ADA Website Compliance Checklist: 2025 Requirements Guide

What is ADA Website Compliance?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses to provide equal access to people with disabilities. While the ADA was written before the web existed, courts have consistently ruled that websites are "places of public accommodation" and must be accessible.

In 2024 alone, over 4,000 ADA website accessibility lawsuits were filed. The average settlement cost is $25,000-$100,000, not including legal fees.

Who Needs to Comply?

If your website falls into any of these categories, ADA compliance applies to you:

Even small businesses are being targeted. If you have a website and serve the public, you should assume ADA compliance is required.

The ADA Compliance Checklist

Use this checklist to evaluate your website. Each item is based on WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines, which courts recognize as the standard for ADA compliance.

1. Images and Media

2. Navigation and Structure

3. Forms and Inputs

4. Color and Contrast

5. Text and Readability

6. Interactive Elements

7. Time and Motion

How to Test Your Website

Automated Testing

Automated tools catch about 30-50% of accessibility issues. They're a great starting point but shouldn't be your only testing method.

Scan your website with ClearA11y to automatically detect:

You'll get a detailed report with AI-generated code fixes you can copy and paste directly into your codebase.

Manual Testing

Some issues require human judgment:

1. Keyboard Navigation: Unplug your mouse and try to use your site with only the keyboard. Can you reach everything? Is the focus order logical?

2. Screen Reader Testing: Use VoiceOver (Mac), NVDA (Windows), or TalkBack (Android) to experience your site as a blind user would.

3. Zoom Testing: Zoom to 200% and ensure nothing breaks or becomes unusable.

User Testing

The gold standard is testing with actual users who have disabilities. Consider:

Common Issues and Quick Fixes

Missing Alt Text

<!-- Problem -->
<img src="product.jpg">

<!-- Solution -->
<img src="product.jpg" alt="Blue running shoes, Nike Air Max, side view">

Missing Form Labels

<!-- Problem -->
<input type="email" placeholder="Email">

<!-- Solution -->
<label for="email">Email</label>
<input type="email" id="email" placeholder="you@example.com">

Low Contrast Text

/* Problem: 2.5:1 ratio */
color: #999999;

/* Solution: 4.5:1 ratio */
color: #767676;

Non-Descriptive Links

<!-- Problem -->
<a href="/pricing">Click here</a>

<!-- Solution -->
<a href="/pricing">View pricing plans</a>

What Happens If You Don't Comply?

Legal Consequences

Business Impact

Building an Accessibility Program

One-time fixes aren't enough. Build accessibility into your process:

1. Audit regularly: Scan your site monthly with ClearA11y

2. Train your team: Ensure developers and content creators understand accessibility

3. Document your efforts: Keep records of audits, fixes, and training

4. Add to QA: Include accessibility checks in your testing process

5. Monitor new content: Check each new page before publishing

Get Started Today

Don't wait for a demand letter. Take action now:

1. Scan your website with ClearA11y (free to start)

2. Review the issues found and prioritize by severity

3. Fix critical issues first (these block users entirely)

4. Work through serious and moderate issues

5. Set up regular monitoring

The cost of prevention is a fraction of the cost of a lawsuit. More importantly, making your site accessible opens it to millions of potential customers who currently can't use it.

Start your free accessibility scan and see where your site stands.