An ADA compliant website lets people with disabilities use it as easily as anyone else. That includes people who rely on screen readers, keyboards, or zoom. For a small business, it also means fewer customers stuck at a form.
The ADA covers the goods and services businesses offer online. Yet the Justice Department hasn't set a technical checklist for business websites. This guide turns WCAG 2.2 Level AA into checks you can run yourself.
This is general marketing information, not legal advice. Talk to an attorney about your own ADA obligations.
Reporting note: We checked this guide against official sources on October 15, 2026.
Key takeaways
- The Justice Department hasn't set a technical standard for business websites
- WCAG 2.2 Level AA is a widely used target to work toward
- W3C's Easy Checks give you a quick first pass
- Keyboard access, contrast, forms, and captions cover common barriers
- Overlay widgets aren't a substitute for real fixes
What does the ADA say about business websites?
The Justice Department's 2022 web guidance covers businesses open to the public. It says the ADA applies to the goods and services they offer on the web.
The same guidance gives businesses flexibility in how they make their sites accessible. It names WCAG and the federal Section 508 standards as helpful technical guides. It doesn't require either one.
You may have heard about a 2024 rule built on WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That rule covers state and local governments, not private businesses. In April 2026, the department moved its deadlines to 2027 and 2028.
So a business has no official checklist to tick off. That's why most teams use WCAG as their working yardstick.
Why WCAG 2.2 Level AA makes a sensible target
W3C published WCAG 2.2 on October 5, 2023. Its rules aim to make content easy to perceive, operate, and understand. Each rule, called a success criterion, has a level of A, AA, or AAA.
Level AA includes all the A rules plus a second tier. It's the level the government rule uses, and the one most audits test. Level AAA is stricter and rarely required for a whole site.
WCAG 2.2 added nine new success criteria and removed one obsolete rule. Six of the new ones sit at Level A or AA. They cover focus that stays visible, tap target size, dragging, help links, retyping, and logins.
Meeting WCAG 2.2 AA doesn't guarantee legal compliance or stop lawsuits. It does give you a clear, widely used standard to work toward.
Your ADA compliant website checklist
Start with W3C's Easy Checks. They're quick tests you can run in a normal browser. W3C says they aren't a full evaluation, so treat them as a first pass.
- Page titles: each page shows a short, unique title in the browser tab
- Alt text: useful images describe themselves, and decorative ones stay silent
- Headings: real heading tags in a logical order
- Contrast: text stands out clearly from its background
- Text zoom: text still fits when zoomed to 200%, with no sideways scrolling
- Keyboard: Tab reaches every link, button, and field
- Forms: each field has a label and clear error messages
- Motion: a pause or stop control on sliders and moving content
- Video: recordings have accurate captions
Run these on the pages that bring in business first. That usually means your home page, service pages, contact page, and booking flow.
How do you test a site with only a keyboard?
The keyboard test is the fastest way to find real barriers. Many people can't use a mouse, and screen readers rely on the same paths.
- Click the address bar, then press Tab
- Keep pressing Tab through the whole page
- Watch for a visible outline on each item
- Press Enter or Space to open menus and buttons
- Open any pop-up and make sure you can close it
- Press Shift and Tab to move back
If you lose track of where you are, other keyboard users will too. A missing focus outline is often a quick fix in your theme's styles.
WCAG 2.2 also says sticky content shouldn't fully hide a focused item. Sticky headers and chat widgets often cover it. Scroll with Tab and watch for this.
Contrast, color, and tap targets
WCAG asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text. Large text needs at least 3:1. Free contrast checkers compare two colors for you.
Don't let color carry meaning on its own. The Justice Department's guidance flags red text as the only sign of a required field. Add a word like Required too.
WCAG 2.2 adds a minimum target size for buttons and links. Targets should be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or spaced well apart. Small icons crowded together are the usual problem on phones.
Forms, images, and video
Contact and quote forms are where many customers reach you. Give each field a visible label tied to it in the code. Placeholder text disappears as people type, so it's not enough on its own.
Error messages should say what went wrong and how to fix it. Don't make people retype details they already gave in the same process. WCAG 2.2 calls this redundant entry.
For images, write short alt text that says what the image does. A logo that links home might read as your business name. Purely decorative images get empty alt text, so screen readers skip them.
Videos need accurate captions. Automatic captions are a start, but names and service terms often come out wrong. Review them before you publish.
Are accessibility overlays a shortcut?
Overlay widgets add a toolbar or script that claims to fix a site automatically. A script can't know what your photo shows. It can't write correct captions or explain a confusing form.
In 2025, the FTC reached an order with one AI overlay vendor. The FTC said the vendor couldn't back up claims of making any site WCAG compliant.
The Justice Department makes a similar point about automated checkers. They can help, but a clean report doesn't prove a site is accessible. Pair any tool with manual checks like the keyboard test.
What should you fix first?
Scroll sideways to read the full table.
| Barrier | Who it blocks | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Form fields without labels | Screen reader users | Add a visible label tied to each field |
| No focus outline | Keyboard users | Restore a clear focus style |
| Low text contrast | People with low vision | Darken text or lighten the background |
| Images without alt text | Screen reader users | Write short alt text or mark as decorative |
| Video without captions | Deaf and hard of hearing viewers | Add captions and check them |
Fix barriers on your money pages before polishing older blog posts. A blocked booking form costs more than a blurry old photo.
How to keep your site accessible after launch
- Add an accessibility page with a way to report problems
- Check new pages and posts before they go live
- Rerun the keyboard test after theme or plugin updates
- Review captions on every new video
- Plan a deeper review with W3C's evaluation method for larger sites
Clear headings, readable text, and simple forms help every visitor. Our web design team builds these checks into new sites. The aim is to help more people reach you.
Planning a rebuild? Our guide to website costs explains what drives the price. You can also see the sites we build by industry.