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ADA Compliance is Essential for Your Online Business
Having an ADA compliance website is essential for every website owner. You will benefit your business by allowing your site to be accessible to a larger audience including individuals with disabilities. Also, ADA lawsuits have drastically become more common in recent years. You are working consistently to build your business. Don’t forget to safeguard your assets!
When I first started my online business as mentioned in a previous post, my focus was primarily on the basics – learning how to build my website, creating engaging content, and figuring out the affiliate marketing process.
Then I went on to learn about the importance of legal pages, which is when I first came across Amira @aselfguru. Before long, Amira would also help guide me in understanding ADA Compliance.
Related Post: https://milissaneirotti.com/legal-pages/
My desire to learn more about having an ADA compliance website peaked when I was fortunate enough to attend an Ultimate Blogging Summit. It was an amazing four days where I got to login to the Zoom meet and listen to many fabulous online entrepreneurs discussing different aspects of the blogging world.
One presenter grabbed my attention as she not only discussed ADA compliance for websites, but also for email marketing guidelines. It wasn’t until she actually initiated a demo, that the urgency to follow the guidelines for ADA Compliance set in.
This post is all about why having ADA compliance is essential, and how you can protect your business while making your website more inclusive.
What is ADA Website Compliance?
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses (including websites) to be accessible to people with disabilities. While the law originally applied to physical business locations, judges are now ruling that online business websites need to follow WCAG Standards for ADA Compliance.
What does this mean for you as a website owner?
It means your website should be designed so that everyone, regardless of ability, can use it. This includes, but not limited to people with:
- Visual impairments (blindness, low vision, color blindness)
- Hearing impairments (deaf or hard of hearing)
- Motor disabilities (trouble using a mouse or keyboard)
- Cognitive disabilities (dyslexia, ADHD, memory issues)
For more official information, please review Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA
Why does ADA Compliance direct us to WCAG?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is the internationally accepted standard for website accessibility. Organizations that want to comply with the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) should follow WCAG standards.
WCAG provides detailed guidelines that help make the web more accessible to people with disabilities.
Introduction to Web Accessibility and W3C Standards
WCAG focuses on four core principals Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
For instance:
- Providing alternative text for images
- Ensuring text is readable with good contrast
- Making your site navigable without a mouse
- Adding captions to videos for viewers with hearing loss
- AND SO MUCH MORE! How to Meet WCAG (Quick Reference)
When I continued my research on ADA compliance and learned about the WCAG standards as linked above for my website, I also learned that Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities is a Priority for the Department of Justice.
I knew I needed legal guidance on how to strengthen my website business foundation to comply with these accessibility guidelines.
How Amira’s ADA Legal Template Saved Me Time & Stress
As I continued researching, I quickly realized that I couldn’t do this alone. There is much involved in making a website legally compliant.
Making my website fully ADA-compliant wasn’t just about changing a few settings—it involved legal protection too.
Having purchased and implemented Amira’s VIP legal templates, I knew I was in good hands when purchasing her ADA Compliance and WCAG Checklist bundle.
Once I added the accessibility statement to my site using Amira’s template and learning about accessibility widgets for my site, I felt more confident knowing that I had taken an important step to protect my business and serve all visitors better.
Amira is a wonderful professional business lawyer and online entrepreneur herself who wants to help support other online entrepreneurs by making her legal pages very affordable and easy for us to implement.
I strongly recommend Amira’s lawyer-drafted ADA Website Compliance and WCAG Checklist bundle.
Check out Amira’s ADA Website Accessibility Legal Template here
Steps to Make Your Website ADA Compliant
As a website owner, you should strive to make your website accessible and avoid legal risks!
Here’s a great place to start:
Use an accessibility checker – Tools like WAVE, a web accessibility evaluation tool, can help you find some issues
Provide Alt Text for All Images – This aids visually impaired viewers to understand your content
Ensure Text is Readable – Follow the WCAG guidelines for contrast ratio and readable fonts
Enable Keyboard Navigation – Viewers should be able to navigate your site without a mouse
Add Captions to Videos – For hearing-impaired viewers
Avoid Flashing Content – This can trigger seizures in some viewers
Use Amira’s Legal Expertise – Protect yourself and your business with her professional advice and ADA and WCAG bundle.
In Conclusion:
Starting my business has allowed me to continue learning many new things. Learning about the legal part of the business can be confusing to implement. But trust me! Once you realize how many people struggle with inaccessible websites and how serious the legal risks are, you want to take the necessary steps to grow your business on a strong legally protected foundation!
The nice thing about the legal compliance requirements is that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own. With tools like Amira’s VIP legal bundle and Amira’s ADA Website Compliance and WCAG Bundle, you can engage in straightforward, effective, easy-to-implement steps to protect your website while reaching a wider viewing audience.
Don’t wait! Check to see if your website is compliant and make the necessary updates.
Have you made your website accessible? Share your experience in the comments. I’d love to hear from you!
All the best!
Milissa Neirotti
This post was all about ADA Compliance and WCAG Standards every website should follow.
Hi, Milissa!
This is a great intro to ADA compliance for online businesses! I wish I had seen this when I started. In fact, it has helped me gather some of the loose ends and straighten them in my mind! Thank you! There is so much to WCAG. I’d recommend this post to anyone getting started with it!
Nakina
Hi Nakina,
Thank you so much for your kind words! I’m glad this post helped you and gave clarity on ADA compliance. You’re right—WCAG can feel overwhelming at first. I appreciate your recommendation, and I’m so glad it’s been helpful to you. Wishing continued success on your journey, Nakina!
All the best!
Milissa
Hi Milissa,
This is such an important topic! Making sure websites are accessible for all users is something I’ve been learning more about lately. It’s great to see more people talking about it and bringing awareness to the fact that it should be a priority. I’m excited to keep working on making my website more accessible for everyone. Thanks for sharing!
Meredith
Meredith Moore recently posted…The Power of Branding: Choose colors that define your business.
Hi Meredith,
I appreciate your taking the time to share your thoughts. Accessibility is such an important topic, and it’s great to see more people prioritizing it. It is wonderful that you’re making your website more accessible! Every step helps create a better experience for everyone!
All the best on your journey, Meredith!
Milissa Neirotti
Such an important topic! Accessibility isn’t just about avoiding legal risks—it’s about creating an inclusive space where everyone can engage with your content. Your breakdown of WCAG principles makes it feel much less overwhelming. I love the practical tips, especially the reminder to enable keyboard navigation! Have you found any accessibility tools particularly helpful for ongoing compliance?
Hi Milissa – This is yet another important topic to consider and I find may possibly be lacking in my website. I plan to check this ASAP as a result of this important blog post. I plan to check this out not just because I want to be compliant but because it’s the right thing to do. It is so important that all people of all abilities have all options! Thank you for this message and for this reminder.
I love this added dimension of our online pursuits! As you know, I am in the process of creating a membership site. I need to consider this as I prepare to launch! Thanks for the info!
Amira and her team are really helpful! They are quick to respond to emails when I have questions (and I have a lot of questions!). I love that this resource is available:-) Thank you!