What does accessibility on the Internet mean and why is it important for stores and websites?
The aim of an accessible website is to ensure that people with visual impairments (including blind people), hearing impairments, motor impairments, cognitive impairments or other limitations can use the content and functions of the website without any problems. The international standard for accessible web content is defined by the "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) whereby WCAG 2.2 - AA is the legal minimum standard for the implementation of the new EU directive. From 2025, this standard will be mandatory under certain conditions for online stores and websites that enable inquiries for products and services. This means that you should consider accessibility in your projects now so that you don't run into problems in the near future when converting or adapting - you could face fines of up to 80,000 euros (see current information from the Chamber of Commerce)!
Smarda was the first store system in the world to be awarded the silver certificate by TÜV Trust IT!
Before the first line of code was written for Smarda, it was already determined that Smarda stores should be natively accessible. That's why all accessibility tools are available to you as standard when setting up the shop. However, so that you can be sure that our systems meet the legally required standard, we have certified the official certification body WACA and the TÜV Trust IT to test our system using our own Smarda template: we are the only store system in the world to have been awarded the silver certificate for the latest accessibility standard WCAG 2.2 - AA. With Smarda, you are on the safe side - by default, without plugins, without surcharges, without coding!
Only Smarda has accessibility integrated natively.
In order to comply with the guidelines for the WCAG 2.2 - AA standard, a complex set of rules must be taken into account, which you can find here can view here. These include technical and content-related design aspects. Smarda stores and websites cover the technical functions for accessibility by default. You don't have to install your own plugins or program anything specifically for this. All in all, it is a very complex set of rules that should be taken into account. These include the following functions:
Editorial and design specificationsThe most powerful store system out of the box
The aim of accessibility on the Internet is to enable digital participation for people with physical or mental disabilities. In addition to the support of screen readers and keyboard control, this primarily concerns design and content aspects - e.g. clear navigation, alt texts for images, transcribed or subtitled videos as well as sufficient color contrasts and font sizes for visually impaired users. This means that systemic support alone is not enough to make websites and stores accessible. Smarda provides all functions and design options natively and as standard in order to meet all guidelines. That is unique!
You can test your websites and stores for accessibility using various tools, such as the
Shopando API & Webhooks
Of course we also have our own website smarda.com with Smarda. All pages and functions therefore automatically access Smarda's barrier-free systems!