Does my small business website need to be ADA accessible?
If your business serves the public, the US Department of Justice says the ADA covers what you offer online, including your website. There's no detailed federal technical rule for private businesses yet, but DOJ points to the WCAG guidelines as helpful guidance. Aim for WCAG level AA, and fix problems in the site itself. This isn't legal advice.
The short version
- DOJ says the ADA applies to the goods and services a business open to the public offers online.
- There’s no detailed technical regulation for private business websites yet.
- DOJ points to WCAG as helpful guidance. Level AA is the common target.
- Start with your most-used pages: home, contact, services and any form or checkout.
- Fix the site itself. Overlay widgets aren’t a shortcut.
This isn’t legal advice. For questions about your own legal risk, talk to a lawyer.
What does the law say?
The Justice Department’s guidance on web accessibility says the ADA’s requirements apply to all the goods and services businesses open to the public offer, including online. It also says businesses have flexibility in how they comply, and that DOJ “does not have a regulation setting out detailed standards” for them. It points to WCAG and the federal Section 508 standards as helpful guidance.
For state and local governments, DOJ’s 2024 web rule does set a standard: WCAG 2.1 level AA. A 2026 update moved its deadlines to April 2027 and April 2028, depending on population. That rule doesn’t apply to private businesses, but it shows where the standard is heading.
What does an accessible site look like?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) come from the W3C. The latest version, WCAG 2.2, has three levels: A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the usual goal. In practice, that means:
- Images that carry meaning have text descriptions. See how to write alt text.
- Text has enough contrast against its background.
- Every menu, button and form works with a keyboard alone.
- Form fields have clear labels and error messages. See what fields your form should have.
- Videos have captions, and headings follow a logical order.
Why does it matter?
People with low vision, hearing loss, limited movement or cognitive disabilities are your customers too. Many fixes, like readable text and clear forms, make the site easier for everyone. And businesses open to the public have faced lawsuits over inaccessible websites.
What are the common mistakes?
- Buying an overlay widget instead of fixing the site. Read whether overlays make a site compliant.
- Trusting an automated scan alone. Scanners catch some issues, not all. A keyboard test finds more.
- Fixing once and forgetting. New pages and photos bring new problems.
- Ignoring PDFs, which can be just as hard to use as web pages.
What if you’ve received a demand letter?
Don’t ignore it, and don’t install a quick-fix widget as your answer. Talk to a lawyer first. Then get an honest audit of the site and a written plan to fix what it finds.
How much does it cost, and how long does it take?
A first keyboard test of your main pages takes under an hour and costs nothing. Fixes depend on how the site was built. Some are quick content changes; others mean template work or a rebuild.
How does E-3 handle this?
We publish this site’s own accessibility results on our accessibility page. Ask a person about your own site, and include its address. We can’t promise legal compliance. For a practical start, read our article on accessibility for small business sites.
Related questions
Common questions
- Will an accessibility widget make me compliant?
- No widget can promise that. Most problems live in the site's own code and content, and the FTC has acted against an overlay company over compliance claims.
- Which WCAG version should I use?
- WCAG 2.2 is the latest version, published by the W3C in 2023. Content that meets 2.2 also meets 2.1 and 2.0, so aiming for 2.2 level AA covers the older versions too.
- Does the 2024 DOJ web rule apply to my business?
- That rule covers state and local governments under Title II, not private businesses. It still shows the standard DOJ chose: WCAG 2.1 level AA.
Rather talk it through?
Call our team, or send a note and we’ll reply within one business day. No pressure and no jargon.