ADA Website Compliance: A Practical Accessibility Checklist for Business Owners
What website accessibility means, how WCAG works, and a practical checklist to make your business website easier for everyone to use.
Quick answer: An accessible website can be used by people with disabilities, including people who use screen readers, keyboards or magnification. Most businesses use the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as their benchmark. Start with clear headings, alt text on images, strong color contrast, keyboard-friendly navigation, captions on video and labeled forms.
Accessibility is good practice and good business: more people can use your site, contact you and buy from you. This guide is general information, not legal advice. Talk to an attorney about your specific obligations.
What does the government say about web accessibility?
The U.S. Department of Justice publishes guidance on web accessibility and the ADA for businesses and state and local governments. The W3C's WCAG standards are the most widely used technical reference.
The practical accessibility checklist
1. Headings in order: one H1, then H2s and H3s that outline the page.
2. Alt text: describe what each meaningful image shows.
3. Color contrast: text must stand out clearly from its background.
4. Keyboard access: every menu, button and form works without a mouse.
5. Visible focus: users can see where they are when tabbing.
6. Form labels: every field has a clear label and helpful error messages.
7. Captions and transcripts for video and audio.
8. Descriptive links: "See our services" instead of "click here".
9. Readable text: pages work when zoomed to 200%.
10. No auto-playing media that cannot be paused.
Do accessibility overlay widgets solve the problem?
Plug-in widgets can help with some settings, but they do not fix the underlying code, content or design. Lasting accessibility comes from building and editing the site correctly.
How do you keep a site accessible?
Test new pages before they go live, check templates whenever your design changes, and include accessibility in your regular website maintenance. See Website Maintenance Services.
FAQ
Does accessibility help SEO? Many accessibility practices, such as clear headings, alt text and descriptive links, also help search engines understand your pages.
Which WCAG level should I aim for? Many organizations use WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 Level AA as their target. Confirm the right standard with your attorney.
Can you audit my site? Yes. Accessibility review is part of our Website Systems work. Schedule a strategy session.