Website Accessibility Basics for a Small Business

Accessibility sounds like a technical subject and mostly is a set of habits. The Justice Department says the Americans with Disabilities Act applies to businesses open to the public, and the World Wide Web Consortium publishes the technical standard, WCAG 2.2. This guide explains what both say, lists six checks, and is not legal advice.

What does the Justice Department say?

The DOJ's page “Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA,” dated March 18, 2022, says the ADA applies to state and local governments (Title II) and to businesses open to the public (Title III), and that inaccessible web content can exclude people just as steps at an entrance can. It notes that its guidance does not reflect requirements for state and local governments published in the Federal Register on April 24, 2024.

It lists examples of barriers: poor color contrast; using color alone to give information; no text alternatives (alt text) on images; no captions on videos; inaccessible online forms that lack labels, clear instructions or error indicators; and mouse-only navigation, lacking keyboard use. The page describes people who are blind using screen readers, people who are deaf or hard of hearing using captions, and people who cannot use a mouse using voice recognition.

What is WCAG?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are the technical yardstick most people use. WCAG 2.2 is a W3C Recommendation dated 12 December 2024. It extends WCAG 2.1, and the W3C states that content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. Its success criteria are written as testable statements. One example at level AA: the visual presentation of text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, with some exceptions.

WCAG is a standard, not a law for private businesses, and the DOJ's 2022 page does not name it as the rule for them. Many organizations use it because it is specific. Ask an attorney about your own obligations.

Six checks for an afternoon

Try these on your own site:

• Keyboard: unplug the mouse and use Tab, Shift+Tab and Enter. Can you reach every link and button, and see where you are?
• Contrast: check text against its background with a contrast checker; aim for at least 4.5:1 for ordinary text.
• Images: every meaningful image has alt text that says what it is for; decorative ones have empty alt text.
• Forms: every field has a visible label, and error messages say what to fix, not just that something is wrong.
• Video and audio: captions on video, a transcript for audio.
• Color: do not use color alone, such as red text, to show which fields are required.

Other quick wins

Use real headings in order, so a screen reader user can jump around. Write link text that makes sense alone, such as “view our plans” and not “click here.” Make phone numbers and the check-address form easy to find and use. Let the page zoom without breaking. Avoid text inside images. Test on a phone, since many visitors are on one. If you use a third-party widget, test the page without it too, as widgets do not replace sound page structure.

Accessibility also helps older visitors, who are a large share of the customers of rural businesses; see the seniors page.

Where this fits

Accessibility belongs with domain, hosting and security on your list; see website hosting basics and SSL certificates in plain words. When you hire a designer, ask for WCAG 2.2 level AA in writing and for a keyboard-only test before launch.

Choosing a provider starts with an address, so send yours through the check form. The path from the nearest tower is checked by a person, who then calls you. Or call 775-575-9593; someone answers from 9 to 5 every day.