{"id":20841,"date":"2023-02-15T01:57:41","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T08:57:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.primeview.com\/?p=20841"},"modified":"2024-08-30T15:10:35","modified_gmt":"2024-08-30T22:10:35","slug":"5-reasons-to-make-your-website-ada-compliant-in-2023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.primeview.com\/blog\/5-reasons-to-make-your-website-ada-compliant-in-2023\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Reasons to Make Your Website ADA Compliant in 2023"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/span><\/a> is a civil rights law that protects people with specific conditions or impairments from discrimination. It sets standards for businesses to meet when designing websites and operating online. With <\/span>90 percent of websites remaining inaccessible<\/span><\/a> to people with disabilities, the US government is more engrossed than ever in fostering an equitable and inclusive digital environment.<\/span><\/p>\n

Let’s dive deeper into what this means for your business and why complying with ADA regulations matters.<\/span><\/p>\n

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What Is ADA Compliance?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

The most crucial goal of the ADA is to provide equal access to goods, services, and activities for people with disabilities. Regarding websites, this means that all users should be able to access content without difficulty, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Your website needs to be as accessible as possible for everyone, including to people who use screen readers, have hearing impairments, struggle with color blindness, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

To ensure compliance with the ADA, businesses must make their website content accessible by following the <\/span>Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)<\/span><\/a>. These regulations include providing text alternatives for non-text elements like images; allowing users to navigate through content easily; including captions on videos; and providing audio descriptions that allow visually-impaired individuals to understand the scope of videos or images.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Difference Between ADA Compliance and WCAG Compliance\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

The main difference between ADA and WCAG compliance lies in their purpose. While ADA compliance is a federal civil rights law intended to safeguard people with disabilities from discrimination, WCAG compliance is a set of technical standards designed to make websites more accessible for those same users. In other words, while ADA compliance ensures that people who use assistive technologies have equal access to information online, WCAG compliance guides how to build a site so everyone can use it, ability or disability aside.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Types of Disabilities Covered<\/b><\/h3>\n

This vital piece of legislation protects a wide range of disabilities from discrimination. Physical impairments can include blindness, hearing difficulties, mobility issues, and conditions such as chronic pain or headaches. Meanwhile, mental impairments can consist of depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).<\/span><\/p>\n

The ADA also covers conditions that may not be immediately apparent but still substantially limit a person’s ability to perform major life activities. These conditions range from cancer and diabetes to intellectual disabilities and learning issues, which the ADA protects. It’s important to note that even if an individual’s condition is treatable or correctable through medication or other means, the ADA still covers them. This civil law ensures that people with a wide range of medical conditions have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Why Should You Care About ADA Compliance?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Not only does adhering to these guidelines result in better accessibility for everyone, but it also results in better SEO<\/a> rankings overall due to increased user engagement on your site. In addition, if you don’t comply with the WCAG standards and receive complaints from people with disabilities who cannot access your content or use your services, you could face legal action from them. The consequences can be costly from your financial and reputational perspective.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Business Benefits of ADA Compliance<\/b><\/h3>\n

The internet has become an integral part of our lives and should be accessible to everyone. Websites must comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) to ensure that those with disabilities can enjoy the same experience as people without disabilities. Let’s explore the top reasons your website should be ADA-compliant.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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  1. Avoid Penalties\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The ADA requires all businesses to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities. If you have a non-compliant website, you are <\/span>violating the law<\/span><\/a>. As mentioned, failing to comply could result in costly fines and lawsuits. In 2019, ADA statistics revealed that persons with disabilities filed <\/span>2,256 lawsuits<\/span><\/a> in federal court based on web accessibility barriers. In 2020, <\/span>digital accessibility lawsuits peaked at 3,500 cases<\/span><\/a>, which is almost equivalent to ten lawsuits filed every business day on average.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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    1. Maximize Accessibility<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Having an ADA-compliant business site means that all individuals will have full access to your content and services regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. Your simple compliance can increase the number of potential customers who visit your site, leading to more exposure for your business and, ultimately, more revenue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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      1. Enhance Your Brand Reputation <\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Showing that you care about accessibility can improve your reputation in the eyes of millions of consumers. Having an ADA-compliant website shows people that you take accessibility seriously and are committed to providing a quality experience for all users.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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        1. Improve Your SEO Rankings<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Making your online platform ADA-compliant also helps improve its search engine optimization (SEO) rankings. Search engines like Google and Bing depend on user experience when determining where sites should appear in search results pages (SERPs). As such, having an ADA-compliant site will help boost your rankings on SERPs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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          1. Make Your Website Easy to Use for Everyone<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Not only does compliance make your site easier to use for people with disabilities, but it also improves usability across the board. Examples include using larger font sizes, providing alt text for images, and using a logical page structure \u2013 all of which the ADA requires but remain beneficial no matter what a person’s disability status or general health might be.<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Valuable Insights<\/b><\/h3>\n

            The Americans With Disabilities Act is an essential piece of legislation that ensures people with disabilities have unrestricted access to the same opportunities as everyone else. Understanding what ADA compliance entails is critical for any business operating online today. Complying with these guidelines helps ensure equal access for all users regardless of their abilities or disabilities, as well as improves overall SEO rankings due to increased user engagement on your site. So take the time to review an <\/span>ADA-compliance checklist<\/span><\/a> and meet those WCAG standards to avoid any complaints about lack of website accessibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

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            Let Primeview Ensure Your Compliance<\/b><\/p>\n

            Having an ADA-compliant website offers several benefits, including improved accessibility and usability, enhanced brand reputation, higher SEO rankings, and increased customer trust \u2013 making ADA compliance something every business should prioritize. If your site does not meet these standards yet, there’s no better time than now to be accessible to all. <\/span>Contact us for a free quote<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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