As an online business owner, it’s typically a given that you’ll have a website that will convey who you are, what you do, and give people an easy way to start working with you.

In fact, building a website (or hiring someone to do it for you) is often one of the first major projects that business owners tackle.

Aside from social media, your website is like your digital billboard that helps people get to know you, browse your products or services, and connect with you easily.

But what if I told you that simply having a website is NOT enough?! Nope.

Legally speaking, a website has to be ADA compliant, meaning that it’s accessible to ALL users.

And while sure, this is a legal thing, it’s also a morally and ethically appropriate thing to do as a business owner.

But let’s face it – in the business world, there are a lot of “rules” that many people just aren’t aware of, which is why I’ve made it my job to round up the sometimes boring things for you so that your business can be legally backed from top to bottom.

Because the reality is that the law doesn’t care if you don’t know something. You can (and likely will) be held responsible for failing to comply with certain things in the business world, so my hope is that through my blog and other resources you’re able to stay in the know and implement what you need to in order to stay golden.

In this blog specifically, I’ll be diving into what exactly it means to have an ADA-compliant website, why it matters, and ultimately HOW to make sure that your website is ADA-compliant.

(But while we’re on the topic of not knowing what you don’t know, click here for 5 other common legal pitfalls for creative entrepreneurs.)

What It Means To Have An ADA-Compliant Website

First things first, it’s important to understand what having an ADA-compliant website even means!

ADA stands for The Americans with Disabilities Act, which mandates that businesses and organizations ensure their online presence is accessible to individuals with disabilities, promoting inclusivity and equal access.

An ADA-compliant website follows a certain set of standards that ensures accessibility for all, meaning that the website is designed and developed in a way that allows people with various disabilities, such as visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments, to navigate, understand, and interact with the content effectively.

Those standards include:

Perceivable

All information and user interface components must be presented in ways that users can perceive, regardless of their abilities. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content (like images and videos), creating content that can be presented in different ways (such as simpler layouts), and making it easier for users to see and hear content, like adjusting color contrast and text size.

Operable

The user interface and navigation must be operable by all users, which involves making all functionality available from a keyboard, giving users enough time to read and use content, ensuring content doesn’t cause seizures (like flashing lights), and helping users navigate and find content easily.

Understandable

Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable, which means making text readable and understandable, ensuring web pages operate in predictable ways, and helping users avoid and correct mistakes, like providing error messages and instructions.

Robust

Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies. This involves using well-structured HTML, ensuring compatibility with screen readers, and keeping up with evolving standards.

By creating a website with these 4 standards in place, you not only will comply with ADA regulations, but also provide a better user experience for all visitors, enhancing accessibility and inclusivity.

Why ADA-Compliance Matters In The Digital World

Now that you understand what it means to have an ADA-compliant website, let’s take a closer look at why this really matters!

While this of course matters on a legal level, there’s also some ethical reasons to consider as well, not to mention a few benefits that impact your business as a whole.

Since I’m your legal biz bestie, let’s start with the law first. 🤓

As mentioned above, the ADA mandates that businesses and organizations ensure their websites are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Failure to comply with this mandate can result in lawsuits, legal penalties, and settlements – aka a wholeeee lot of things that you don’t want to deal with as a business owner!

For example, let’s say that your website is full of images that are integral to your content, such as product photos on an e-commerce site or instructional images in a tutorial.

There’s nothing wrong with this UNLESS you fail to provide alternative text for images. This is something that you would input on the backend of your website when uploading photos and is often something that’s associated with SEO.

While it’s true that alt text is an SEO factor that can boost your site on search engines, it’s also a major ADA-compliance requirement. 

Failing to include alt text on images that are integral to your website content impacts accessibility and user experience for screen readers, which are primarily used by those who are blind or have low vision.

Without alt text, screen readers cannot convey the content of the images to the user, resulting in a lack of critical information. Additionally, users with visual impairments miss out on important content or context that the images provide, which can hinder their ability to understand the information or complete tasks, such as knowing what a product looks like before purchasing it, etc.

In this instance, to be ADA-compliant would mean that each image has a descriptive alt text that conveys the content and purpose of the image. For example, if an image shows a blue shirt on an e-commerce site, the alt text could be “Blue cotton shirt with short sleeves.”

Beyond the legal lesson here, there’s also a moral and ethical reason at play.

Ensuring your website is accessible demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity and equal access for all individuals, regardless of their abilities, and reflects a broader social responsibility to cater to the needs of people with disabilities.

In addition to those with disabilities, an accessible website also provides a better user experience for everyone, including those with temporary impairments, like a broken arm, or situational limitations, such as a noisy environment. 

This inclusivity fosters a more welcoming and accommodating online presence and can build more trust with your audience as a whole!

And lastly, there are of course some big business benefits that come with being ADA-compliant on your website, including:

Reaching a Broader Audience

An ADA-compliant website can reach a wider audience, including the millions of people with disabilities. This expansion can lead to increased traffic, customer engagement, and potential revenue.

Improving SEO and Usability

As mentioned in the example above, many accessibility best practices, such as proper use of headings, alternative text for images, and clear navigation, also improve search engine optimization and overall website usability, which can enhance your website’s visibility and performance in search engines.

Positive Brand Image and Reputation

Demonstrating a commitment to accessibility can boost your brand’s reputation and image because customers appreciate businesses that prioritize inclusivity and social responsibility, leading to increased trust and loyalty.

A Checklist For How To Create An ADA-Compliant Website

So now that you know what it means to be ADA-compliant and why it matters, let’s dig into the nitty gritty of HOW to make sure your website is ADA-compliant as possible!

The following checklist can help you audit your existing website to see where you fall and give you guidance on what aspects of your site needs some work. ✅

And if you’re building a website from scratch? Good! You can start off on a strong foot and make sure your site follows the necessary guidelines right from the get go. 

Text and Content

• Alternative Text for Images: Ensure all images have descriptive alt text.
• Headings and Structure: Use proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organize content hierarchically.
• Readable Text: Choose legible fonts and ensure sufficient contrast between text and background.
• Scalable Text: Allow text to be resizable up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
• Language Attributes: Define the language of the page using the appropriate HTML attribute.

Multimedia

• Captions and Transcripts: Provide captions for videos and transcripts for audio content.
• Audio Descriptions: Include audio descriptions for video content when necessary.

Navigation and Interaction

• Keyboard Accessibility: Ensure all functionalities are accessible via keyboard (e.g., navigation, forms).
• Focus Indicators: Clearly indicate where the focus is on the page when using the keyboard.
• Skip Navigation: Provide a “skip to main content” link to help users bypass repetitive navigation links.

Forms and Inputs

• Labels and Instructions: Use clear labels and instructions for form fields.
• Error Identification: Clearly identify and describe input errors, providing suggestions for correction.
• Accessible Controls: Ensure all form controls (e.g., buttons, checkboxes) are accessible and usable.

Interactive Elements

• Accessible Widgets: Use accessible versions of widgets like sliders, carousels, and modals.
• Consistent Navigation: Maintain consistent navigation structures and styles across pages.
• Content Change Notifications: Notify users of any changes in content, such as dynamic updates.

Visual Design

• Color Contrast: Ensure sufficient color contrast between text and background (minimum ratio of 4.5:1).
• Avoid Color Alone: Do not use color alone to convey information; use text or symbols as well.
• Responsive Design: Ensure the site is fully responsive and usable on all devices and screen sizes.

Additional Resources To Help You Maintain ADA-Compliance On Your Website

Once you’ve built or updated your website to be ADA-compliant, you of course want to make sure that you maintain your compliance going forward!

To help ensure total compliance, you can use audit tools like WAVE, Axe, or Lighthouse to help you spot potential issues, stay up to date with accessibility guidelines through WCAG, and consider using special website plugins or services that enhance accessibility, such as screen readers, color contrast checkers, etc. 

While staying up to date with ADA-compliant regulations might feel like a boring business task, it’s actually an extremely important one that can impact your business in various ways.

My hope is that through this blog post you’ve learned how to make it simple and straightforward so that you can apply the appropriate changes to your website and ultimately demonstrate a commitment to social responsibility!

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If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hey I’m Amber – not a regular lawyer, but a cool lawyer that helps online business owners sell without getting sued. 

If you like what you just read and want more cool lawyer things in your life, here’s a few ways to stay connected:

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