Do you like playing hide and seek with your potential customers?
Yeah, we didn’t think so.
But did you know that if your website isn’t ADA-compliant, you’re hiding your website from an entire group of people who could know and fall in love with your brand?
ADA compliance stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act Standards for Design. This is a civil law that says all electronic information and technology must be accessible to those with disabilities—that includes your website. From your site’s layout to color choices to font specifications, every aspect must be compliant under this 2010 law.
Your website needs to not just be ADA-compliant for legal reasons. It’s so much more than that. ADA website compliance means having a brand that is inclusive for everyone, so that as many people as possible have the opportunity to know you and your brand.
Trust is a huge factor in how potential customers decide to purchase or convert in the customer buying journey. But how can your potential customers trust you if your website is not accessible to them?
ADA compliance has become so important that search engines prioritize ADA-compliant websites in their results. That means brands that prioritize accessibility typically have high SEO rankings, increased website traffic, and a better brand reputation.
At Big Storm, we’ve spent decades not only designing ADA-compliant websites but also educating clients on how they can transform their brand through ADA website compliance. We’re going to spend our time in this blog removing the blindfold on ADA compliance and revealing how you can take steps to make your website ADA-compliant.
That way, your site is not just inclusive. It’s trustworthy.
Why Accessibility Matters
Think of accessibility as a key that unlocks your website’s potential to a wider audience. By meeting ADA standards, your website embraces a diverse audience eager to engage with your content. This openness enhances user experience and extends your market reach, inviting everyone to interact with your brand seamlessly.
Search engines also value accessibility, recognizing and rewarding usability improvements with higher rankings. This can increase traffic and engagement, driving new and returning visitors to your site. As a result, your brand gains strength and visibility for prioritizing a comprehensive user experience.
Key Benefits of Accessibility for Websites
1. Increased website traffic
Enhancing accessibility broadens your audience, inviting individuals with disabilities who might otherwise be unable to engage with your content. A user-friendly, accessible website naturally attracts more visitors because it caters to a wider demographic, including the estimated one billion people worldwide with disabilities. This inclusivity can increase page views and, subsequently, a higher potential for conversions and engagements.
2. More customers & a broader audience
By adhering to ADA compliance, your website opens doors to a larger segment of the population. This inclusivity not only reflects well on your brand but also increases your customer base. People with disabilities, along with their friends and family, are more likely to patronize a business that accommodates their accessibility needs. This loyalty can translate into increased sales and a broader, more engaged audience.
3. Improved SEO
Making your website accessible can significantly boost your SEO efforts. By enhancing user experience, accessible sites encourage longer visits and deeper engagement, factors that search engines favor when ranking sites. Additionally, structured content with semantic HTML and descriptive alt texts improves how search engines understand and index your site, potentially leading to better visibility in search results. Accessible, mobile-optimized sites not only cater to user needs but also align with Google’s mobile-first indexing, enhancing your SEO further.
4. Less legal complications
Compliance with ADA standards reduces the risk of legal issues and potential lawsuits, which can be costly and damaging to your brand’s reputation. Proactively adopting ADA guidelines demonstrates due diligence and a commitment to all users’ rights, safeguarding your business against legal challenges and promoting a positive public image.
5. Boosted brand reputation
An ADA-compliant website signals to all visitors that your brand values inclusivity and ethical practices, enhancing your reputation in the marketplace. This commitment to accessibility can lead to positive press, customer advocacy, and preference over competitors, establishing your brand as a leader in corporate social responsibility.
4 Accessibility Features Websites Must Follow
According to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), your website must meet four criteria to meet ADA compliance standards: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
1. Perceivable
Everyone deserves to access and enjoy your website’s content. That’s why making everything on your site perceivable is crucial. Whether it’s text, images, or videos, you must provide alternatives so everyone can access and perceive the information on your website. That could include closed captions for the hard of hearing, providing auditory access to text, etc.
2. Operable
Every user on your website should be able to navigate it easily. They should be able to use every feature you offer, every site tool, every button. This often requires savvy coding that meets the latest ADA compliance standards, so it’s our recommendation to partner with an expert web developer to keep everything up to snuff.
3. Understandable
It’s one thing to access a website; it’s another to truly grasp its content. To be ADA-compliant, your website’s users need to be able to truly understand what they’re reading, listening to, watching, etc. You can support this with clear instructions for any site tools and a user-friendly web design so everyone can understand and use your website effectively.
4. Robust
Everyone using your website, whether they use assistive technologies or not, should have the same quality of experience. Make sure all your website’s content is fully accessible—this means providing complete information, not simplifying or shortening any part of it. Every visitor should get the full story, every time.
Tips for How to Make Your Website More Accessible
To create an accessible website that fulfills ADA compliance and WCAG needs, you need to make sure your site—from menu to footer—caters to all users. It needs to be a welcoming, navigable space for everyone so everyone experiences the same brand story.
Here’s how you can get started in making your website more accessible:
1. Choose Accessible Themes and Plugins
Start by selecting themes and plugins that support accessibility. Opt for “Accessibility Ready” themes that adhere to WordPress’s guidelines. These themes provide a solid foundation for creating an accessible website. Here are some recommended themes:
- Twenty TwentyOne: Known for its simplicity and readability, perfect for all users.
- Divi: Offers comprehensive customization options with accessibility in mind.
- Astra: Lightweight and SEO-friendly, ensuring quick load times and easy navigation.
- Neve: Fast and versatile, with features tailored for accessibility.
When choosing plugins, focus on those that do not introduce accessibility barriers. Plugins that enhance font sizes, add keyboard navigation capabilities, and improve color contrast can significantly increase your site’s usability.
2. Structure Your Content with Care
Your content’s structure should tell the same story for every visitor and provide an easy, user-friendly experience that they can depend on. Here are a few ways you can adjust your content’s structure for an accessibility-first experience:
- Content Structure and Semantics: Use headings logically to structure your content, making it easier for screen readers to navigate your site. Ensure all images have descriptive alt text, providing context for those who rely on screen readers.
- Keyboard Navigation and Focus Management: Make sure all interactive elements of your site are accessible via keyboard. This includes navigation menus, forms, and buttons. Manage focus effectively, especially for modal dialogs, to maintain a logical flow of navigation.
3. Prioritize Color Contrast and Readability with Your Visual Design
Your website’s color scheme and text layout play a crucial role in its accessibility. Ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors to aid users with vision impairments. Select fonts that are easy to read and make sure your site allows users to adjust text sizes without breaking the layout.
4. Implement ARIA Labels and Roles
Use Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) labels and roles to enhance your site’s accessibility. These attributes help screen readers understand the content and interactive elements on your site, especially for dynamic content like sliders and custom controls.
5. Guide with Clarity
Ensure your navigation is intuitive. Use clear and descriptive link text, avoid vague phrases like “click here,” and structure your navigation to reflect a logical flow of information. Employ HTML headings effectively to create a clear hierarchy that aids comprehension and navigation.
6. Embrace All Users
Incorporate features like skip links, which allow users to bypass repetitive content and navigate directly to the main content or menu. Ensure that every interactive element is clearly highlighted when focused, making it easy for keyboard users to see where they are on the page.
7. Stay Consistent
Maintain a consistent design language across your website. Use familiar icons and predictable layouts to make navigation second nature for your users. Consistency in graphic design not only aids usability but also reinforces your brand identity across all pages.
Helpful ADA Website Compliance Tools
Navigating ADA compliance might seem daunting, but with the right tools, it can transform your website into an inclusive platform that welcomes all users. Here are just a few of the many standout resources that can make your journey to ADA compliance both effective and straightforward.
1. WAVE: Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool
WAVE is a tool that provides immediate visual feedback about your website’s accessibility by highlighting errors directly on the page, making it easier to understand and fix issues in context. WAVE’s user-friendly interface displays icons and indicators that pinpoint specific accessibility issues on your web pages. This visual approach helps you quickly grasp where improvements are needed, from missing alt text to navigation aids, ensuring that your site meets accessibility standards effectively.
2. WP Accessibility Plugin
This plugin is a practical solution for WordPress site owners who need to address common accessibility issues without deep technical expertise. WP Accessibility helps resolve a variety of accessibility barriers. It offers features like font size adjustments, color contrast settings, and link highlighting, which significantly enhance site usability for individuals with disabilities.
3. A11Y Project
The A11Y Project is a community-driven initiative that aims to demystify web accessibility through education and resources. This project offers straightforward, actionable guidance for improving website accessibility. Its checklist distills complex WCAG guidelines into clear, manageable tasks.
4. Axe Core
Axe Core is a powerful tool for developers looking to integrate accessibility testing into their workflow. With Axe Core, you can automate accessibility testing as part of your development process. This ensures that accessibility is considered from the start, reducing the need for costly retrofits. Axe can be used in browser extensions and within continuous integration systems, helping you maintain accessibility standards consistently.
5. Color Oracle
Color Oracle is a design tool that simulates different forms of color vision deficiency in real time on your screen. By using Color Oracle, designers and developers can understand how users with color vision deficiencies might perceive their site. This insight allows for more informed decisions about color usage and contrast, ensuring your site’s visual elements are accessible to a wider audience.
6. Tota11y
Tota11y is an accessibility toolkit from Khan Academy that helps visualize how your site performs against accessibility standards. Tota11y provides a simple toolbar that highlights common accessibility issues right on your page. It’s an excellent educational tool for those new to accessibility and a quick check resource for seasoned developers.
7. UserWay
UserWay offers a robust accessibility plugin that provides a suite of tools to enhance website compliance. Once installed, the UserWay widget allows users to customize their viewing experience to suit their accessibility needs, from adjusting text sizes to optimizing navigation aids, without altering the fundamental code of your website.
8. NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access)
NVDA is a screen reader that provides feedback aloud, helping visually impaired users navigate and interact with Windows applications and websites. For developers, using NVDA can offer insights into the screen-reader experience, helping refine website navigation and readability for visually impaired users.
Partner with Big Storm: Your Local Web Accessibility Experts
Embarking on the accessibility journey is a step toward a kinder, more inclusive internet. And guess what? We at Big Storm are your ready partners on this journey. Whether it’s making your website more welcoming or climbing the SEO ladder, we’re here for it all.
Contact Big Storm today and let’s chat about making the web a better place—together!