The Accessibility Audit Economics Problem: Why £4,950 Per Site Means Most Websites Never Get Checked

Most websites launch without accessibility audits—not because agencies don't care about disabled users, but because comprehensive WCAG testing costs £4,950 plus VAT per site.

For agencies managing 20 clients annually, that's nearly £100,000 in audit costs alone—before fixing a single issue, before any remediation work, just for knowing whether your sites comply.

So accessibility checking gets skipped. Not proudly. Not deliberately. But practically. And everyone knows the maths doesn't work.

The £4,950 UK Market Reality

AbilityNet—the UK's leading digital accessibility charity, recognised by UK government enforcement bodies—offers Digital Accessibility Reviews for £4,950 + VAT.

What you get:

• Homepage, navigation, header/footer assessment
• Up to 10 core components tested
• WCAG 2.2 Level AA compliance checking
• Expert manual review with screen readers and assistive technology
• Professional report documenting findings

What you don't get:

• Full-site audit (this is representative sample testing)
• Unlimited page coverage
• Automated-only checking (requires expensive manual expert time)

This isn't unreasonable pricing. It reflects the reality that comprehensive WCAG testing requires manual expert review. DigitalA11Y's cost guide shows international providers charge $1,500-$5,500 USD for most websites, averaging roughly $175 per page.

Other UK providers confirm similar economics:

• Jim Byrne (UK): £2,000 minimum (£2,500 with disabled testers)
• WCAG 2.2 premium: Typically adds 10% to WCAG 2.1 audit costs

The Economic Impossibility

Let's do the uncomfortable mathematics:

Single site audit (AbilityNet):

• Cost: £4,950 + VAT = £5,940 total
• Scope: Homepage, navigation, header/footer + 10 components
• Limitations: Doesn't cover entire site, point-in-time assessment only

Agency managing 20 clients:

• 20 sites × £4,950 = £99,000 + VAT
• With VAT: £118,800 total annual cost
• This is just for knowing compliance status
• Would need repeating with major site changes
• No budget included for fixing identified issues

For most UK agencies, this is financially impossible.

What Actually Happens

Here's the real workflow on most agency projects:

1. Agency quotes client project at competitive rate (£3,000-15,000 typical website)
2. £4,950 accessibility audit not budgeted (would make project unprofitable or uncompetitive)
3. Accessibility checking skipped or minimal (free WAVE tool spot-checks only)
4. Site launches with unknown accessibility compliance status
5. Agency crosses fingers hoping no complaints or enforcement

When accessibility checking actually happens:

• Client specifically requests and budgets for accessibility audit (rare)
• High-profile project where legal risk is obvious (government, healthcare, finance)
• After complaint or enforcement action (reactive, not proactive)
• Almost never as routine quality assurance

This isn't negligence. This isn't agencies being irresponsible. This is the practical reality when comprehensive audits cost more than many agencies charge for entire website builds.

The Enforcement Reality

GOV.UK's accessibility monitoring report covering 2022-2024 demonstrates enforcement is real and active:

• 16,482 accessibility issues fixed as direct result of PSBAR monitoring
• 1,203 websites and 21 mobile apps monitored
• Nearly all tested sites had accessibility issues
• 68% of organisations resolved problems or had plans to do so
• 55.3% of issues fixed during monitoring period

Enforcement finds problems. Monitoring leads to remediation. This isn't theoretical—16,482 issues fixed proves the system works.

But AbilityNet describes enforcement as "patchy at best", with "no dedicated accessibility regulator" creating compliance uncertainty. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is tasked with fines but takes limited action.

The gap: Requirements clear (WCAG 2.2 Level AA), enforcement inconsistent (patchy, limited action), legal liability remains (Equality Act 2010).

Understanding Automated vs Manual Coverage

Here's the honest scope conversation that often gets skipped:

UK Government Digital Service research found that best automated tools catch 30-40% of 142 known accessibility issues.

Traditional industry estimates suggest automated tools catch 20-30% of WCAG issues. Deque's more recent research found 57.38% of total issue volume can be identified using automated tests (measuring issue volume, not criteria coverage).

The inescapable conclusion: 60-70% of accessibility issues require manual human testing with screen readers, keyboard navigation, cognitive testing, and expert review.

WebAIM puts it plainly: "WAVE and other automated tools can only identify some accessibility issues. You should also test the page with a keyboard, screen reader, and/or browser developer tools."

The Economic Choice

Let's frame this clearly:

Option A: Comprehensive manual audits for all clients

• Cost: £99,000 annual (20 clients)
• Coverage: 100% (with expert testing)
• Reality: Financially impossible for most agencies

Option B: Skip accessibility checking entirely

• Cost: £0
• Coverage: 0%
• Reality: Unknown compliance status, legal liability, reputational risk

Option C: Automated baseline checking + strategic manual audits

• Cost: £288/year automated + selective manual audits (£3,000-15,000 depending on critical projects)
• Coverage: 30-40% automated across all clients + 100% for critical projects
• Reality: Achievable within budget constraints

Which option represents responsible accessibility practice within economic reality?

The Tiered Approach That Actually Works

The solution isn't choosing between impossible economics and zero checking—it's intelligent resource allocation.

Tier 1: Baseline for all sites

• GuardianScan automated checking: £24/month unlimited scans
• Catches 30-40% of accessibility issues automatically (per UK GDS research)
• WCAG 2.2 Level AA automated checks
• All clients get accessibility checking, not just those who specifically budget for it
• Regular monitoring, not one-time point-in-time audit
• Professional PDF reports document checking performed

Tier 2: Strategic manual audits

• £4,950 professional audits for critical scenarios:
  • High-profile projects with significant legal visibility
  • Client-facing applications with diverse user base
  • Government, healthcare, finance (regulated industries)
  • Projects where budget allows comprehensive testing
  • Final validation before high-stakes launches

Result: Comprehensive accessibility programme within budget constraints

Economics Comparison Table

The ROI Perspective

The economics become clear when considering legal and reputational risk:

Legal risk:

• Single Equality Act complaint: £10,000-50,000+ in legal costs, settlements, remediation
• Preventing one lawsuit justifies: 35-170 years of GuardianScan subscription

Reputational cost:

• Accessibility complaints damage agency credibility
• Clients question agency professionalism
• Competitive disadvantage vs agencies demonstrating accessibility competence

Client retention:

• Professional accessibility checking demonstrates agency quality
• Proactive compliance builds client confidence
• Regular reporting shows ongoing commitment to quality

What Automated Checking Actually Catches

GuardianScan WCAG 2.2 automated checks include:

Automated-detectable issues:

• Colour contrast (text, UI components, graphical objects)
• Text alternatives for images and non-text content
• Form labels and instructions
• Heading structure and semantic HTML
• Link text clarity and context
• ARIA implementation patterns
• Language attributes
• Page titles and landmarks
• Keyboard focus indicators
• Target size (automated measurements)

Plus 40+ additional checks across performance, security, SEO, and modern standards.

When to Invest in £4,950 Manual Audits

Manual accessibility audits deliver value when strategically allocated:

Critical project scenarios:

• High-profile government or public sector sites (legal requirements)
• Healthcare applications (vulnerable user populations)
• Financial services (regulatory scrutiny)
• E-commerce platforms (business-critical accessibility)
• Applications with complex custom UI (automated tools limited)

Final validation scenarios:

• Post-automated-checking review of critical user paths
• Pre-launch validation for high-stakes projects
• Compliance documentation for regulated industries
• Due diligence for acquisitions or partnerships

Budget availability scenarios:

• Client has specifically allocated accessibility budget
• Project scope includes comprehensive testing
• Long-term retained relationship with quality focus

The European Accessibility Act Context

The European Accessibility Act became enforceable on 28 June 2025—four months ago as of this article's publication.

UK business impact:

• Any UK business with EU customers must comply
• Threshold: >10 staff and >€2 million (£1.7 million) annual turnover
• Scope: E-commerce, banking, e-books, transport services, electronic communications

This creates additional compliance pressure beyond UK PSBAR for businesses serving EU markets. The economic argument for affordable baseline checking becomes even more compelling when compliance obligations extend across borders.

30-40% Coverage Across All Clients vs 0% Coverage

Here's the core economic argument:

Most agencies currently perform 0% accessibility checking across most client sites because £4,950 per site isn't economically viable.

GuardianScan enables 30-40% automated coverage across all clients for less than the cost of a single manual audit.

The question: Is 30-40% automated coverage across your entire client portfolio better than 0% coverage because manual audits aren't affordable?

What This Enables

When baseline accessibility checking becomes economically viable:

• All clients get accessibility checking — not just those who specifically budget for it
• Regular monitoring replaces point-in-time audits — catch issues as sites evolve
• Professional reporting documents your commitment — demonstrate proactive quality focus
• Manual audit budget allocated strategically — where it delivers most value
• Compliance programme becomes sustainable — not aspirational

Honest Scope and Limitations

GuardianScan catches automated-detectable issues (30-40% per UK GDS research). Manual testing with screen readers, keyboard navigation, and cognitive assessment remains required for comprehensive compliance (60-70% of issues).

The value proposition isn't "replace all manual testing." It's this:

Enable baseline accessibility checking across all clients when comprehensive manual audits aren't economically viable.

The Economics Should Enable Quality

Comprehensive accessibility compliance is financially impossible for most agencies at current audit costs. The alternative—skipping accessibility checking entirely because £4,950 audits aren't affordable—serves no one.

Not agencies. Not clients. And especially not disabled users who deserve accessible digital experiences.

Automated checking (30-40% coverage) provides practical first-line defence whilst manual audits remain reserved for critical scenarios where they deliver most value.

The economics of accessibility compliance should enable quality, not block it.

Try GuardianScan free — WCAG 2.2 automated checking for £24/month unlimited. Baseline compliance for all your clients. Strategic manual audits where they matter most.

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Key Statistics

• £4,950 + VAT: AbilityNet UK accessibility audit cost
• £99,000: Annual cost for agency with 20 clients (before VAT)
• 30-40%: UK GDS research on automated accessibility tool coverage
• 60-70%: Accessibility issues requiring manual human testing
• 16,482 issues fixed: Direct result of PSBAR monitoring (2022-2024)
• 68% of organisations: Resolved problems or had plans following monitoring
• £10,000-50,000+: Estimated legal cost of single Equality Act complaint
• 28 June 2025: European Accessibility Act enforcement began

Resources

• AbilityNet: Digital Accessibility Review — £4,950 + VAT
• DigitalA11Y: Web Accessibility Audit Cost Guide 2025
• GOV.UK: Accessibility Monitoring Report 2022-2024
• GOV.UK: Using Automated Tools to Check Accessibility
• European Accessibility Act: UK Business Impact

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30-40% coverage across all clients vs 0% coverage. The economics of accessibility compliance should enable quality, not block it.