ADA-Compliant Websites: What Are They and Why Do They Matter?

May 4

You might already be familiar with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which aims to provide discrimination against people with disabilities. The ADA covers necessary accommodations that must be made on public transportation, in employment and housing situations, and in accessing businesses, services, and even communications.

Many people understand that the ADA is what mandates businesses to install accessible entrances or establish accessible parking spaces, for example. But you may not realize that the ADA also covers accessibility in the online world. If you operate a website that is subject to ADA coverage, it’s your legal responsibility to ensure that your website is truly accessible to all visitors. But what exactly does that mean, and why should a brand take this obligation seriously?

What Does ADA Compliance Mean For Web Design?

In the physical realm, complying with ADA guidance is relatively straightforward. But on the web, the standards aren’t always clear. Although the U.S. Department of Justice passed the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Accessible Design back in 2010, there are still a lot of questions about what “accessibility” really means online.

There aren’t any crystal clear rules for ADA website compliance, which can make it tricky for businesses to know whether their site is actually accessible. The best indicator of ADA-compliant website design is whether the site aligns with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines aren’t legally enforceable, but they’re a set of standards businesses can reference to assess how compliant their website is.

The latest WCAG guidelines indicate that ADA-compliant websites must be:

Presented in an easy-to-perceive way
Easily navigable and understandable
Compatible with all devices and platforms (including assistive technologies)

Generally speaking, this means that your website needs to be easily accessed, read, and understood by users who are visually impaired and/or hearing impaired, as well as those who navigate websites via voice commands. But what should you specifically include to ensure your site is as compliant as possible?

What Are the Features of ADA-Compliant Websites?

Of course, there are a number of important elements to good website design. Any white label SEO program would recommend that you include optimized content for search engines as part of your website. Making sure your site is mobile-friendly and easy to navigate are also important for accessibility.

But in terms of adhering to ADA compliance standards, there are some specific features you’ll want to consider. While there are no established legal requirements for what makes an ADA-compliant site, most experts agree that websites should include:

Text transcriptions and closed captioning for all audio and video content
Alt tags for all images, videos, and audio files
No flashing graphics
Readable fonts with high contrast and legible sizes
Simple and logical navigation (including keyboard-only navigation)
Standard HTML
Alternatives for user error events (404 pages that give the user a next direction)
Consistent and organized layout
Clear, descriptive anchor text (e.g., not “click here”)
Using (or avoiding) language that may be offensive to disabled populations
- We worked with a brand whose audience is largely d/Deaf and hard-of-hearing community, and we made a point to stay away from phrases like “How does that sound to you? Do you hear what we’re saying”

There are many other features that you can include to ensure accessibility, so it’s best to explore the WCAG to make sure you don’t miss anything.

Why Should I Ensure My Site is ADA-Compliant?

Regardless of whether or not your brand is required to comply with ADA web standards, we believe it’s good business. An ADA compliant website is more inclusive and more accessible to more people—if your website is not accessible, you risk alienating entire populations of people, which, in turn, costs your brand business. It’s also just not a good look for any brand to knowingly avoid making their brand accessible. When you already have an established website, you might not relish the thought of spending time or money to make it accessible. But failure to comply with the ADA can have huge consequences for your site and your business as a whole. This compliance failure will leave you vulnerable to lawsuits, which could make you responsible for paying tens of thousands of dollars. In addition, you’ll risk harm to your brand reputation and alienate a huge portion of your potential customers by choosing not to comply with ADA standards.

If your business falls under the category of “public accommodation” or has at least 15 employees and operates for 20 or more weeks out of the year, your organization must comply with the ADA. In other words, the vast majority of businesses we rely on every day have to adhere to these guidelines, both physically and digitally. Unless you’re intent on risking it all, it simply doesn’t make sense to ignore the need for an ADA-compliant website.

While ensuring compliance can represent an investment, it’s ultimately a smarter move for your business to protect itself against legal action and to appeal to all possible customers. With the help of a qualified designer or developer, you can easily get your site up to speed on these ADA standards.