How to Ensure Your Website is ADA Compliant and Accessible

To make your website ADA compliant, you must follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) by ensuring alt text for images, captions for videos, proper color contrast, full keyboard navigation, and compatibility with screen readers. The best way to confirm compliance is through an accessibility audit, regular testing with real users, and building accessibility into your long-term website strategy.

Why Website Accessibility Matters

At MethodFactory, we’ve seen firsthand how accessibility affects more than compliance. It shapes reputation, reach, and customer trust. Businesses that fail to meet ADA requirements risk lawsuits, lost sales, and poor search visibility. By contrast, ADA-compliant websites invite more users, rank higher in search engines, and demonstrate social responsibility.

Key Practices for ADA Website Compliance

1. Provide Text Alternatives

• Alt text for images: Every image should have meaningful alt text that describes its content or purpose.

• Transcripts and captions: Video and audio files must include captions and transcripts for people with hearing impairments.

2. Ensure Full Keyboard Navigation

• Users should be able to operate menus, forms, and interactive elements using only a keyboard.

• Provide clear focus indicators (such as outlines) when moving between elements.

3. Maintain Accessible Visual Design

• Follow WCAG standards for color contrast ratios to ensure text is readable against backgrounds.

• Avoid embedding text inside images, as screen readers cannot interpret it.

4. Make Forms User-Friendly

• Include clear labels, instructions, and error messages.

• Ensure assistive technology can identify required fields and provide feedback.

5. Guarantee Assistive Technology Compatibility

• Test compatibility with screen readers, voice recognition software, and Braille devices.

• Use semantic HTML and ARIA labels where needed.

How to Achieve and Maintain ADA Compliance

Conduct Regular Accessibility Audits

Automated tools like WAVE or axe DevTools help spot common issues. However, true compliance requires manual audits by accessibility professionals.

Test with Real Users

Engage people with diverse disabilities, such as low vision, blindness, and mobility impairments, to test usability in real-world scenarios.

Publish an Accessibility Statement

Show commitment by providing a public accessibility statement. This transparency builds trust and outlines how users can request support.

Integrate Accessibility from the Start

For new websites or redesigns, bake accessibility into the development process. It’s faster and less expensive than fixing issues later.

Build a Long-Term Strategy

ADA compliance is not one-and-done. Establish policies, train your team, and schedule ongoing audits to maintain accessibility as technologies and standards evolve.

Why ADA Website Compliance Matters for Local Businesses

Local businesses are increasingly targeted in ADA-related lawsuits. The Department of Justice has made it clear: websites fall under the ADA.

Benefits for local businesses include:

• Avoiding costly legal action

• Expanding reach to customers with disabilities (61 million U.S. adults live with a disability)

• Boosting local SEO, since accessibility improvements often overlap with Google ranking factors (mobile usability, readability, page speed)

How to Get Started with ADA Compliance Today

1. Run a quick accessibility scan using free tools.
2. Schedule a professional accessibility audit.
3. Prioritize fixes that impact user experience most (navigation, color contrast, alt text).
4. Document your efforts in an accessibility statement.