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April 9th, 2024 - Siteimprove now includes WCAG 2.2 testing

Modified on: Thu, 31 Oct, 2024 at 2:51 AM

Starting on April 9th, 2024, WCAG 2.2 will be included in Siteimprove’s automated accessibility checking. 

See the following FAQs below for additional information about this exciting release!

How does this impact your accessibility testing?

We’ve added success criterion 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA) to our platform as an automated testing rule. We also took the opportunity to automate a WCAG 2.1 success criteria linked to the above: SC 2.5.5 Target Size (Level AAA). 

At the same time, we’ve eliminated one check: Success criterion 4.1.1 Parsing has been removed of WCAG 2.2 guidelines because it’s now considered obsolete. We want your accessibility overview and score to be as accurate as possible and aligned with the industry standard.

These changes in accessibility checks go live on April 9th, 2024, so you can adjust your site target to select WCAG 2.2 if you want the new check to be included in your target score.

Why does Siteimprove not automate more testing rules?

There were nine new success criteria in total with WCAG 2.2. We chose to automate only 2.5.8 because, as those from all organizations in the W3C ACT-R community group agreed, the remaining eight couldn’t be automated in a reliable way. The consensus was that automating all the new criteria would create too many false positives. 

You can manually test for the eight remaining rules for now, and we expect that the accessibility testing community will determine a way to further automate testing as technology evolves and as we learn from manually testing against these criteria.

Will the newly added automated checks make me 100 percent WCAG 2.2 compliant?

Full WCAG conformance can only be achieved using a combination of automated and manual testing, because manual testing covers certain WCAG criteria that can’t be assessed by automated testing alone. This is particularly important when identifying user experience barriers that disabled individuals may encounter while using your site. 

Learn more about Manual Accessibility Testing.

Does Siteimprove offer manual testing for accessibility?

Yes! Our certified team of manual accessibility testers can evaluate your website by using a combination of keyboard-only interactions, assistive computer technologies, and web browser plug-ins. They can perform a WCAG review, address your unique accessibility needs, and provide personalized recommendations for quick wins.  

Find more information about Siteimprove's manual testing services.

How is Siteimprove involved in defining testing rules?

Siteimprove is in W3C’s ACT-R community group, which means we have a seat at the table when testing rules are set and that all our accessibility checks are rooted in industry standards. 

Learn more in Behind the curtain: How accessibility testing rules are created by Jean-Yves Moyen, principal software engineer at Siteimprove and co-chair of the ACT-R community group. 

Where can I find more information on WCAG and Siteimprove?

Please find an overview of Siteimprove resources for more information on WCAG:

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