Did you know that over 61 million adults in the U.S. live with a disability? Ensuring your website is ADA-compliant is not just a legal requirement but a smart business strategy.
The American Disability Act, or the ADA, requires all businesses that operate from a building and that have more than 15 employees to be compliant with the act. However, the act also refers to elements like website accessibility, color schemes, image captions and more.
Let’s explore how ADA compliance impacts website design and digital marketing strategies, with some actionable tips for how your business can stay compliant and inclusive.
Up to 1 in 4 (27%) adults in the United States have some type of disability.
– CDC, Disability Impacts All of Us
Understanding ADA compliance in website design
The American Disability Act “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in several areas, including employment, transportation, public accommodations, communications and access to state and local government’ programs and services.” This applies to digital media, marketing and website design. The ADA requires all digital content to be compatible with assistive technology to provide for a smooth, easy online experience for everyone. In fact, inaccessible content led to more than 4,000 lawsuits under the ADA and related state laws in 2023 alone, so it is incredibly important to make sure your digital content is compliant.
Principles of ADA compliance
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, is a set of guidelines put forth by Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium. These guidelines contain helpful information about how to make web content accessible for anyone with a disability. Some of these include
- Text Alternatives: This means to provide text options for any non-text content (e.g., images or video) so that the elements can be changed into other forms people need, such as larger print, typed text, spoken language, symbols or simpler language.
- Time-Based Media: This can include pre-recorded captions, audio descriptions, live captions, sign language and anything else that can be pre-recorded or live.
- Adaptability: This includes the creation of content that can be presented in different ways (for example simpler layout) without losing information or structure.
- Distinguishable: Try to make it easier for users to see and hear content. This can include separating the foreground and background, audio control, color schemes, text sizes or contrasts.
The key principles of ADA compliance can be remembered with the acronym ‘POUR’. This stands for perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. ADA compliance is important within a business. Especially in online media and website development. Following WCAG and POUR are great ways to make sure your information is accessible.
Impact of ADA compliance on digital marketing
ADA compliance is especially important when creating digital marketing assets. An ADA-compliant website, versus one without ADA compliance, will see higher usage, engagement and SERP rankings. While Google does not have a direct ranking system for website accessibility, the search giant does rank on user experience and ease of use. So, if your website is not compliant, or if users struggle with the information or layout of your website, Google may still rank your website lower than those sites that have better accessibility.
Plus, an accessible website can expand your audience; an ADA-compliant website, by default, broadens your potential customer base. It can also enhance user experience and build brand trust. Some of the most common accessibility features that enhances the user experience include:
- Text for images
- Keyboard navigation
- Video captions and audio descriptions
- Color contrast and text resize options
High (Good) Contrast
Low (Bad) Contrast
High (Good) Contrast
Low (Bad) Contrast
The ways to expand your brand’s accessibility seem endless, however sticking to the most common ones will provide you with the quickest and easiest results. We recommend taking your website through an accessibility audit to understand whether your website is fully ADA compliant. Websites like WAVE and Axe show you how your website is ADA compliant. These tools can also provide you with examples of how to improve your website.
Work with a trusted resource
Your target audience may also play a large role in the level of compliance needed for your website. Work with a trusted developer to talk about the challenges your website has and ideas to address those challenges.
It’s important to note that there are varying levels of compliance, and some rules are state-specific. ADA.gov is a great starting resource. When in doubt, consult legal counsel or speak directly to your web developer who can point you in the right direction related to the web accessibility standards you may need to follow as you make updates to your digital content.