Website accessibility means making sure people with disabilities can use your site, including people who are blind or have low vision, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and people who can't use a mouse. It's the right thing to do, it's good for business, and it reduces legal risk.
Here's what small business owners should know, in plain English.
Why accessibility matters
- More customers can use your site. Millions of Americans live with a disability, and an inaccessible site turns them away.
- Legal risk. The Department of Justice has said the ADA applies to the websites of businesses open to the public, and website accessibility lawsuits are common, especially in New York.
- Better for everyone. Clear structure, readable text, and good contrast make a site easier for all visitors, and many accessibility fixes also help SEO.
The standard to aim for
The most widely used standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the usual target. It's organized around making content perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Common accessibility issues on small business sites
- Missing alt text on meaningful images, so screen reader users don't know what they show.
- Low color contrast, like light gray text on white, which is hard to read.
- Menus, buttons, or forms that don't work with a keyboard alone.
- Form fields without labels, so screen readers can't say what to enter.
- Headings used for looks rather than structure, which makes pages hard to navigate.
- Vague link text like "click here" instead of describing where the link goes.
- Videos without captions.
Be careful with accessibility "overlay" widgets that promise one-click compliance. They don't fix the underlying code, and they're no guarantee against complaints or lawsuits.
Where to start
- Run your key pages through a free checker like WAVE (wave.webaim.org) to spot common problems.
- Try navigating your site using only the Tab and Enter keys.
- Add alt text to meaningful images and labels to every form field.
- Check your color contrast, especially text on colored backgrounds.
- Fix issues on your most important pages first: home, services, and contact.
This article is general information, not legal advice. If you've received a demand letter or have legal questions, talk to an attorney.
Accessibility, privacy, and security are built into every website I create and manage, so your site works for every visitor and you can avoid legal headaches.
