Website Accessibility (ADA) for Small Business: What You Actually Need

Accessibility means your website works for everyone, including people who use screen readers, navigate by keyboard, or need larger text and good contrast. There is a legal angle (the ADA, and a steady rise in demand letters aimed at small business sites), but there is also a simpler reason to care: an accessible site is easier for all your customers to use, which means more calls.

You do not need to become a compliance expert. You need to know the basics and make sure whoever builds your site actually covers them.

Why a small contractor should care

• Legal risk: demand letters over inaccessible sites increasingly target small businesses, not just big ones.
• More customers: roughly one in four adults has a disability. An unusable site turns them away.
• Better for everyone: bigger tap targets, clear contrast, and readable text help every visitor, especially on a phone in the sun.
• SEO bonus: many accessibility basics (alt text, clear structure) also help you rank.

The practical basics to cover

• Alt text on images, so screen readers can describe them.
• Enough color contrast between text and background.
• Text that resizes without breaking the layout.
• Every function usable by keyboard, not just mouse or tap.
• Clear labels on forms and buttons (not just 'click here').
• Captions on any videos.
• A logical heading structure (one H1, then H2s in order).

The common guideline behind all this is called WCAG. You do not need to memorize it. You need a site built with it in mind, which is a normal part of doing the job right.

How we handle it

We build accessibility basics into every site as standard: proper alt text, contrast, keyboard support, and clean structure. It is part of building a site right, not a pricey add-on. It also pairs with a fast, healthy site overall, which you can read about in Core Web Vitals explained. Want us to check your current site? Get a free review, or see our services.