An accessible website is one that people with disabilities can use, including people who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions, or larger text. Most small business websites have at least a few accessibility barriers, but many of the most common ones are straightforward to fix.
Accessibility is something I build into every website from the start. I never want a client to launch a beautiful new site and then find out someone using a screen reader couldn't navigate it, whether that means losing a customer or receiving a legal demand letter.
A quick note: I'm a web designer, not a lawyer, and this article isn't legal advice. If you have questions about your legal obligations, please talk with an attorney.
What does it mean for a website to be accessible?
An accessible website works for as many people as possible, regardless of how they see, hear, move, or process information.
In practice, that means someone can:
- Understand your images, even if they can't see them
- Read your text easily, with enough contrast and size
- Navigate your site using only a keyboard
- Follow your videos with captions
- Fill out your forms and complete a purchase without getting stuck
When people talk about "ADA compliance" for websites, they're usually talking about these kinds of accessibility features.
Who benefits from an accessible website?
Accessibility is often thought of as something for a small group of people, but it helps a lot of your visitors, including people who:
- Are blind or have low vision and use screen readers or magnification
- Are colorblind
- Are deaf or hard of hearing
- Have limited use of their hands and navigate by keyboard or voice
- Have cognitive or learning disabilities
- Are older and find small text or complicated layouts harder to use
It also helps anyone browsing on a phone in bright sunlight, watching a video without sound, or trying to find information quickly. Accessible websites tend to be easier for everyone to use.
What is WCAG?
WCAG stands for the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. They're published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and are the most widely used standard for web accessibility.
WCAG is built around four ideas. Your website should be:
- Perceivable: people can see, hear, or otherwise take in your content
- Operable: people can navigate and use every part of it
- Understandable: content and navigation are clear and predictable
- Robust: it works with assistive technology like screen readers
You don't need to memorize the guidelines, but it's helpful to know they exist. They're what most accessibility checks and audits are based on.
What are the most common accessibility issues on small business websites?
These are the issues I see most often when I look at existing websites:
- Missing image alt text. Screen readers can't describe an image without it.
- Low color contrast. Light gray text on white, or text over busy photos, is hard to read.
- Important text inside images. Graphics with sale details or event info baked in can't be read by screen readers or resized.
- Vague link text. Links that say "click here" or "learn more" don't tell screen reader users where they lead.
- Skipped or missing headings. Headings help people navigate a page, so using them just for styling causes confusion.
- Form fields without labels. Placeholder text that disappears when you start typing isn't enough.
- Videos without captions.
- Menus, pop-ups, or buttons that don't work with a keyboard.
The good news? Many of these are content choices, which means they're fixable without rebuilding your whole website.
How can you check your own website for accessibility?
You don't need special training to spot some of the most common problems. Try these quick checks:
- Use only your keyboard. Press the Tab key to move through your homepage. Can you reach every link, button, and menu, and can you see where you are on the page?
- Zoom in. Enlarge your browser to 200%. Does the text still fit and read clearly, or does the layout break?
- Check your images. Look at your image settings in Shopify or Squarespace and make sure important images have alt text.
- Scan your links. Do they make sense on their own, without the surrounding sentence?
- Try a free checker. Tools like WAVE, from WebAIM, highlight common issues like missing alt text and low contrast.
Automated tools are a helpful starting point, but they can't catch everything. Some issues only show up when a real person tries to use the site.
Do accessibility widgets make a website compliant?
You may have seen accessibility widgets or "overlays," those small buttons that let visitors change text size or contrast, often sold as an instant fix.
I don't recommend relying on them. They sit on top of your website rather than fixing the underlying issues, and many people in the accessibility community, including people who use assistive technology every day, have been critical of them.
Real accessibility comes from how your site is designed, built, and written.
Does Shopify or Squarespace make your website accessible automatically?
Not entirely. Both platforms and many of their themes include helpful accessibility features, but much of your site's accessibility depends on what you add to it, such as:
- The alt text you write for images
- The colors and fonts you choose
- How you structure headings on your pages
- Whether your videos have captions
- The apps and add-ons you install
That's why accessibility is an ongoing habit, not a one-time checkbox. Every time you add a product, a blog post, or a new page, you're either keeping your site accessible or adding a barrier.
What should you do if you receive an accessibility demand letter?
Take it seriously and contact an attorney before responding. I'm not able to give legal advice, and an attorney can help you understand your options.
A web designer can help with the practical side, like reviewing your site for issues and making improvements, but that's separate from handling the legal question itself.
How do I build accessibility into the websites I design?
Accessibility is included in every website I build, whether it's on Shopify or Squarespace. That includes things like:
- Writing alt text for images
- Choosing color combinations with readable contrast
- Using a clear heading structure on every page
- Descriptive link and button text
- Labeled form fields
- Checking navigation across screen sizes and devices
During the one-hour training I do before every launch, I also show clients how to keep their site accessible as they add new content, like writing alt text for new product photos.
As a bonus, many accessibility practices also support SEO. Clear headings, descriptive alt text, and well-organized content help search engines and AI tools understand your site, too. I cover more of that in "How to Get Your Small Business Found in ChatGPT and Google AI."
Want help making your website more accessible?
If you already have a website, a Website Refresh at $75 an hour is a great way to address accessibility issues without starting over. If you're starting fresh, my Signature Web Design package starts at $1,750 and includes ADA accessibility features from day one.
Every project begins with a free 30-minute consult. You can also see some of the websites I've built in my portfolio.
