Does My Small Business Website Need to Be ADA Accessible?

By Bill Stilwell · Last reviewed October 17, 2026

The short answer

Yes. The U.S. Department of Justice says the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses open to the public to make what they offer online accessible to people with disabilities. There’s no detailed federal rule for business websites yet, so the Department points to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as helpful guidance. In practice, that means alt text on images, good color contrast, labeled forms, captions on videos, and a site you can use with only a keyboard.

What this means

The Department of Justice’s 2022 guidance says businesses must give people with disabilities full and equal access to goods and services, including online, and must communicate effectively. It says businesses have flexibility in how they do it. The guidance notes it isn’t a binding rule. A separate 2024 rule sets technical standards for state and local government websites, not private businesses.

The guidance lists common barriers:

Images without text alternatives. Screen readers need alt text.
Poor color contrast. Light text on a light background is hard to read.
Color alone. Don’t show required fields only in red. Add a word.
Videos without captions.
Forms without labels, clear instructions, and helpful error messages.
Mouse-only sites. Everything should work with a keyboard.

The outline lists the same areas: keyboard access, contrast, labels, captions, transcripts, and error messages.

Planning a site (13.3.7). Plan readable, navigable, keyboard-accessible content from the start. It’s cheaper than fixing it later. Pick a theme or builder that supports good headings, contrast, and keyboard focus.

Reviewing before launch (13.8.4). Before launch, test keyboard access, form labels, contrast, heading order, captions, and error messages. Add this to your launch checklist (see 13.8 Website Launch Checklist).

Accessibility and search (19.5.5). Meaningful labels, headings in order, good contrast, captions, and keyboard navigation help people and give search engines clearer content. Accessibility isn’t a shortcut to rankings, but many of the same habits help both.

Online stores (26.1.7). Make shopping and checkout usable with a keyboard and screen reader. Product photos need alt text. Error messages at checkout must say what went wrong and how to fix it.

Courses and digital products (26.5.7). Provide captions or transcripts for video lessons, readable documents, and quizzes that work with a keyboard, where appropriate.

Made-up example: Tall Pines Landscaping redoes its website. The designer picks a theme with strong contrast, writes alt text like “Stone patio with fire pit in a backyard,” labels every form field, and captions the project video. The owner tests the quote form using only the Tab and Enter keys before launch.

Why it matters

Customers. People who use screen readers, keyboards, or captions can’t hire you if they can’t use your site.
Legal risk. Website accessibility demand letters and lawsuits happen to small businesses too.
Search. Alt text, headings, and captions help search engines and AI tools understand your pages.
Better for everyone. Clear forms and readable text help all visitors, especially on phones.

Who this applies to

Every business with a website, especially online stores, booking sites, and course platforms. Even a simple brochure site should meet the basics.

How to do it

Pick a platform or theme that supports accessibility, with good contrast, visible keyboard focus, and proper headings.
Write alt text for every meaningful image. Describe what’s in it. Use empty alt text for purely decorative images. Don’t stuff keywords.
Use headings in order: one main heading, then subheadings (see 19.4.3 Headings and Opening Lines).
Check color contrast with a free contrast checker.
Label every form field and write error messages that explain how to fix the problem (see 13.5 Website Forms).
Caption every video, and add transcripts for audio and long videos (see 19.11 Images and Video).
Test with only a keyboard. Tab through every page, menu, form, and checkout step.
Run an automated checker, then check by hand. The Department of Justice warns that automated tools and overlays can miss problems.
Add an accessibility statement with a way to report problems (see 9.7.5 Accessibility Complaints).
Recheck when you add pages, change themes, or add tools like booking widgets.

What proof to keep

Results of automated scans, with dates
Notes from manual keyboard and screen reader tests
A list of fixes made and when
Your accessibility statement
Captions and transcripts files
Any accessibility statement or report from your platform or plugin vendors

Common mistakes

Relying on an overlay or plugin alone. The Department of Justice says a clean automated report doesn’t guarantee access.
Alt text like “image1.jpg” or a list of keywords.
Auto-generated captions never checked.
Booking or chat widgets that trap keyboard users.
Pretty but low-contrast text, like gray on white.
Fixing the home page and forgetting checkout or the quote form.

When to get help from a pro

A web accessibility specialist can audit your site, especially an online store or course platform. An attorney can help if you receive a demand letter. Questions to ask:

What are the biggest barriers on our site, and which should we fix first?
Does our checkout or booking tool work with a keyboard and screen reader?
Which WCAG level should we aim for?

Bill’s note

[Bill: add a short opinion. For example, how you handle alt text, contrast, and keyboard testing on SiteSmarty client sites, or a common accessibility problem you fix on sites you take over.]

If you’d rather have this done for you, SiteSmarty builds websites with accessibility checks as part of launch.

How I did this for SiteSmarty

[Date I did this:]
[What I actually did, step by step: which tools I used to test the SiteSmarty site and what I fixed]
[What it cost and how long it took:]
[What surprised me or what I’d do differently:]
[Screenshot or photo to add, with private info blurred: automated check results and a keyboard test recording]
[Result so far:]

Questions people ask

Does my business website have to be ADA compliant? The Department of Justice says the ADA applies to businesses’ online goods and services. There’s no detailed technical rule for business sites yet, but WCAG is the common guide.

What is WCAG? The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, a widely used technical standard for making websites accessible. The Department of Justice cites it as helpful guidance.

Do accessibility overlays make my site compliant? Not on their own. The Department of Justice says automated tools can miss problems and should be paired with manual checks.

What is alt text? A short written description of an image. Screen readers read it aloud, and Google uses it to understand the image.

Does accessibility help SEO? Many accessible habits, like alt text, clear headings, and captions, also help search engines understand your pages. It doesn’t guarantee rankings.

Audit check

Question: Can a person using only a keyboard or a screen reader find information, fill out forms, and complete a purchase or booking on the website?
Pass looks like: Meaningful alt text. Headings in order. Good contrast. Labeled forms with clear errors. Captioned videos. Full keyboard access, including checkout and booking. Accessibility statement with a contact.
Fail looks like: Missing or keyword-stuffed alt text. Unlabeled forms. Low contrast. Uncaptioned videos. Widgets that trap keyboard users. Overlay only.
Evidence to collect: Scan results, manual test notes, fix log, accessibility statement, and caption files.

Where this fits

Do this first: 9.7.2 Communication Access, 13.3.3 Website Navigation

Do this next: 9.7.4 Service Animals

Sources

ADA.gov, "Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA" (checked October 17, 2026)
Google Search Central, "Image SEO Best Practices" (checked October 17, 2026)

This page explains general rules and Bill's own experience. It is not legal, tax, or insurance advice. Talk to a qualified professional about your situation.