Make your website work for everyone who visits it.
Accessibility means people who use screen readers, keyboards, captions or zoom can still read, book and buy on your site. We explain what the rules actually ask for, then fix the problems in your site’s code — not with a widget.
What does an accessible website actually mean?
It means someone can use your site whether or not they can see the screen, hear the audio or use a mouse. The yardstick everyone uses is WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines published by the W3C. Strip away the jargon and it comes down to four questions.
Can people perceive it?
Images have text alternatives, videos have captions, and text has enough contrast to read, so nothing depends on a single sense.
Can people operate it?
Every menu, button and form works with a keyboard alone, nothing times out without warning, and you can always see where you are on the page.
Can people understand it?
Clear labels, predictable navigation, and error messages that say what went wrong and how to fix it.
Will it work with their tools?
Clean, standard code that screen readers, voice control and browser zoom can interpret reliably.
WCAG has three levels: A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the realistic target, and it’s what courts, settlements and the laws below point to. The current version is WCAG 2.2, which includes everything in 2.1.
Do small-business websites have to be accessible?
If you serve the public, there’s a good chance accessibility rules apply to you, and lawsuits don’t only target big companies. Here’s how the main rules work as of October 2026.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you’ve received a demand letter or need a firm answer for your business, talk to a lawyer. We’re happy to handle the technical side alongside one.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Title III of the ADA requires businesses open to the public to be accessible to people with disabilities, and the Department of Justice has long said that includes websites. There’s no specific technical rule for private businesses’ websites yet, but courts and settlements routinely use WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the measuring stick. Thousands of website accessibility lawsuits are filed in US courts every year, many against small businesses and online stores.
State and local government websites
In 2024 the DOJ adopted a rule requiring state and local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. In April 2026 it pushed the deadlines back a year: April 2027 for governments serving 50,000 people or more, April 2028 for smaller ones. It doesn’t apply to private businesses directly, but if you build for or sell to a public agency, expect it to show up in your contract.
The European Accessibility Act (EAA)
Since 28 June 2025, the EAA has required many consumer-facing digital services in the EU to be accessible, including online stores, banking, e-books and ticketing. It applies to businesses outside the EU too when they sell to consumers there. Each EU country enforces it with its own penalties, and its technical standard (EN 301 549) lines up with WCAG 2.1 AA.
What it means for you
Every one of these rules points to the same technical target: WCAG Level AA. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA meets it, makes your site easier for every visitor to use, and leaves you far better placed than a site that has never been checked.
10 accessibility fixes most small-business sites need
Automated scanners catch some of these. Others need a person with a keyboard and a screen reader. Each one maps to a WCAG success criterion, listed underneath.
Alt text that describes the purpose
Every meaningful image needs a short text alternative, and decorative ones should be hidden from screen readers. “IMG_2041.jpg” and “photo” don’t count.
Enough color contrast
Body text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background, or 3:1 for large text. Light grey text and text over photos are the usual culprits.
Headings in a logical order
One H1 per page, then H2s and H3s that outline the content. Screen reader users jump between headings the way sighted visitors skim.
Form fields with real labels
Every field needs a visible label tied to it in the code, because placeholder text disappears as you type. Error messages should say what’s wrong and how to fix it.
Everything works with a keyboard
Menus, sliders, popups and checkout should all work with Tab, Enter and the arrow keys alone, without trapping the cursor anywhere.
A visible focus indicator
Keyboard users need to see where they are. Many themes remove the focus outline because it looks untidy. Put it back, styled to match your brand.
Captions and transcripts
Videos need accurate captions (auto-generated ones need checking), and audio-only content like podcasts needs a transcript.
Link text that makes sense on its own
“Click here” and “read more” tell a screen reader user nothing when links are read as a list. Say where the link goes: “See our pricing.”
Page language and titles
Set the page language so screen readers pronounce your content correctly, and give every page a unique, descriptive title.
Works when zoomed to 200%
Text should resize without breaking the layout, and content should reflow on a narrow screen instead of forcing sideways scrolling.
Why accessibility widgets don’t fix the problem
Overlay widgets promise compliance with one line of code. They add a toolbar on top of your site, but the problems underneath (missing labels, broken heading order, keyboard traps) are still in the code that assistive technology actually reads.
What a widget can’t do
- Fix the code underneath. Screen readers read your site’s HTML, not the widget’s toolbar.
- Write meaningful alt text. Automated descriptions say what’s in a photo, not why it’s there.
- Stay out of the way. Many disabled visitors already use their own tools, and overlays can clash with them.
- Keep you out of court. Lawsuit trackers count hundreds of suits a year against sites that already had a widget installed.
What actually works
- Fixing issues at the source: your theme, templates, forms and content
- Testing with a keyboard and a screen reader, not just an automated scan
- Alt text and captions written by someone who knows what the content is for
- Re-checking whenever the site changes, so fixes don’t quietly break
In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission ordered overlay vendor accessiBe to pay $1 million over claims that its AI widget could make any website WCAG-compliant. Already have a widget? We’ll find what it’s covering up, fix the real issues, and then you can switch it off.
We fix it properly, then help you keep it that way.
We work on WordPress sites we built and sites we didn’t. You get a clear picture of where you stand, and a quote, before any work starts.
Audit
We test your key pages and templates against WCAG 2.2 AA, using automated scans plus hands-on keyboard and screen reader testing, and explain every issue in plain English, ranked by impact.
Fix
We fix issues where they live: theme templates, page builder settings, forms, menus and content. Where your team owns the content, we show them how to keep it accessible.
Keep it accessible
We re-test after the fixes, help you publish an honest accessibility statement, and can re-check new pages and updates on an ongoing basis.
We can’t promise you’ll never get a demand letter, and no honest provider can. But a site that meets WCAG 2.2 AA, with a record of the work, is better for your visitors and in a far stronger position if one arrives.
Accessibility, answered
The questions small businesses ask us most.
No. This page explains the rules in general terms. If you’ve received a demand letter or need a definitive answer for your business, speak to a lawyer. We’re glad to work alongside one on the technical side.
No. Some plugins help with small things, like adding a skip link, but no plugin or overlay can fix problems in your theme, forms and content. Those need fixing at the source.
It depends on the size of the site and how it was built. Many issues are fixed once in a template and corrected everywhere. The audit gives you a scoped quote and timeline before any work starts.
Yes. We review what’s there first, then fix within your existing theme or builder wherever we can, rather than rebuilding.
We build and test to WCAG 2.2 AA. It includes everything in 2.1 AA, which most current laws reference, plus a handful of newer checks such as minimum tap-target sizes.
It isn’t always required, but it’s good practice: it tells visitors what standard you aim for and how to report a problem. We can help you write one that’s accurate rather than boilerplate.
Find out where your site stands.
Send us your URL and we’ll tell you plainly what an audit would cover and what it would cost.