--- title: BFSG 2025: What the Accessibility Reinforcement Act means for websites & online stores - isla Studio url: https://isla-stud.io/en/allgemein/bfsg-2025-was-das-barrierefreiheitsstaerkungsgesetz-fuer-websites-onlineshops-bedeutet/ date: 2025-12-11 --- # BFSG 2025: What the Accessibility Improvement Act means for websites & online stores Accessibility is no longer just a „nice to have“. It determines whether people can use your content at all - and increasingly it also determines how search engines rate your website. With the Accessibility Improvement Act (BFSG), the legislator has now put the topic where it belongs: in the standard checklist for digital products, websites and online stores. Since June 28, 2025 at the latest, certain products and services must be made accessible. This also includes e-commerce services - in other words, the very online offers that consumers use to conclude contracts, buy products or book services. (Laws on the Internet) This is what this article is about, what the BFSG 2025 actually regulates, whether your website or online store is affected by the BFSG, how you implement the requirements in practice, and why accessibility is not only a legal benefit, but also a benefit for your ranking and conversion. Table of contents Toggle 1. what is behind the Barrier-Free Strengthening Act (BFSG)? The BFSG transposes the European Directive (EU) 2019/882, the so-called European Accessibility Act, into German law. The aim is to harmonize the accessibility requirements for certain products and services across Europe and to enable people with disabilities to participate on an equal footing. (Laws on the Internet) Section 1 of the BFSG states, very briefly: The purpose of the Act is to ensure the accessibility of certain products and services in the interests of consumers and users. (Laws on the Internet) Important for your planning: The law was passed in 2021 and came fully into force on June 28, 2025. (Social Association VdK Germany e.V.) The specific technical requirements for accessibility are regulated in the Ordinance to the BFSG (BFSGV). Among other things, it is based on the European standard EN 301 549 and thus on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1, Level AA). (Laws on the Internet) 2 Who does the BFSG 2025 apply to - am I affected as a website operator? The central question that many people are asking is this: „Is my website affected by the BFSG?“ The answer does not depend on whether you „have a website“, but on what you do there. The law lists a range of products and services - from banking services to e-books and e-commerce services. (Federal Accessibility Agency) 2.1 BFSG and „e-commerce services“ The term „e-commerce services“ is defined in the BFSG (Section 2 No. 26 BFSG) and is clearly explained by the Federal Accessibility Agency: It refers to services where consumers conclude a contract online - for example by purchasing, booking or ordering. (Federal Accessibility Agency) Typical examples: Online stores where customers place products in their shopping cart, order and pay, Websites with online appointment booking, if the booking leads directly to a paid contract (e.g. medical practice, hairdresser, coaching, course booking), portals through which tickets, subscriptions or digital services are booked, platforms on which consumers conclude contracts with third parties. If you find yourself in these examples, you are in the core area „BFSG online store / BFSG website in electronic commerce“. 2.2 Purely informative websites vs. BFSG obligation Not every website is automatically an „FSIA website“ within the meaning of the law: Pure information offerings on which you explain services, show references and enable contact, but do not offer direct online contract conclusion, are often classified differently by specialist bodies than classic e-commerce or booking platforms. (Federal Accessibility Agency) Nevertheless, digital accessibility makes sense here too - from the point of view of user experience, SEO and brand presence. In short: Yes, the BFSG 2025 affects many online stores and booking routes. No, not every simple company website is automatically subject to the BFSG obligations. 2.3 BFSG & microenterprises: the exceptions Are you wondering whether you fall under the so-called „BFSG microenterprise exemption“? Rightly so, because many smaller businesses fall into this category. Micro-enterprises are companies with (Bundesregierung.de) less than 10 employees and no more than EUR 2 million in annual turnover or annual balance sheet total. The following applies to these companies: If they provide services, accessibility is generally voluntary according to the BFSG - they are therefore not subject to the obligation to provide accessible services. (Federal Government.de) However, if they manufacture products or place products on the market that fall under the scope of the BFSG (e.g. certain end devices or e-books), the requirements apply despite their micro-enterprise status. (Federal Government.de) It is also important to note that B2B offers aimed exclusively at companies are not covered by the BFSG, according to various specialist sources. It is crucial that it is clear that these are not offers for consumers. (BFSG) 3. when do the requirements apply - and what are the penalties for non-compliance? The BFSG came into effect - with a few exceptions - on June 28, 2025. From this date, the products and services covered must meet the statutory accessibility requirements. There are transitional regulations for certain constellations, such as for products that have already been placed on the market. (Social Association VdK Germany e.V.) 3.1 BFSG Fines of up to 100,000 euros If accessibility requirements are not met when offering products or services, the responsible market surveillance authorities can take measures - from requesting improvements to banning the offer. In serious cases, fines of up to 100,000 euros can be imposed, as various legal articles explain. (Weiß & Partner Esslingen) In addition to official proceedings, you should not underestimate the reputational effects: If you demonstrably exclude people, you lose trust - both with users and with partners, the media and potential employees. 4 What does „barrier-free“ actually mean for websites and online stores? The BFSGV specifies what accessibility means for the products and services concerned. For e-commerce services in particular: (laws on the Internet) the general requirements for services (§ 12 BFSGV), additional requirements for certain services (§ 13 BFSGV) and the special requirements for services in electronic commerce (Section 19 BFSGV). In practice, this means for a BFSG website / BFSG online store, among other things: Information must understandable, perceptible via different senses (e.g. text instead of pure picture writing), and robustly provided. (Laws on the Internet) The user interface must be designed in such a way that it can be used by people with different limitations - keyword keyboard operability, focus guidance, helpful error messages. (Laws on the Internet) Assistive technologies (e.g. screen readers) must be able to handle the content in a meaningful way - this requires clean HTML structures and semantic markup. Many of these requirements coincide with what you already know from technical search engine optimization: structured content, clear semantic levels, stable layouts and good performance. A detailed overview of these intersections can be found in the article „Technical SEO 2024: Comprehensive guide to website optimization“ on my website:https://isla-stud.io/ratgeber/technische-seo-leitfaden-2024/ (saskialund.de) 5. practical requirements: BFSG website & BFSG online store To make things concrete, here are some key points that can be derived from the BFSG, BFSGV and the WCAG basic principles: 5.1 Structure & navigation Headings follow a logical hierarchy (H1-H2-H3). Navigation areas are organized as