Question 1

Can my small business really be sued over website accessibility?

Accepted Answer

It happens, and it's rising. Demand letters and lawsuits over inaccessible websites increasingly target small and mid-sized businesses, not just large ones. This checklist reduces the common risks, but it isn't legal advice. For genuine assurance of compliance, have a professional audit your site.

Question 2

Do I need to be technical to improve accessibility?

Accepted Answer

You can check most of this yourself (contrast, text size, alt text, keyboard navigation) and understand why each matters. The actual fixes range from settings you can change to items best handed to your web person, and the checklist flags which is which.

Question 3

Will accessibility help my SEO?

Accepted Answer

Yes, meaningfully. Descriptive alt text, clear headings, real text instead of images, proper labels, and a well-structured page all help search engines understand and rank your site, the same choices that help disabled users. Accessible sites are better sites, full stop.

Question 4

Is an accessibility overlay or plugin enough?

Accepted Answer

Usually not. The one-line 'accessibility widget' overlays are widely criticized and have themselves been targeted in lawsuits; they don't fix the underlying problems. Real accessibility comes from the site being built and maintained well, which is what this checklist works toward.

What’s inside

The Website Accessibility Checklist

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