How to make your website ADA compliant?

Transparency and the access of the information is the basic right of every human being of today’s world.

As the digital marketing platform has become the integral part of global market, transparency and accessibility to products, services and set of information is very important for social protection system. It plays significant role in making businesses compete over international market, to achieve higher ranking at search engines and gain more finances.

Why do you need to make your website ADA compliant website?

First, you will be able to compete for your business in the international market and, therefore, will be able to hook up larger audience.

Second, you need to make your website ADA compliant in order to survive during the pandemic and endemic world.

Regardless of all, you need to make the access easier for people suffering from various disabilities, and it’s obligatory to make your website accessible to every living being.

There are so many standards you can follow to make your website ADA compliant, but there are certain things you should know before you plan of making your website ADA compliant.

What does ADA compliance means?

ADA compliance is the set of standards that ensure the products, services, and information are accessible to people with disabilities.

The ADA(American with Disabilities Act) requires all businessmen to make their products accessible to disabled people, such as ensuring there is enough room for wheelchairs and other types of mobility equipment in bathrooms, parking lots, etc.

ADA compliance rule has been established since 1991, and up till now, the US government is ensuring that its standards and requirements are well-met.

The enterprises are not expected to offer ramps or elevators anymore, but they need to make their digital platforms accessible to people with different disabilities.

For the physical stores, the Braille signs, tactile flooring at the main areas like restaurants, and the doorknobs are used which are easy to use without looking down.

ADA compliance also means designing parking spaces, restrooms, and other spaces s in a way that is accessible to people with physical limitations such as wheelchairs, crutches, or canes.

Every facility should be regulated under the ADA compliant rules, either its a private or public space. ADA compliance also ensures all kinds of advertising, including radio, television commercials, print media such as newspapers, blogs, a digital marketing that includes websites and social media handles. ADA compliant rule varies from location to location how our public facilities should meet ADA compliant to minimum standards to be considered as ADA compliant.

Why is ADA compliant website so necessary for businesses?

ADA stands for American Disabilities Act. ADA compliant website design means that ADA compliance guidelines are adhered to on all new websites and any existing websites being upgraded to meet ADA standards or otherwise modified to be accessible by people with disabilities. A few examples of these include text-to-speech capabilities, keyboard shortcuts for navigation purposes, screen reader compatibility options as well as providing closed captioning during video playback.

If you’re looking at making a website ADA compliant, accessibility has become an integral part of how your site should function throughout various stages in its lifecycle – from development through content management until finally decommissioning it completely when the time comes where it needs replacing!
To make sure our web application is ADA compliant you need to:

• Make sure we can navigate our site using a keyboard
• Add subtitles to videos and make them ADA compliant
• Create an ADA-friendly sitemap for screen reader users.
• Ensure all content is ADA compliant
• Make sure the ADA compliance guidelines adhere throughout design and development
• ADA compliance testing needs to be done throughout the entire process
• ADA compliant content should also be included in all marketing documentation including landing pages, product descriptions, and FAQs.
• Test ADA compliance during the testing phase for final site release.

Why should I care about making my website ADA compliant?

ADA Compliance is an important aspect of any website, and it’s especially important for those who have a disability.

For people with visual disabilities, having ADA-compliant websites can make the difference between doing something or nothing at all! ADA compliance ensures that your users will be able to use their browsers without issues such as text-to-speech software not speaking the content on your page correctly. ADA compliance also ensures that any users who use screen readers will be able to properly navigate and access other areas on your page.

If you are planning on building a new site from scratch, making sure it complies with ADA standards is a great way to ensure that your website will be accessible to everyone.

ADA compliance also ensures you are protecting the rights of those with disabilities and providing information on what types of accommodations may be needed for them as well as how they can contact you in case additional services or features need to be provided. ADA compliance ensures all users have equal access without discrimination which is very important from an SEO standpoint as many states make it mandatory! It’s also good business sense because ADA-compliant websites result in more satisfied customers.

Must Read:
10 assistive technology tools to help people with disabilities

Do all websites have to be ADA compliant by law?

ADA Compliance is a requirement for some websites, but not all. Different requirements must be met to become ADA compliant. Some examples of these include: using text instead of images where possible and using high contrast colors when specifying important information on the page such as prices or terms & conditions. In addition to this, certain pages may need an accessible alternative which can usually be achieved by providing contact details via phone rather than email so there is no risk of spamming potential customers/clients with emails they do not want from your business website.

The last step would simply entail adding a link at the top of each page directing users who require ADA compliance assistance towards a more detailed list explaining how you have made your site ADA compliant. ADA Compliance is not a requirement for all websites, but it can be helpful to use these guidelines to ensure that your website meets the requirements of any potential ADA users who may visit your site.

For many small businesses, a website is one of the very first things that make their business seem “real.” In fact, for the increasing number of small businesses that don’t have a physical storefront, their website serves as their primary first point of contact for new business.

Even if you have a physical location, more and more potential customers will engage with your business online before they ever do in person. The good news is that your website can help you reach customers you would never be able to reach in person. The bad news is, you’re probably screwing it up.

Also see:
6 Best Speechelo Alternatives To Transform Website Text To Speech

Here are 6 common ways small businesses mess up their website, and how to avoid them:

1. Not having a website at all.

If you’re not online, you don’t exist to most of your potential clients. A website is maybe your most important engagement point with a potential customer short of a face to face conversation. Even then, you can bet your potential customers are checking out your website before they ever have a conversation with you.

By the way, a Facebook page isn’t a website. There are a lot of reasons why Facebook isn’t an adequate substitute for a website, not the least of which is that you should think long and hard whether or not you really want access to your online presence to be entirely at the mercy of someone else (i.e.: Facebook).

2. Not making it easy for people to connect with you.

When visitors come to your website, there are a few things they’re looking for. They want to know who you are, what you do, and probably most importantly–how they can get in contact with you.

Make it easy for your customers, and potential customers, to reach you by including a contact page with the best way for them to connect with a real person. A lot of companies use contact forms, which is fine, but you’d be surprised how much more accessible you seem when you include your email address and/or a phone number (especially a phone number!).

3. Not keeping it up to date.

There’s nothing worse than a website that’s completely out of date. If the most current entry in your list of “events,” is 4 months old, you’re sending a message that you don’t really care much about anyone who comes to the page. Or, if your blog hasn’t seen a new post for more than a week or so, visitors start to wonder what happened to you.

Make sure your contact info is current (see #2), and if you are a retail establishment, make sure your website includes your current hours of operation. Think like a consumer, and make sure that any of the information they may be trying to find on your site is not only available but up to date.

4. Not knowing your target.

Your website should serve a purpose. For most companies, the purpose is to guide potential customers into a relationship with your business. Think about the things that matter to them and ignore pretty much everything else.

You are not your customer. You already understand your product, or your company, or whatever. Consider every page, graphic, link, and text on your site, and be ruthless about making sure it is geared towards your target.
That means that calls-to-action (CTAs) should be clear and relevant to your potential customers. Remember that everything on your site should serve a purpose - connecting with your potential customers.

5. Designing it yourself.

Unless you’re a web designer it’s a really bad idea to design your own website. Sure, it’s easy–there are literally hundreds of inexpensive options to build websites–but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea for your business.

If your website is really the starting point for the vast majority of your customers, it’s worth investing some time, energy, and money in getting it done right.

Find a partner that can help you evaluate the message you want to communicate, and help you craft a design that represents–and reinforces your brand. There’s a saying, “you can pay now, or you can pay later.” You can pay a designer now, or you can pay later in the hit to your brand. Focus on what you do best, and find someone who can help you communicate that with your target market.

6. Not making it mobile friendly.

Over 52 percent of all web traffic is from mobile devices. If your website design doesn’t adapt to mobile browsers, you’re missing the chance to reach half of your potential customers. At a minimum, you’re telling them you don’t really care about their business because you couldn’t be bothered to use one of the gazillion mobile-responsive themes available from basically every content management platform out there.