How to Make Your Website ADA-Compliant
Diverse group of co-workers
Living in a digital world is essential to making online spaces accessible for everyone. According to this report, one in six people live with a disability. A staggering 96% of top-ranked websites do not comply with the accessibility standards established by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), making it difficult for people with disabilities to access them.
Having a website isn’t enough; it is essential to provide easy online access to your brand for people with disabilities. With ADA compliance, you can boost customer satisfaction and extend your business’ marketing reach.
Developing a website that complies with ADA regulations is a legal obligation and an ethical imperative. This article will discuss the importance of ADA compliance and how to make your website ADA-compliant whilst following best SEO practices.
What is ADA Compliance?
A picture with the word “compliance” and a smiley emoji.
As the internet became more prevalent, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was enacted to ensure that disabled people were not discriminated against in digital and physical spaces. That means that businesses have a responsibility to provide equal accommodations for everyone. For example, people who use wheelchairs need ramps to access buildings, and companies should allow individuals to take tests that may require accommodations, such as oral exams instead of written ones.
Mariano Rodriguez, founder of LawRank, noticed the following:
“In recent years, the number of lawsuits filed under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has increased noticeably. Since 2013, more than 3000 lawsuits have been filed in federal court, claiming that online websites were not accessible to people with disabilities, thus violating Title III of the ADA. As a result, law firms need to collaborate with experienced web developers who specialize in ADA compliance. These developers can help ensure that a firm's website is accessible to disabled people and complies with the appropriate standards.”
Moreover, many countries, including the U.S., enforce ADA compliance and ensure that websites are accessible to avoid legal action. If a website does not comply with the ADA, a person with a disability can file a lawsuit against the owner, which has become increasingly common.
The Importance of Having an ADA-Compliant Website
The terms “ADA Compliance” and “Website Accessibility” are commonly used in online businesses. However, the latter is not a mandatory ranking factor for Google because it is challenging to quantify.
It is crucial to focus on web accessibility and usability for all users, including those with cognitive, visual, physical, neurological, and auditory impairments and temporary, situational, or environmental impairments. Prioritizing web accessibility ensures an inclusive user experience for everyone.
An exceptional user experience on your website can increase conversion rates, customer loyalty, and website traffic. It allows you to expand your customer base and strengthen your brand reputation. Businesses must be ADA-compliant, as many customers rely on them to access their products or services.
How to Make Your Website ADA-Compliant
It's time to take action and ensure your website is accessible to everyone. Creating an ADA-compliant website is not just an option but a necessity. Let's take a firm stance on inclusivity, strengthen your SEO, and prioritize ADA compliance.
1. Structure Your Content
Well-organized content is imperative for people with disabilities, as it is crucial for their ease of access and navigation of information and is equally beneficial for all users. Using clear page titles and headings in their proper order is essential to help people comprehend the structure of your content and find the required information.
Your website's title tag clearly explains its content, and screen readers heavily rely on it to inform visually impaired people about the website they are currently accessing. You should optimize title tags with relevant and primary keywords for your users. Not only will it be read out loud by screen readers for visually impaired users, but search engines utilize these tags to understand the content of your page.
A structure of a website with accessibility settings.
Another aspect you should pay attention to is organizing your content by headings, as it can help people with disabilities read the most important parts of content based on your well-structured headers using particular assistive technologies. Your headings should be in sequential order (H2 followed by H3, etc.) and accurately reflect your content. For web accessibility, use one H1 tag and subheadings in your web pages and blog posts.
Webpages and content organization
2. Add Descriptive Alt Text
A picture showing how to add ALT text on images
Images are essential for web content, but visually impaired users need alt text to understand them. Alt text can aid search engines in understanding image content, enhance accessibility, and improve your website's ranking on Google.
You must use a high-quality image for optimal results when incorporating alt text. The effectiveness of screen readers and image recognition tools, including image enhancers, largely depends on the clarity and resolution of the original image. That ensures a more accurate and enhanced experience for visually impaired users and search engines.
Adding an alt-text to any images and videos you embed on your website is essential. Screen readers can read it aloud, which is particularly helpful for people with disabilities who need to understand the image. Ensure that the Alt text is as descriptive and accurate as possible. Give more opportunities for search search engines to find your essential keywords.
If no alt-text section is available, you can still include a description as a caption under any photos or videos. That will help make your content more accessible and user-friendly for everyone, regardless of their abilities.
3. Build an Accessible Page Structure
A well-organized page structure is crucial for all website visitors. However, it is even more significant for people with disabilities who depend on clear and consistent navigation to browse your website without any hindrance. That not only helps search engines but also benefits screen readers.
Valuable tips to build an accessible page structure:
Add a "skip to content" button at the beginning of each page.
Keep menus and submenus consistent throughout the website.
Create relevant and accurate page titles.
Make the navigation bar accessible for keyboard users.
Include a sitemap to show all the content on your website.
Add descriptive labels to every link to help users understand where they will be directed upon clicking it.
Use breadcrumbs to help users and search engines in website navigation and page categorization.
Page structure of a website
4. Boost Mobile Accessibility
It is crucial to make your website mobile accessible, as mobile devices are widely used for communication, entertainment, and information access. Failing to do so can lead to unequal access to your content and a suboptimal user experience.
Improving mobile accessibility for your website is a legal obligation and a moral obligation. Mobile accessibility benefits users with impairments and your business, as it helps you promote digital equality and increase audience reach. Using a website audit tool, you can check your mobile site for performance issues and make necessary changes.
Here are some tips to boost mobile accessibility:
Keep your user interface simple and easy to understand.
Include easily readable fonts with sufficient contrast on mobile devices.
Optimize the website's speed to ensure it loads quickly on smaller screens.
When designing for mobile, consider text size, contrast, and touch targets. Use a font that's easy to read on small screens and ensure touch targets are large enough for touch screens.
Offer text-to-speech options for alternate content views. Speech synthesis systems can use natural language processing to generate synthesized speech from text input.
Consider users with physical keyboards and ensure smooth navigation without touchscreens.
Makible with voice search and screen readers.
5. Include Transcripts and Captions in Videos
Video and audio have become viral forms of media in recent years. Worldwide digital video viewership continues to grow and is expected to reach 3.5 billion by 2023. Multiple publishers report that 85% of Facebook video views occur without sound.
Adding transcripts and captions is essential to reach the audience with sensory issues or hearing impairments. Moreover, users in various environments, such as quiet places or areas with slow internet connections, can consume content differently.
You can include the transcripts on the same page as the video. That will help people skim through and screen readers to access the content. Avoid auto-playing or timed-out media as it can disrupt users who require more time to process information.
6. Add Descriptive Anchor Text for Links
Website with Accessibility options tab open
Anchor text refers to the clickable text that appears within a hyperlink. It's an essential element that helps users decide whether to click the link. Additionally, it helps search engines understand what the linked page is about.
When using a screen reader, the anchor text is first identified so readers can determine if they want to follow the link. Using descriptive and concise anchor text when linking to web pages is essential. Avoid generic phrases like 'click here' and instead use relevant language that helps all users identify which links are worth exploring.
Additionally, it may be tempting to manipulate your anchor texts if you're publishing content with your backlink on third-party sites or inserting links within your own blog. There is no “magic formula” for anchor text ratios, and it's good SEO practice to take a more natural approach to anchors. That will generally also reflect as anchors that have the proper context.
7. Create Accessible Input Fields and Tables
It's essential to ensure that your website's online forms and tables are accessible to all users, including those who use assistive technologies. You can provide clear labels, instructions, and descriptive text or HTML for each form element, such as buttons, drop-down menus, or text boxes.
All tables and input fields on your website must be navigable with a keyboard. Ensure that your form validation instructions and error messages are clear and easy to understand for users. Adding an auto-fill option to forms is crucial for enhancing the user experience and website accessibility. If you want to connect your forms with other apps, use WordPress or Google Forms instead of PDFs or Word documents.
8. Add Sitemaps
A website's sitemap
Sitemaps are essential for website visitors to navigate and quickly find the information they need, especially when the website has complex navigation. They benefit people relying on screen readers, voice commands, or other navigation methods.
For users with disabilities, sitemaps enhance accessibility by providing an inclusive overview and easy access to all essential pages on the website and help search engines find links to other pages not linked elsewhere on the site.
9. Test Your Website for ADA-Compliance
Making your website ADA-compliant is a continuous process. It is crucial to assess your website's accessibility regularly and identify areas for improvement. Remember to update it as necessary, particularly when you make significant alterations or include new content.
Consider reaching out to disability groups to test your website. Conduct quarterly audits on your website to ensure its compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. Give people the ability to set up a form to request accommodations. By taking action based on their feedback, you can make your website accessible to a broader audience and ensure that everyone, regardless of their ability, can access your website.
Conclusion
When improving your ADA compliance, it is essential to follow legal requirements and make your online environment more accessible for users. It benefits not only disabled people but also improves your website's SEO. Following the tips mentioned above in this article can enhance your website's ADA compliance and SEO rankings.
