On April 24, 2026 web content accessibility guideline (WCAG) standards are set to become legally binding for state and local government digital services; something that impacts a large number of Stacks customers.
Rightfully so, you may be asking yourself, is my Stacks site compliant with these regulations? The short and quick answer is YES!
The features and functionality of your Stacks site is substantially conformant with WCAG 2.1 AA, which aligns with — and in many cases voluntarily exceeds — global benchmarks such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, and EN 301 549.
For more information on this, you can see our Accessibility Conformance Report and Accessibility Whitepaper, which outlines our approach to digital accessibility, including our standards, testing methods, governance model, training, and commitment to continuous improvement. We also aim to align with WCAG 2.2 Level AA in future releases.
Tips for maintaining compliance
While Stacks provides a fully accessible platform, through decisions related to custom content management or design choices, there is the possibility for accessibility issues to be introduced to your site. The tips below can help guide you in ensuring you maintain compliance with these guidelines.
Titles and Headings
Titles and headings can often be overlooked, but they are invaluable for people using screen readers, while also assisting your sighted users and boosting your Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
- Use a hierarchical order for heading, H1, H2, H3, H4, etc. and avoid skipping heading levels
- H1 should only be used once, for page titles, whereas H2 should be used for content block headings, and so on
Tip! You have the option to hide the block title (also called a heading) for each content block you add to a landing page. However, certain Stacks features, such as callouts, include lower-level headings within the component in anticipation of an H2 block title. Hiding the block title may disrupt the logical hierarchy of your headings by skipping a level, which can impact accessibility.
Color
Make sure any text on your site has enough contrast; choose a text color that provides a high level of contrast against the background.
- The standard for web accessibility is a ratio between the two colors of 4.5:1
Also, avoid using color as the only indicator of meaning or information; use an additional element to convey information, such as shape differences or text labels.
Alternative Text
Alternative text is a short written description of an image, chart, or graphic. This text is read aloud by screen reading software for users with visual impairments or other disabilities. Consider, when adding images, is it more than just decorative?
Alternative text shouldn't just describe the image, but provide context on how the image relates to the page content; keep it simple, helpful and descriptive.
Tip! In Stacks, when uploading an image via the Files tile in the Dashboard or through the WYSIWYG editor, you will see a required field to add alt text, as well as an option to mark the image as “decorative.” When marked as decorative, the alt text field will be bypassed.
Hyperlinks
When adding hyperlinks, ensure the link text is meaningful and descriptive to indicate the purpose or destination of the link. Avoid vague phrases such as "click here" or "read more."
For example, hyperlink text that says "Download our report" rather than "click here."
Tip! Via the Style Editor, you can also set the Body Link Color (Fonts & Colors > Colors), as well as enable a feature to "Underline hyperlinks on hover" (Global Settings > Links).