Making Your Website ADA Compliant

Our team makes e-commerce websites ADA compliant by auditing site code against WCAG 2.2 standards, fixing accessibility barriers like missing alt text and poor color contrast, and providing ongoing monitoring. This protects your business from legal risk while opening your store to the 61 million American adults living with a disability.

Running an online store means juggling inventory, marketing, and customer service—accessibility often falls to the bottom of the list. But an inaccessible website doesn't just exclude customers. It exposes your business to lawsuits under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and it's one of the most overlooked risks in ecommerce today.

That's where we come in. As a website accessibility company, our job is simple: we audit your e-commerce site, identify every barrier preventing people with disabilities from shopping, and fix those barriers so your site meets recognized accessibility standards. Here's exactly what that process looks like.

What Does ADA Compliance Mean for an Ecommerce Website?

ADA compliance for a website means your site can be used by people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. While the ADA itself doesn't list technical web standards, courts and the Department of Justice consistently point to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA, as the benchmark for compliance.

Practically, this means your customers using screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, or voice commands should be able to browse your catalog, read product descriptions, and complete checkout without hitting dead ends.

How We Audit Your Ecommerce Site to be Website ADA Compliant

Every project starts with a comprehensive accessibility audit. Our team combines automated scanning tools with manual testing conducted by accessibility specialists, including individuals who use assistive technology themselves. This combination matters: automated tools catch surface-level issues, but manual testing uncovers the barriers that only become apparent when someone actually tries to use your site with a screen reader or switch device.

During the audit, we evaluate:

• Keyboard navigation: Can a customer tab through your entire checkout flow without a mouse?

• Screen reader compatibility: Does your product imagery include descriptive alt text?

• Color contrast: Do your text and background colors meet the 4.5:1 contrast ratio required by WCAG 2.1 AA?

• Form accessibility: Are your checkout and account forms properly labeled for assistive technology?

• Video and multimedia: Do your product videos include captions or transcripts?

Fixing the Barriers We Find

Once we've identified the gaps, we get to work remediating them. This typically involves:

Code-level fixes. Many accessibility issues live in your site's underlying HTML and ARIA attributes. We correct heading structures, add proper labels to interactive elements, and ensure your site's semantic markup communicates clearly to assistive technology.

Content adjustments. Product images need descriptive alt text. Videos need captions. PDFs, like size charts or return policies, need to be converted into accessible formats.

Design refinements. Color contrast, font sizing, and focus indicators (the visual outline that shows a keyboard user where they are on the page) often require adjustment to meet WCAG standards without disrupting your brand's look and feel.

Checkout flow testing. Since checkout is where most ecommerce accessibility lawsuits originate, we pay particular attention to cart, payment, and account creation flows, testing them repeatedly with assistive technology.

Why Accessibility Protects Your Business

Choose a proactive accessibility partner if you want to reduce legal exposure while expanding your customer base. ADA website lawsuits targeting e-commerce businesses have increased steadily in recent years, and plaintiffs' firms often target the same types of errors across many sites: missing alt text, inaccessible forms, and poor contrast.

Beyond litigation risk, accessible design is good business. The 61 million American adults living with a disability represent meaningful purchasing power, and an accessible checkout experience tends to benefit all users—faster load times, clearer navigation, and more intuitive forms improve conversion rates across the board.

Ongoing Monitoring Keeps You Compliant

Accessibility isn't a one-time fix. Every time you add a new product page, update your theme, or launch a marketing campaign, there's potential to introduce new barriers. We provide ongoing monitoring and periodic re-audits so your site stays compliant as it evolves, rather than falling out of compliance six months after our initial work.

Take the Next Step Toward an Accessible Store

An accessible ecommerce site isn't just a legal safeguard—it's a statement that your business welcomes every customer who wants to shop with you. If you're ready to find out where your site stands, request an accessibility audit and we'll show you exactly what needs attention and how we'll fix it.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does ecommerce ADA compliance cost? Costs vary based on your site's size, platform, and the number of accessibility issues identified during the audit. Most engagements include an initial audit fee followed by remediation costs scaled to the scope of work required.

How long does it take to make an ecommerce site compliant? Smaller sites with limited issues can often be remediated within a few weeks. Larger, more complex e-commerce platforms with extensive catalogs may take several months to fully address.

What happens if I ignore ADA compliance? Ignoring accessibility leaves your business exposed to demand letters and lawsuits, which can result in legal fees, settlement costs, and court-ordered remediation—often at a higher cost than proactive compliance work.

Is WCAG 2.1 the same as ADA compliance? Not officially, since the ADA doesn't name a specific technical standard. However, WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the standard most frequently cited by courts and referenced in DOJ guidance, making it the practical benchmark for compliance.

Can I make my site accessible myself? Some fixes, like adding alt text, can be done in-house. However, full compliance typically requires code-level expertise and testing with real assistive technology, which is why most businesses partner with a specialized accessibility company.