ADA Checklist: ADA Website Compliance Guidelines To Follow In 2021

Every website on the internet today is aware of the fact that website accessibility has become the primary key to get online success. No matter how helpful your product/services are for your prospects, if users are facing difficulties when interacting with elements then it will not only drive them away but there are high chances that they will not return back to your website. When we say website accessibility then website ADA compliance is one of the important facts that every business operating in the USA should be aware of.

Some businesses are already aware of the importance of ADA (American with Disabilities Act) compliance. Whereas there are few businesses that operate in the US still wonder what ADA compliance is? Why should websites and businesses look into creating an ADA compliance website? If you are scrolling the internet to find the answer from the anime then you have landed on the right article. 

In the coming paragraphs, we will be highlighting every small detail related to website ADA compliance and how it can enhance your website design and functioning. Not only that but we will also be offering an ADA compliance checklist that you can follow in 2021 for better website engagement and functioning. 

But before we move ahead with highlighting ADA compliance checklists we would like to offer a brief intro about who we are? SFWP Experts is a leading award-winning website design company with more than 12 years of experience in helping more than 400+ businesses to create a highly attractive and result-driven website design that contributes toward building a strong online presence.

Table Of Content:

  • An Overview Of ADA (American Disability Act) Compliance
  • What is ADA Compliance? 
  • Why does your website need to be ADA Compliant?
  • What happens if a website is not ADA compliant?
  • Website ADA compliance checklist to consider while designing redesign a website
  • Conclusion

An Overview Of ADA (American Disability Act) Compliance

sfwpexperts.com-ADA Checklist-ADA-Website-Compliance-Guidelines1

Most of the websites and businesses in recent years have discovered that the litigation surrounding website accessibility is rapidly increasing after the introduction of ADA compliance. You might feel surprised but a few of the leading companies like Amazon, the wall street journal, and Hershey’s have got sued over website accessibility and ADA (American with Disabilities Act). Well, the list does not end whereas there are a few more big names on the list like Netflix, Nike domino’s pizza, and many more.  

There are many websites on the internet that are facing lawsuits related to website accessibility and ADA. That is the reason why it has become essential for websites to check their website for ADA compliance. Most of the website and mobile apps today fail to accomplish website accessibility compliance standards which are actually disappointing. 

Today users have become more internet savvy mainly after the pandemic where they have spent more time on the internet than on the road. Or we can also say that the pandemic has made websites realize the importance of having an ADA-compliant website design. Most of the users with some or other kind of disabilities are failing to access the website and mobile app just because the website was not made ADA compliant.

Not only that but our WordPress web design company also came across many cases during a pandemic and after pandemics, where businesses approached us just because their website did not meet ADA compliant standards. Some of the school websites also got complaints from the parents that their children suffering from autism were finding it difficult to complete the teacher’s assignment. 

Many people suffering from some or other kind of visual or hearing impairment-related issues faced a lot of problems due to poor accessibility. The Americans with disabilities act ensure that your website is easily accessible by anyone and everyone. Today many websites and businesses have started to realize the importance of ADA compliance and how it can be implemented in web design for better accessibility and engagement. But most of them have one similar question: is my website ADA compliant?

In this article, we will answer your question on what is an ADA complaint? and How it can benefit your website and business. Along with that, we will also highly recommend the website ADA compliant checklist that you can follow in 2021. So let’s start by answering the common question “What is ADA compliance?”

What is ADA Compliance? 

The American with disabilities act was released in the year 2010 by the US Department of Justice that clearly stated that all the websites operating in the US should ensure that their website is easily accessible by the people with disabilities. Whether you are a small business or an enterprise-level business you need to ensure that your website is easily accessible by anyone and everyone on the internet. 

While there is no accurate guideline on what businesses need to do to make their website ADA compliant. However with the help of WCAG 2.1 AA, one can easily make their website compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. So ADA complaints are more focused on making a website accessible to anyone and everyone.

sfwpexperts.com-ADA Checklist-ADA-Website-Compliance-Guidelines2

If you wonder who should consider ADA compliance? Then remember any state and government agencies along with private businesses with 15 or more employees should ensure that their website is ADA compliant. Apart from that if any of the business or company is operating for public benefits then they need to ensure that their website is ADA compliant.  

Even if you feel that your website does not fall under any of the categories then also recommended making your website ADA compliant. This way you will not be only making your website accessible but also ensuring that your website gets more traffic and conversion.  

If you are planning to make your business website ADA compliant you are always welcome to take the help of a highly experienced wordpress web design company that can offer you an in-depth ADA website compliance audit. So that your website does not come across any legal problems. 

Why does your website need to be ADA Compliant?

Not to get confused but the ADA compliant webiste was signed in the year 1990 but was implemented in 2010 with a goal to ensure that a person with disabilities is able to access the website without facing any issues. Whether you are running a privately owned website (with more than 15 employees) or running companies for public benefits then you need to ensure that your website meets ADA requirements. 

During the COVID19 pandemic, many offline businesses realized the importance of having a fully functioning website design for their business. But businesses that already had a website demystified the importance of having an ADA-compliant website design for their business. An ADA-compliant website ensures that your website meets users’ expectations and encourages them to explore more about your website and services. 

When we say people with disabilities, then it means your website design needs to be accessible to users suffering from problems like vision impairment, hearing impairment, or physical capacities. Today almost every country has some or other kind of law or act protecting the civil rights of disabled people. But when it comes to website accessibility the disability act is not followed by many countries and it’s not universal as well. 

Today the internet has become one of the most crucial sources that help users to get different information, buy products, offer financial or medical advice, and many more. By ignoring to make your website ADA compliant you are indirectly restricting few users to access your website. These types of practices not only harm your website but also impact your online business reputation. There are high chances that users might write a wrong review about your website which can impact your website traffic and conversion both. 

sfwpexperts.com-ADA Checklist-ADA-Website-Compliance-Guidelines-To-Follow-IN-2021

The American disability act has become a mandate for private as well as publicly available websites. If you wonder why you need to make your website ADA compliant then one of the most common reasons is it helps in saving your business and website from legal troubles. But it’s not limited to it, having an ADA-compliant website can offer you benefits in many ways. Let’s take a look at some of them: 

1. Allows you to target more audience 

If you are failing to create an ADA-compliant website design then there are high chances that you will end up losing lots of prospects who can become your business paying customer. The reason why it might happen with your website is that if any visually or hearing impaired user lands on your website then they might fail to access the element and understand the information you are offering which can result in a higher bounce rate. 

Today there are more than  50 million US citizens suffering from some or other kind of disabilities but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be your customer. But to be able to convert them into paying customers you need to offer them a website that can be easily accessed regardless of the disabilities they have. So, by making your website ADA compliant your business and website will be able to target more and more guidance for your website. 

Most of the businesses whose website is not ADA compliant face more bounce rate-related issues because their prospects might be needing the information or the product but must be falling to access the website. By making your website ADA compliant you are making your website open for more audiences. 

If you are failing to do that then there are high chances that your competitor might be getting their website feeding keeping ADA as their first priority. This way if your website is failing to meet site visitors’ needs then they will shift to your competitor’s website without having any second thoughts. So if you wonder why you need to make your website ADA compliant then it’s essential to remember that it allows you to increase your target audience numbers. 

If you are looking to create a user-centric web design for your business then make sure to check our blog on User-Centric Website Design Guide: How To Create A Website Design That Relates With Target Audience?

2. Helps you to enhance your SEO efforts 

Today every website wishes to rank higher on the search engine result page with a goal to drive more organic traffic and conversion. But due to some or other reason, even after putting in a lot of effort, they fail to do it. If you plan to optimize your website for search engines then the first thing you will come across is making your site user-friendly, offering optimized images, using proper title tags, and many more. There are a lot of factors that it takes into account while optimizing the website for search engines. One among them is website accessibility. 

One of the leading search engines Google asks websites to optimize every small act in the web design so that users are able to have the best experience. The accessibility of your website design can help you to determine whether a search engine likes your website or not. Most of the time even after having a minimal and simple design few websites are able to successfully rank their site on the top in the search engine result page. Because those websites are liked by site visitors. 

If your website is getting more traffic then google will never hesitate to recommend your website to other searchers. But for that, you need to ensure that your website is ADA compliant. By doing this you will be able to target more audiences which will result in more traffic and better ranking. When optimizing your website you need to ensure that your website meets WCAG (Web content Accessibility Guideline). This way you will be able to enhance your website SEO efforts. 

By making your website meet WCAG guidelines you will be able to make your website accessible to a wide range of audiences. The search engine also offers a preference to the website that meets WCAG guidelines. If you are making your website meet ADA requirements then it will include things like generating and offering video transcripts, adding meta-tagging, alt text, and more. So if you wonder why you need to make your website ADA compliant then remember it helps in enhancing your website SEO.  

3. Help you to improve your reputation

By making your website ADA compliant you are not only enhancing your website SEO but also your business reputation. Wonder how, well when you make your website meet ADA complaints then it will allow you to grab more site visitors on your website. By creating an ADA-compliant website you are letting users know that you value their presence and they are available to your business regardless of the disabilities they are suffering from.  

People suffering from some or other kind of disabilities might have browsed various websites in their business to find their needs. Today very few websites are ADA compliant which means there are high chances that your prospects will be looking for the right website either to get information or to purchase a product. 

If your website is able to offer an ADA-compliant design then they will not only show interest in engaging with your website but they will also return back in the future as well. Not only that but there are high chances that they might share your website and business details with their close ones suffering from some or other kind of disabilities. By creating an ADA-compliant website you make your site visitors happy and encourage them to become your loyal customers.  

Once people start identifying that your website can be accessed by anyone and everyone then there are high chances that you will be able to create a strong online presence and reputation among the audience. 

If you are looking to create a highly responsive and result-driven website design for your business then it’s always recommended to hire an experienced wordpress web design company that can help you to create a website design that meets your site visitors expectation and encourages them to explore more about your website and business. 

4. Help you to improve your overall website usability  

By creating an ADA-compliant website design you will be making your website more accessible which will help you in improving your website usability. One of the most effective ways to make your website design accessible is by following the WCAG guideline through which you will be able to improve your website usability. Not only that but with the help of WCAG guidelines, you will be able to comprehend the website which will help you to drive more leads and conversion. Apart from that, you will also be able to gain your customer’s trust which will help you to convert them into permanent customers. 

What happens if a website is not ADA compliant?

By now you must have good ideas about the value an ADA-compliant website can bring to your business. But most of the site owners have one similar question in mind, what happens if the website is not ADA compliant? If you have asked the same question in the year 2010 then our answer would be different but now having an ADA-compliant website has become essential for private as well as public websites operating in the United States. 

The American with disabilities act focuses on ensuring that every private and public website needs to be accessible by every person suffering from some or other kind of disability. The internet space is continuously growing with more and more businesses and users shifting online. It has become essential for websites to fulfill user needs. One of the most effective ways to do it is by improving your website accessibility. 

But if you are failing to offer an ADA-compliant website then there are high chances that your website can come across different legal issues. Most of the popular websites like Netflix, Amazon, domino’s pizza, and more have already faced legal issues due to running a non ADA compliant website design for their business. 

If your website is not ADA compliant and a person with some disabilities needs to access the information but they are failing to do it then it could land your website and business in legal trouble. There are high chances that they may file a complaint against your website stating that your website is not accessible. Yes, you read it right if your website is non ADA compliant then you might land into legal issues and through this, you might end up spending more money on getting your website and business out from these issues. 

Once you land into legal issues then you have to go through various expenses like legal fees, public relation problems, settlement fees, and many more. There are many businesses out there who have already paid legal and other types of fees just for not having an ADA-compliant website for their business. 

Instead of spending money in fighting legal issues, it’s always recommended to get your business website redesigned by an experienced website design company so your website design comes across any online as well as offline issues. 

Before we move ahead with highlighting the ADA checklist let’s take a look at web content accessibility guidelines. 

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 Level AA guideline)

sfwpexperts.com-ADA Checklist-ADA-Website-Compliance-Guidelines4

By now you must have a good idea about what will happen if you are failing to offer ADA compliant website design for your website and business. From the beginning of this article, you must be reading WCAG 2.0 guidelines or web content accessibility guidelines. Making a website ADA compliant is not easy as it looks because there is no dedicated tool or any software available that can help you to make your website ADA compliant. However, websites can make use of WGAC guidelines to meet ADA requirements. So the WGAC guideline states that to be compliant website must be:   

Cognizable 

By making your website cognizable you ensure that your website design is easily accessed and processed by any user. Things like the meta tag, alt text, and more can help you to describe the purpose of the web page to your site visitors as well as search engine bot. If a user is visually impaired then the alt text you use in your website will help screen readers to tell the user what the image is about. By making your website cognizable you ensure that any user suffering from any kind of visual or hearing impairment is able to access your website design.

Apart from that, you need to ensure that your website is offering different ways to consume the content present on your website design. If you are using any kind of video or audio content in your website design then you need to ensure that your website offers a well-prepared transcript so that users with any kind of visual or hearing impairment are able to access the content in your website design. The more options you offer to your site visitors the easier it will become for them to consume the content and perform the desired action. 

Operable 

When it comes to making a website design engaging then your need to ensure that your website and the element inside it are easily operable. By making your website design operable you will ensure that users are easily able to access your website and can easily navigate your website without facing many difficulties. When we say a website should be operable then it means the user can easily operate it via keyboard and should not have any scroll or any kind of usability limit.

Not only that but when you make your website operable then you need to ensure that your website design is adaptive to the technology and can be accessed through different screen reader tools. You need to ensure that it ignites the physical trigger so that users feel more comfortable and connected with the design you are offering to them. 

Understandable

One basic aspect to convert your site visitors into paying customers is by offering a website design that’s easily understandable by anyone and everyone. The more connected your website visitor feels, the easier it will become for you to convert them into paying customers. Most of the websites are able to create an attractive design but fail to offer content that is easily understandable. 

If your website falls under the same category then it will not only harm your website conversion but also the ranking of your website. Because search engines never give preference to an ambiguous webiste design. Today it is common to find many children suffering from problems like autism. So if you are failing to offer a website design that can be easily recognized then it can lead to a higher bounce rate and negative reviews about the website and business. 

That is the reason why you need to create and offer a website design that is easily understandable by any user landing on your website. If you wish to create a website design that can be easily accessed by any user and also encourages them to explore more about your website and business then it’s recommended to hire a highly experienced wordpress web design company for your website and business.  

Robust 

Last but not least you need to ensure that your website is robust. That means the content inside your website should load on all the browsers and can be easily accessed by any assistive technology.  By doing this you will be encouraging more and more site visitors to engage with the content and design you are offering. Different users might be making use of different techniques to access the web content. So by making your website robust you ensure that your website design is easily accessible to anyone and everyone.

All the above-mentioned WCAG principles can help you to create a website design that drives more trafficking conversion on your website design. If you are getting your website designed by an experienced website design company then you don’t have to worry about ADA compliance as they will ensure to create and offer an ADA compliant website design that drives more traffic and conversion on your website design.     

Website ADA compliance checklist to consider while designing redesign a website

sfwpexperts.com-ADA Checklist-ADA-Website-Compliance-Guidelines1

By now you must be having answers to multiple questions related to ADA compliance. Not only that but we have also offered a detailed idea about what happens if your website is not ADA compliant. Next, we will look into some of the important points that can help you to make your website ADA compliant. 

If you are designing a new website or getting your website redesigned, today it has become essential for businesses to create and offer a website design that can be easily accessed by anyone and everyone.  If you are looking to enhance your website accessibility then making your website ADA compliant will help you to accomplish your goal. 

As mentioned earlier, the Americans with Disability Act focuses on enhancing website accessibility so that a visually impaired user or a person with some kind of hearing issue can easily access the website without facing any issues. Remember by making a website design accessible you are enabling users to use any kind of text reader tool to consume the content available i8n your website. 

No matter whether you are running a standard website or an ecommerce website by creating and offering ADA-compliant websites you will be able to enhance your website design as well as conversion. So if you wonder how you can make your website ADA compliant then we recommend you to follow the below-mentioned points: 

1. Make use of Headlines and titles

When it comes to making a website design ADA compliant then a business and website can look into multiple factors one among them is creating a web page with proper heading and title. Every web page and the content inside it will have a different purpose to serve. By adding the headline and title you ensure that every site visitor landing on your website is well aware of what they are looking at in your website design. Even if a visually impaired user visits your website they will easily be able to determine what the page is about and how it can help them.

But for that, you need to ensure that the headline and title you are using on your website are highly relevant to the content inside the web page. Most of the time the title or the headline of the web page confuses site visitors that lead to a higher bounce rate and lower conversion. These types of mistakes not only drive users away from the website but there are high chances that users may not return back to the website.

Instead of using ambiguous and industry-specific jargon, it’s always recommended to make use of simple language that makes it easy for the site visitors to identify what they are looking at. If you are hiring an experienced website design company for your business then you don’t have to worry about the heading and title as they will ensure that your website is optimized for every small aspect right from design to the heading, CTA, content, and more used in the website. 

2. Optimize the text and font used in the website

Most of the time even after having an effective design and title site visitors leave the website without engaging with the content. It happens when the text and font inside the website are not optimized or fail to convince users to stay on your website. A visually impaired user might make use of a screen reader tool to consume the content but if your website is getting users having hearing-related problems then they will be able to read the content you are offering to them. 

By offering difficult-to-read content you will be making it difficult for users to access your website which will result in lower traffic and conversion. So when it comes to creating an ADA-compliant website it is always recommended to select fonts that can be easily consumed by the readers. If you need further assistance related to forms and element placement then it’s recommended to consult with an experienced WordPress web design company that can help you to create a highly attractive and conversion-centric website design for your business. 

3. Include alt tags for all images, videos, and audio files

When it comes to making your website ADA compliant then businesses need to ensure that they are making use of Alt text in the images. The alt text you use for images will have a major role to play in informing search engines as well as users with some or other kind of visual disabilities about the purpose of the images. 

Today images have become one of the primary sources to grab users’ attention and encourage them to stay on your website. But what if your website visitor is suffering from visual impairment, they might fail to access the images you are displaying on your website. By adding the alt text to your website you ensure that images in your website are easily accessed by anyone and everyone.  

Every person suffering from some kind of visual disability has access to the screen reader tool. If your images contain alt text then it will automatically become easy for the screen reader tool to identify and tell the user above the purpose of the images. If you are getting your website designed by an experienced website design company then you don’t have to worry about the alt tag as they will ensure that your website is optimized in every small aspect for better traffic, engagement, and conversion. 

2. Allows the user to distinguish between foreground and background element

When we say disabilities then a user can have any kind of disabilities including color blindness. Today websites make use of different colors to grab users attention but if users with problems related to color blindness or any other type of issues related to color blindness visit your website then there are high chances that they may fail to engage with the content and you are offering in your website design.

To get rid of that it’s always recommended to offer a customization tool that allows the user to change the background color, foreground color, text color, spacing, text size, and more. This way you will ensure that users landing on your website are easily able to access the design and content you are offering to them. 

Apart from that, you can install any tool or mechanism that automatically turns off the background audio after a user lands on your website. Most of the time background music becomes the primary reason that makes it difficult for a visually or hearing disabled person to access the web page and website. Make sure site visitors have full control over the background music.  

If you are looking to create an ADA-compliant website design for your website and business then it’s always recommended to get your website designed by an experienced WordPress web design company that can help you to create a highly attractive and conversion-centric website design for your business. 

3. Offer text transcript for video and audio file

Every website today makes use of different content types like text, infographics, and video to communicate its purpose. Nowadays websites have also started to make use of the audio files in their website to make the website design more effective and engaging. But what if your website is getting visited by a user suffering from hearing impairment. How will they consume the video and audio content that you are offering to them? 

To help users with hearing impairment you need to ensure that your website is offering text transcripts. This way they will be able to identify with the content they are trying to convey and its purpose. By offering a text transcript you will ensure that users landing on your website engage with every single element present in your web page and look forward to exploring more about the website and business.     

4. Optimize your website navigation for keyboard 

When it comes to making a website ADA compliant then the website needs to look into multiple factors one among them is making the website navigation easily accessible from the keyboard. If a person is failing to see the cursor pointer movement then to access the website they make use of the keyboard and any other device equivalent to the keyboard. So when it comes to making the website ADA com[pliant you need to keep all the information in a consistent location so that users are easily able to access the information with the help of a keyboard without facing any issues. 

If any of the users are failing to find the desired information then they will simply assume that the information or the product is not available on your website. So by improving your website navigation for mobile you will ensure that anyone landing on your website is able to access the information with the help of keyword or any equivalent device. Make sure you maintain consistency so that users are able to find the information quickly in your website design.  

If you are looking to create an ADA-compliant website for your business then it’s always recommended to hire an experienced website design company that can help you to create a highly attractive and conversion-centric website design for your business.

5. Offer user with individual control 

When you think of making your website design ADA compliant then it’s always recommended to ensure that your website offers full control over their experience. One of the major issues that most of the users come across while navigating a website is “Pop-ups”. It’s always recommended to avoid using automatic pop-ups for any kind of subscription, social offers, and more. Even if you plan to include the pop-ups then it’s always recommended to ensure that your website offers ways to get rid of the pop-ups instantly. Most of the website make use of instructions and timely warning for website pop-ups 

The next thing that you can look into is turning off the autoplay from the audio and video multimedia element in your website. Most of the time autoplay becomes the primary reason behind the website bounce rate. Apart from that if you are offering any kind of form then it’s always recommended to offer sufficient time so that users are able to review their form before submitting it. Your goal should be to create a website design that allows the individual to have full control over the website. Then only you will be able to encourage each one of your prospects to explore more about your website, product/services, and business. 

Summary of Website ADA compliant Checklist: 

  • Make sure images have alt text which can be easily read by the screen reader 
  • Create a detailed transcript of video and audio content 
  • Make sure video content includes the caption 
  • Arrange the heading in the hierarchical order 
  • Make sure the navigation of your website is easily accessed by the keyboard
  • Users are able to differentiate between background and foreground 
  • Make sure your website does not have any automatically played audio 
  • The button and other CTAs in your website are clearly and logically named 
  • The text in your web pages can be resized depending on users needs 
  • Page in the website can be accessed in different ways 
  • Make sure users are offered all the necessary suggestion on how to solve input errors 
  • Forms are labeled properly 

Above we have highlighted the ADA checklist that you can consider while creating an ADA compliant website for your prospects with some or other kind of disabilities. If you need further assistance related to how you can make your website design ADA complaints then it’s recommended to consult with an experienced WordPress web design company for your website and business.

Conclusion

By now you must have a detailed idea about how you can make your website design ADA compliant. Updating your website to become an ADA-compliant website will not only help you to avoid legal issues but will also ensure that your website is able to drive maximum traffic and convert most of the users landing on your website. If your business is operating in the US then you can’t afford to ignore making your website ADA compliant. 

While you can make use of the checklist to optimize your website for ADA but if you are not so technical with the website customization then it’s always recommended to take the help of an experienced WordPress web design company that can help you to create an ADA compliant website that matches your customer’s expectation and encourages them to explore more about your website and business.