ADA Website Compliance Checklist for Small Businesses (2026)

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA is the technical standard courts and regulators use when evaluating whether a website is accessible. It covers 50 success criteria across four principles. Most of it is reasonable. None of it requires a complete redesign.

This checklist translates the requirements that matter most for small business websites into plain English: what each item means, how to test it yourself, and what fixing it looks like. For context on why this matters legally and financially right now, see our article on ADA website lawsuits in 2025.

1. Images

Requirement: Every image that conveys meaning needs a text alternative (alt text) describing what it shows. Decorative images (dividers, background textures) should be marked so screen readers skip them.

Why it matters: Screen readers announce images to blind users. Without alt text, they hear "image" or a file path. With good alt text, they hear what the image actually communicates.

Quick test: Right-click any image on your site and inspect the HTML. Look for alt="...". A product photo should have a description like "Blue ceramic coffee mug, 12oz." A purely decorative image should have alt="".

The fix: Add descriptive alt attributes to every content image. For images inside links, the alt text should describe the destination, not the image. Your CMS (WordPress, Shopify, Squarespace) has an alt text field on every image upload.

2. Forms

Requirement: Every form field (name, email, phone, search, checkout) needs a visible label that's programmatically associated with it. Error messages must clearly identify which field failed and why.

Why it matters: Screen reader users navigate by form fields. Without a label, they hear "edit text" with no context. Without a clear error message, they can't complete your checkout or contact form.

Quick test: Use your contact or checkout form with your eyes closed, relying only on your screen reader or keyboard navigation. Can you tell what each field is asking for? Can you identify and fix errors after submitting?

The fix: Each <input> needs a <label> element linked by a matching for/id pair, or an aria-label attribute. Error messages should say "Email address is required" not just "Required field."

3. Navigation and Headings

Requirement: Pages need a logical heading structure (H1, H2, H3) that outlines the content. Navigation menus must be consistent and keyboard-accessible.

Why it matters: Screen reader users often navigate by headings, the way sighted users scan a page visually. A page with no headings, or headings used just for styling, is like a document with no section titles.

Quick test: Use your browser's built-in accessibility inspector (Chrome DevTools → Accessibility panel → full page tree) to view your heading structure. Does it read like an outline? Is there one H1? Do H2s and H3s nest logically under it?

The fix: Use heading tags semantically, not for font size or visual style, but to reflect content hierarchy. Most CMS page builders let you select heading levels from a dropdown.

4. Color and Contrast

Requirement: Text must have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background (3:1 for large text: 18px or larger, or 14px bold). Color alone cannot be the only way information is conveyed.

Why it matters: Low-contrast text is hard to read for people with low vision, color blindness, or anyone viewing a screen in bright sunlight. It's also one of the most commonly cited violations in ADA lawsuits.

Quick test: Use a free contrast checker tool (WebAIM's contrast checker is widely used) to test your body text, link colors, and button labels against their backgrounds. Or run a free automated scan; contrast failures are reliably detectable by scanners.

The fix: Darken the text or lighten the background until the ratio passes. In most CMS theme editors, you can adjust text and background colors directly. Avoid light gray text on white, or pale colored text on colored backgrounds.

5. Keyboard Access

Requirement: Every interactive element (links, buttons, forms, menus, modal dialogs) must be reachable and operable using only a keyboard, without a mouse.

Why it matters: People with motor disabilities often use keyboards, switch controls, or other input devices that emulate keyboard navigation. A site that can't be tabbed through is inaccessible to them.

Quick test: Close your mouse. Start at the top of your page and press Tab repeatedly. Can you reach every link, button, and form field? Do you always know where you are (there should be a visible focus indicator, an outline around the focused element)? Can you activate buttons with Enter or Space?

The fix: Ensure interactive elements are actual HTML <a> or <button> elements, not styled <div>s or <span>s. Add or restore CSS :focus styles — don't use outline: none without a replacement.

6. Links

Requirement: Link text must make sense out of context. "Click here" and "read more" fail. Screen reader users often browse a list of all links on a page — every link in that list should describe its destination.

Why it matters: A page with six "Read more" links is unusable when navigated by link list. "Read more about our return policy" is usable.

Quick test: Read every link on your page in isolation. Without surrounding context, does the link text tell you where you'll go or what you'll get?

The fix: Rewrite vague links to be descriptive. "Learn more" → "Learn more about our accessibility services." For icon-only links, add aria-label text that describes the destination.

7. Video and Audio

Requirement: Pre-recorded video needs captions. Pre-recorded audio-only content (like a podcast) needs a transcript. Live video needs real-time captions.

Why it matters: Captions serve deaf and hard-of-hearing users, non-native speakers, and anyone watching in a noisy or quiet environment. They're also indexed by search engines.

Quick test: Watch one of your videos with the sound off. Are closed captions available? Are they accurate, or auto-generated and full of errors?

The fix: YouTube's auto-captions are a starting point but need editing for accuracy. Dedicated captioning services (Rev, Kapwing) produce accurate captions quickly. Embed the captioned version on your site.

8. Page Titles and Language

Requirement: Each page needs a unique, descriptive <title> tag. The page's language must be declared in the HTML (<html lang="en">).

Why it matters: Screen readers announce the page title when a user lands on the page. Without it, users don't know where they are. The language attribute tells the screen reader which pronunciation rules to use.

Quick test: In your browser, look at the tab label for each of your pages. Do they uniquely describe the page (not just "Home" on every page)? View source and check for <html lang="en"> at the top.

The fix: Set unique title tags in your CMS SEO settings. Add lang="en" to your root HTML element; most modern CMS themes include this by default.

What Automated Scanners Catch (and What They Don't)

Automated tools like axe-core, the engine behind CompliScan and Chrome's built-in accessibility checker, can reliably detect roughly 57% of WCAG failures. That includes:

• Missing or empty alt text
• Color contrast failures
• Missing form labels
• Missing page title and language attributes
• Keyboard focus management issues detectable through code analysis

The remaining 43% requires human judgment. Automated tools can't assess whether alt text is accurate, whether heading structure makes logical sense, whether error messages are helpful, or whether video captions are correct. These require a manual audit or user testing with assistive technology.

A good strategy for most small businesses: start with an automated scan to find and fix the detectable 57%, then work through the checklist above manually, or hire an accessibility specialist for a full audit.

Where to Start

The fastest way to know where your site stands on the automatically detectable issues is to run a scan. CompliScan gives you a free instant report with your compliance score and top violations, no account required. The full paid report includes plain-English descriptions of every issue and step-by-step fix instructions written for non-developers.

Bookmark this checklist and use it alongside your scan results. Share it with your developer or web agency; it gives them the context they need to prioritize fixes correctly.

Get a free instant scan or order a full PDF report with fix instructions tailored to your site.