Easy Website Accessibility Compliance Tips for Entrepreneurs

If you’re like most business owners, you probably don’t know much about website accessibility laws. You may not even realize that your website is in violation of these laws. In this blog post, we will discuss what these laws are and how to identify what you need to fix on your website so that it is compliant. Don’t wait until it’s too late – compliance is key when it comes to web accessibility!

You may be discriminating against disabled people and not realize it

Website accessibility laws in the United States are designed to protect disabled people from discrimination. You may not be intentionally trying to discriminate against disabled people, but if your website is not accessible to them, that’s precisely what you’re doing. These laws are enforced by the Department of Justice (DOJ), and they can take legal action against you if they find that your website is not accessible.

Most websites make these common mistakes

There are many different ways in which a website can be inaccessible. For example, someone with a visual impairment may not be able to see the content on your website if it is not properly formatted for screen readers. Another example is someone who is deaf or hard of hearing – they may not be able to access audio content on your website unless it has captions or transcriptions.

Professional website vendors don’t guarantee compliance

Many web service providers are not fully familiar with compliance regulations and do not guarantee compliance. Chances are, your website builder did not offer compliance regulations compliance in the scope of work for your site. If you had your website built by a vendor, look through your agreement and/or ask them if they offer compliance with website accessibility laws to be sure. Otherwise, you may want to assume that compliance was not part of your deal and take steps to ensure it is.

You may be sued

If you don’t make sure your website is accessible and someone who is disabled files a lawsuit against you, you could be ordered to pay damages and attorneys’ fees, not the vendor who built it. You might also be required to make changes to your website so that it meets accessibility standards. The bottom line is that it’s not worth the risk – make sure your website is compliant because you are likely to be liable, not your website vendor or manager!

Hire an auditor to review your website

The best way to ensure that your website is accessible to everyone is to hire an auditor, preferably not someone who manages the site. That would be like hiring an accounting firm to audit their own accounting and we all know how that worked out for Enron. The auditor will go through your website with a fine-toothed comb and identify any areas that need to be fixed in order to comply with website accessibility laws.

Use free resources to audit your own site

You can also audit your own site or have a neutral person on your team audit it for you. The Website Accessibility Initiative provides a detailed overview of the latest strategies, standards, and resources available to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. You and your team can visit the site by clicking HERE and comparing the guidelines to what is on your site. You can also visit the US Department of Justice site on the subject HERE. Depending on how big your site is, you may want to set aside a few hours or a few weeks to complete a thorough audit.

Let a Marketing Boss expert teach you to audit your site for you

We are also happy to help you with a full or partial audit report and training. Simply get in touch with us so we can discuss what this can look like for your site. Click here to get on our calendar now. We also provide a quick audit service you can take advantage of at a flat rate. You will get a report of your website’s compliance with some action items you can take to ensure that you are compliant. You will also get a video tutorial you can refer back to, so you can learn to audit your site. You can purchase it HERE. As soon as you buy the service, we will get to work and reach out to you with an update in a few days.

So, what are you waiting for? Get your website audited today so that you can avoid any legal trouble down the road! If you have any questions or would like to learn more about website accessibility laws, please contact us. We would be happy to chat with you about this important topic!