For years, digital marketing teams have approached web accessibility as a secondary checklist item. As user experience (UX) and organic search visibility become deeply intertwined, web accessibility has matured into a core pillar of modern web development and legal compliance.
Protecting your business and making your site welcoming doesn’t require a massive budget or an expensive digital overhaul. By prioritizing a few high-impact, low-cost areas, you can drastically reduce your legal risk and ensure every customer in your community can do business with you.
Why accessibility matters
Web accessibility simply means building your website so that everyone can fully navigate it. The legal benchmark most courts point to is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). When small business websites fall short of these standards, they become easy targets for demand letters and lawsuits. Beyond protecting your bottom line from legal headaches, web accessibility is a fundamental part of the user experience and search optimization.
When your website is built cleanly enough for assistive technologies like screen readers to understand, search engines can index it better – a win-win!
1. Write clear, descriptive alt text for images
Alternative text (alt text) is a brief description embedded in an image’s HTML code. Because screen readers read this text aloud, it is the only way visually impaired users can see your website’s imagery.
- The solution: most modern website builders (like WordPress, Shopify and Squarespace) have simple, built-in text boxes labeled “Alt text” when you upload or click on an image.
- How to do it: describe the image naturally. Instead of writing “office-photo-1.jpg” or stuffing it with keywords like “best lawyer chicago,” write: “brightly lit room with a wooden table and comfortable black chairs.”
2. Double-check your color contrast
If your text color is too similar to your background color, people with low vision, strain, or color blindness will struggle to read your content.
- The solution: use a free tool like the WebAIM color contrast checker to test your website’s brand colors. If your contrast ratio is too low, tweak your button colors or font shades slightly to make sure they are accessible.
3. Organize content with logical headings
Screen readers use heading tags (<h1>, <h2>, <h3>) to quickly skim a page, much like sighted users scan visual titles.
- The solution: Ensure your main page title uses <h1> (only one per page), main sections use <h2>, and subsections use <h3>. Avoid skipping heading levels (like jumping from an <h1> directly to an <h4>) just to achieve a specific font size.
4. Ensure your site is keyboard friendly
Many users navigate the internet using only their keyboard – typically utilizing the Tab and Enter keys instead of a mouse.
- The solution: try to navigate your own homepage using only the Tab key. Can you easily tell where your cursor is? Can you open drop-down menus and click buttons? If you get stuck in a visual “trap” and can’t move backward, have a developer take a quick look to repair the keyboard focus order.
DIY keyboard fixes – no developer required
If hiring a developer to fix keyboard navigation isn’t in your budget right now, you aren’t completely out of options. Here is how you can resolve common keyboard pitfalls directly within your website builder:
- Fixing a missing “focus indicator” (the visual box): When you Tab through a site, a visual ring should appear around the active button or link. If this is missing, it’s often because a site template or custom CSS turned it off. On WordPress, you can install free, lightweight plugins like WP Accessibility which automatically force a highly visible focus outline on every clickable element.
- Handling drop-down navigation: If your header menu has submenus that keyboard users can’t open, the simplest workaround is to ensure your top-level menu items (like “Services” or “Shop”) are actually clickable links that lead to a dedicated landing page containing those same submenu links. This way, even if a user can’t trigger the visual drop-down hover effect, they can still access every page on your site.
- Using built-in accessible widgets: Platforms like Squarespace and Shopify have made significant updates to their default, out-of-the-box themes. If you are using an older legacy theme that fails keyboard tests, switching to a modern, natively supported official theme can instantly resolve critical keyboard traps without writing a single line of code.
Industry-specific website accessibility tips
Different business models face unique accessibility hurdles. To help you focus your efforts, we’ve broken down the most common vulnerability points by industry.
E-commerce and online retail brands
With e-commerce websites accounting for roughly 70% to 78% of all ADA digital lawsuits, online stores are by far the biggest target for litigation. The risk compounds because product grids, shopping carts, and checkouts naturally contain thousands of clickable elements.
- Clear, labeled checkout forms: Ensure every single field on your checkout page has a clear, permanent label (like “First name” or “Credit card number”). Faint placeholder text that disappears when clicked can be frustrating for users with cognitive or visual impairments.
- Descriptive error messages: If a customer misses a field during checkout, clearly state which field is missing in plain text. Don’t just turn the box outline red—colorblind users won’t be able to see the change.
- Alt text for product variants: Don’t skip alt text on product thumbnails. A blind shopper needs to know if they are selecting the “matte black” or “brushed gold” version of an item based on the image description.
Restaurants, cafés and food delivery services
Food and beverage sites are the second most targeted sector in digital litigation, frequently flagged for issues with online ordering systems and digitized menus.
- Ditch the image-only PDF menus: Uploading a flat, scanned PDF of your dinner menu is an accessibility nightmare because screen readers cannot read text trapped inside an image. Always provide an identical HTML (text-based) version of your menu directly on your website.
- Accessible online ordering flows: If you use a third-party ordering system embed, test it with keyboard navigation. If a user cannot select an item, choose their side options, and hit “Add to Cart” using just their keyboard, the platform is blocking potential customers.
Therapy practices, psychology clinics and medical groups
In healthcare, the biggest compliance risks lie where patients interact most: patient portals, online appointment scheduling apps, and digital intake forms.
- Accessible patient intake documents: If you ask new clients to download PDF intake forms, consent forms, or fee schedules, ensure those PDFs are screen-reader friendly. A better, more modern approach? Swap outdated PDFs for mobile-friendly, accessible online form builders.
- Don’t rely solely on color for directions: Never rely on color alone to convey crucial details. For example, instead of writing “Please use the door marked in red on the map,” write “Please use the main East entrance, marked with a red star on the map.”
Law firms and legal practices
As professional services, law firms are expected to lead by example. Yet, many legal sites contain highly complex layouts, resource PDFs, and consultation booking forms that fail basic accessibility checks.
- Clear contrast on legal disclaimers: Often, important legal disclaimers or terms of service are published in tiny, light gray fonts at the bottom of the page. Make sure these are highly legible to prevent compliance gaps.
- Explicit link descriptions: Avoid generic link text like “Click here” or “Read more”. Screen reader users often pull up a list of all links on a page to navigate quickly. A list of links that all read “Click here” is entirely useless. Instead, use descriptive links like “Download our estate planning checklist” or “Schedule a consultation”.
Local business services (plumbers, HVAC, contractors, salons)
If your website exists to generate phone calls, quote requests, or direct bookings, your contact page is your most critical asset.
- Make contact details readable: Ensure your phone number and email address are formatted as actual text, not embedded inside a graphic or header image.
- Simplify the quote request form: Keep your contact forms short and clean. Complex captchas (like “click all the traffic lights”) can pose a massive barrier to users with cognitive or visual impairments. Consider using simpler, accessible spam-prevention alternatives.
Leverage your Google Business Profile
Accessibility begins before a customer ever lands on your website. For local businesses, your Google Business Profile (GBP) is often a user’s first point of contact. Google provides built-in attributes that allow you to clearly showcase your physical business’s accessibility.
Adding these attributes tells Google’s search algorithm, and local searchers, exactly what to expect when they arrive.
| Attribute | What it means for customers |
| Accessible entrance | The main entrance has a ramp, flat threshold or automatic door |
| Accessible restroom | Restrooms are wide enough for a wheelchair and include grab bars |
| Accessible seating | Tables or waiting areas can accommodate wheelchairs comfortably |
| Accessible parking | Designated parking spaces are close to the entrance with space to unload |
How to update it (for free): Log into your Google business profile manager, click on Edit profile, select More, and scroll to Accessibility. Toggle the options that apply to your physical storefront or office.
Getting started today
Don’t let the fear of doing it perfectly paralyze your progress. Accessibility is a continuous journey of improvement, not a one-time project.
- Run a free scan or inquire about a free website audit: scanning your website’s homepage can help to immediately flat your exact contrast errors, missing alt text, and broken heading structures. We can scan your site and provide a list of items to fix, check out our accessibility page to learn more.
- Fix the low-hanging fruit: Spend an afternoon updating your image alt text and tweaking text colors for better contrast.
- Publish an accessibility statement: create a simple page, and link to it from your footer, stating your commitment to accessibility. Read tips for writing an accessibility statement.
Unsure where your website stands when it comes to compliance, user experience, or modern search visibility? At Pilot, we help local businesses build digital spaces that are welcoming, highly functional, and optimized for growth. Reach out to our team today to learn how we can help you navigate website accessibility with confidence.
