By
•
Oct 5, 2022
In today’s highly connected world, a business website isn’t just a digital storefront — it’s often the first and most important interaction with customers. That means it must be accessible to everyone, including individuals with disabilities.
Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has shifted from being a “good-to-have” feature to a critical legal and business requirement. For organizations that want to thrive in an increasingly inclusive marketplace, partnering with an experienced Florida internet marketing agency can make all the difference in ensuring both accessibility and performance.
Accessibility isn’t just about meeting government standards; it’s about creating a welcoming space for your entire target audience. A compliant website ensures that users who rely on assistive technologies can navigate, understand, and interact with your content just as easily as any other visitor.
This kind of inclusivity builds trust, strengthens brand loyalty, and supports broader digital marketing goals.
As more companies adopt inclusive design, they’re discovering benefits far beyond avoiding legal trouble. This can range from improved search engine optimization to stronger engagement in social media marketing campaigns.
Businesses that embrace ADA compliance position themselves as leaders in customer care, innovation, and community responsibility.
.jpg)
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law in 1990 to protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination and to guarantee equal access to public spaces, employment, and services. While its original focus was on physical accessibility — such as ramps, elevators, and signage — the rapid rise of the internet has expanded its reach.
Today, websites are considered public spaces in the digital world, meaning they must be designed so people of all abilities can use them.
In 2010, the US Department of Justice clarified that the ADA Standards for Accessible Design apply not just to buildings but also to electronic and information technology, including websites. This interpretation made it clear that the same principles of equality and inclusivity that apply offline must also apply online.
Businesses that fail to do so risk legal action and miss the opportunity to connect with a broader target audience that values inclusive access.
Although the ADA does not lay out specific website technical rules, the widely accepted benchmark is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), these guidelines provide a clear framework for ensuring that digital platforms — from e-commerce shops to government portals — are usable by everyone.
For organizations committed to growth, accessibility is more than a compliance checkbox. It’s an investment in customer experience, brand reputation, and digital marketing success. An inclusive site often performs better in search engine optimization rankings, supports social media marketing campaigns by making shared content more accessible, and improves overall user engagement.
This alignment between legal compliance and marketing strategy is one reason many businesses turn to a seasoned Florida internet marketing agency for guidance.
An ADA-compliant website is one that can be accessed, navigated, and understood by all users, regardless of ability. This means people who use assistive technologies (screen readers, voice navigation tools, alternative input devices, etc.) can experience the same content and functionality as anyone else.
In practical terms, compliance involves designing and coding a site so that no part of the experience excludes visitors with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. This could mean providing text descriptions for images, ensuring sufficient color contrast, offering video captions, or creating layouts that work seamlessly with keyboard navigation.
A common misconception is that compliance is optional for small businesses or only applies to certain industries. In reality, any organization that operates a website open to the public can face legal and reputational consequences if it’s inaccessible. It doesn’t matter if it’s an e-commerce store, a medical practice, a law firm, or a nonprofit; the website should be ADA-compliant.
By ensuring accessibility, businesses reduce legal risk and reach a larger target audience that appreciates inclusive experiences.
Since the ADA does not outline exact website rules, most companies follow the WCAG framework. This system grades accessibility in three levels:
For example:
Designing with accessibility in mind will benefit more than compliance — it strengthens your digital marketing strategy. Search engines reward sites with structured, readable content, which is an essential factor in search engine optimization. Similarly, social media marketing campaigns that share accessible videos, infographics, or blog content are more likely to be engaged with and shared.
By integrating accessibility into every part of your digital presence, you create a smoother path for users to become customers.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are built on four foundational principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. Meeting these principles ensures your website can be used by the widest possible target audience, regardless of disability or device.
Content must be presented in ways that users can perceive with their available senses. This means providing alternatives for information that some people cannot see or hear.
Best practices include:
Example:
An online clothing retailer uses high-resolution images paired with detailed alt text like “Red women’s blazer with two front buttons and notched lapel” instead of vague descriptions like “jacket.” This helps users with visual impairments and supports search engine optimization by improving keyword clarity.
All website functions should be usable through a variety of inputs, not just a mouse. Many users rely on keyboards or assistive devices to navigate.
Best practices include:
Example:
A healthcare provider’s portal allows patients to book appointments entirely via keyboard, making it easier for those with motor impairments. This also improves overall usability for mobile visitors, a growing segment in every digital marketing strategy.
Information and navigation should be clear and predictable, reducing confusion for users.
Best practices include:
Example:
A restaurant’s online ordering page provides step-by-step instructions with error alerts like “Please enter your phone number in the format XXX-XXX-XXXX.” This simple clarity improves conversions and supports social media marketing campaigns when customers share the site.
Content should work well across a wide range of browsers, devices, and assistive technologies, both now and in the future.
Best practices include:
Example:
A hotel booking site that is coded semantically ensures users can check room availability whether they’re using a desktop browser, mobile device, or screen reader. This adaptability strengthens customer satisfaction and enhances long-term digital marketing services results.
By aligning with these four principles, you create a foundation that serves every visitor while reinforcing the effectiveness of your overall digital marketing strategy. These improvements are not just compliance steps — they’re growth opportunities that can expand your brand’s reach, improve your online reputation, and increase conversions across all channels.
.jpg)
Even with the best intentions, many websites still create obstacles for users with disabilities. These barriers can be technical, design-related, or content-based.
They often exclude an entire segment of your target audience without the business even realizing it. Addressing these issues not only improves inclusivity but can also strengthen your digital marketing performance.
Text that blends into its background can be difficult or impossible to read for people with low vision or color blindness.
Example: A social media marketing campaign shares an infographic with white text over a light yellow background. It might look stylish, but it’s unreadable for some users. Using dark text on a light background (or vice versa) solves this issue.
Without alt text, images become invisible to screen reader users.
Example: An e-commerce store uploads product photos without descriptions. Customers who rely on assistive technology have no way to know what’s being sold, which limits engagement and sales. Adding detailed alt text also benefits search engine optimization by giving search engines context.
Captions aren’t just for people who are deaf or hard of hearing; they also help viewers in noisy environments or those who prefer to read along.
Example: A brand launches a video ad campaign but doesn’t include captions. Users scrolling on mute (which is common in mobile social media marketing) skip right past it. Adding captions keeps more viewers engaged.
Poorly labeled form fields, unclear instructions, or missing error messages can frustrate users and stop them from completing important actions.
Example: A contact form uses placeholder text only (“Name,” “Email”), which disappears once the user starts typing. Screen readers can’t always interpret this correctly, making the form unusable for some visitors.
Menus that only appear when a mouse hovers over them create problems for keyboard users.
Example: A university site hides submenus under hover-only navigation, leaving students using keyboards unable to access key pages. Adding click-based alternatives solves this issue without sacrificing design.
Busy layouts can overwhelm users, especially those with cognitive disabilities.
Example: A news site crams multiple columns of headlines, ads, and pop-ups on a single page. Simplifying the structure improves user experience and aligns better with digital marketing services that focus on clarity and engagement.
When these barriers are removed, businesses often see an immediate improvement in traffic, engagement, and conversions. That’s because accessibility upgrades improve usability for everyone, not just those with disabilities.
This can ultimately lead to stronger results across your digital marketing channels.
Failing to make your website accessible is more than a missed opportunity to connect with your target audience. It’s a direct risk to your business’s financial stability and reputation. ADA-related website lawsuits have surged in recent years, targeting companies of all sizes across industries.
Plaintiffs often claim that inaccessible websites deny them equal access to goods, services, and information, and the courts are increasingly siding with them.
The financial consequences can be significant. In some cases, businesses have faced settlements ranging from a few thousand dollars to more than $25,000. More severe violations — particularly those involving multiple accessibility barriers — have resulted in total legal and remediation costs exceeding one million dollars.
Even if the case doesn’t go to trial, the expenses associated with hiring a qualified attorney, often charging $500–$1,000 per hour, can quickly add up.
Beyond the direct costs, there’s the damage to public perception. A lawsuit alleging ADA non-compliance can undermine trust, especially in an era where inclusivity and equal access are core expectations for modern brands.
A damaged reputation can undo years of work for companies investing heavily in digital marketing, social media marketing, and search engine optimization.
It’s also important to note that ADA lawsuits are not limited to large corporations. Small and mid-sized businesses are frequently targeted because plaintiffs and their legal teams know that smaller organizations may not have invested in compliance yet.
Without the guidance of a knowledgeable partner (such as an experienced Florida internet marketing agency), many businesses are unaware of the specific accessibility issues that could expose them to legal action.
The good news is that Legal risks are entirely avoidable. Proactively auditing your site, aligning with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, and maintaining compliance as part of your ongoing digital marketing services strategy can protect your business from both lawsuits and negative press. In doing so, you meet legal requirements and demonstrate a genuine commitment to serving every member of your audience equally.
While the legal consequences of non-compliance can be steep, there’s also a valuable incentive for businesses that invest in accessibility: the IRS Disabled Access Credit. This tax benefit rewards companies for making their facilities (including websites) accessible to individuals with disabilities.
Small businesses may qualify for a credit of up to $5,000 each year. The IRS policy allows a 50% credit for ADA-related expenditures that exceed $250 but do not exceed $10,250. That means if you spend $5,000 improving your website’s accessibility, you could recoup $2,375 directly through your taxes.
Who qualifies?
Common qualifying expenses include:
Example calculation:
A small retail business spends $8,000 on an accessibility-focused website redesign as part of a larger digital marketing update. The first $250 is excluded, leaving $7,750 in eligible expenses. The IRS credit covers half of that amount, meaning the business gets $3,875 back.
To claim this credit, businesses must file IRS Form 8826, Disabled Access Credit, with their annual tax return. It’s important to keep detailed records of your expenditures, including contracts, invoices, and project documentation, in case of an audit.
Incorporating accessibility improvements into your overall digital marketing services strategy helps you qualify for this credit and strengthens your brand. By investing in accessibility, you improve your search engine optimization, make your social media marketing content more engaging, and expand your target audience reach — all while getting financial relief from the IRS.
.jpg)
Ensuring your website meets ADA standards is more than just a legal safeguard. It’s a powerful way to build trust, expand your target audience, and strengthen your overall digital marketing strategy. When your site is accessible, you welcome every potential customer, improve your search engine optimization, and create a smoother path for engagement across all social media marketing channels.
Partnering with a knowledgeable Florida internet marketing agency means you don’t have to navigate the complexities of WCAG guidelines, legal requirements, and technical upgrades alone.
Our team at Digital Resource specializes in aligning accessibility improvements with your broader digital marketing services to help your business grow while staying compliant. From initial audits to full-scale accessibility redesigns, we ensure your website is inclusive, user-friendly, and built for long-term success.
Accessibility is not a one-time project. It’s an ongoing commitment that reflects the values of your brand. Start today, and you’ll be taking a proactive step toward protecting your business, enhancing your reputation, and unlocking new opportunities.
Ready to make your website ADA-compliant and future-proof your digital presence? We’re ore than happy to optimize your site to serve people with disabilities and expand your reach. Contact us now to get started!
Think you've got what it takes to hang with the pros at Digital Resource? Check out our Careers page to browse current job openings!
