3 to 6 months |
| Target compliance rate | Baseline, often 30 to 60% | 75 to 90% | 90% and above |
| Deliverables | Checklist, report, statement | Fixed code, re-audit | New site, re-audit, training |
| When to choose it | Always first | Recent site, modern CMS | Site over 5 years old or highly non-compliant |
The rule of thumb: if the audit shows under 40% compliance and the site is more than 5 years old, the cumulative cost of fixes often approaches that of a rebuild, without its benefits (performance, SEO, conversion). Above 50%, targeted fixes on templates are usually enough, because a single error repeats across hundreds of pages. In London or New York, agency rates run roughly 20 to 40% higher than these figures.
The most frequent issues
Audits of company websites almost always find the same problems: insufficient contrast, images without text alternatives, unlabeled form fields, keyboard navigation dead ends, modals that trap focus, untagged PDFs and videos without captions. Fixing these on checkout or sign-up templates often covers 70% of the effort. Also think about future content: a one-day training for editorial teams, around 1,200 to 2,000 EUR, prevents regressions.
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Mini case study
Sophie, CIO of a 60-employee e-commerce retailer in Nantes (18 million EUR of online revenue), orders an RGAA audit at 4,500 EUR. Result: 52% compliance, with most issues concentrated on 8 templates. She opts for fixes at 14,000 EUR plus training at 1,500 EUR, 20,000 EUR in total. On the other side, a single sanctioned breach can cost 50,000 EUR. On revenue, if the improved journey adds about 0.3% of revenue through better conversion of affected visitors, the retailer recovers 54,000 EUR a year, more than twice the investment. A Dublin-based retailer of similar size faces the same arithmetic.
FAQ
Is our B2B site without online sales covered? Not directly by the EAA, unless it provides a covered digital service. But large accounts and public buyers increasingly include accessibility in tenders, and an audit from 2,500 EUR prepares you for those requirements.
Is an accessibility overlay plugin enough? No. These tools at 400 to 1,500 EUR (or USD) a year do not fix source code and do not deliver WCAG or RGAA compliance. They can even hinder screen reader users.
How long does compliance last? It degrades with every new page or feature. Plan an annual re-audit at 1,500 to 3,000 EUR and add automated tests to your development pipeline.
Should we aim for 100% compliance? Rarely achievable on a large site. A rate of 90% or more, with an honest statement of exemptions and an action plan, is the realistic 2026 target.
Who enforces and sanctions? In France, the DGCCRF checks EAA compliance for covered products and services, and Arcom handles public sector obligations. Fines can reach 50,000 EUR per breach and be renewed if issues are not fixed; other member states set their own penalty scales.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL and critical user journeys: we will price a WCAG 2.1 AA audit between 2,500 and 6,000 EUR, then a fix or rebuild plan with a precise timeline. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
