Can I have a certification badge for my website?

Summary

Certification badges for your website depend on Siteimprove’s policies and eligibility criteria. In most cases, badges are not automatically granted and may require meeting specific standards or participation in designated programs.

Answer

You’ve worked hard to make your website accessible; it can be frustrating if there is no way to officially certify, or at least acknowledge how hard you’ve worked. Unfortunately, there is no formal certification process to recognize your efforts from the WCAG 2 or the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Even the W3C only offers a “claim of conformance.”

“The presence of a badge on the site doesn’t really help. On the contrary, if a disabled person can’t use your website, but sees a badge on it, that person is likely to become confused and annoyed – they know they aren’t getting a good experience, but some organization out there that claims to speak on their behalf has said they should be.” - Hassell Inclusion Website

Here’s the key point: accessibility isn’t about a checklist and a certificate. Accessibility is about making your website usable for everyone.
We do recommend that you provide an accessibility statement that communicates your organization’s efforts towards accessibility.

Key Takeaways

• Certification badges are not universally available by default
• Eligibility may depend on: 
  • Compliance levels (e.g., WCAG adherence)
  • Participation in specific Siteimprove programs
• Always verify current program availability and requirements

Additional Information

Refer to Hassell Inclusion and their article on accessibility accreditation value.