How to Make a WordPress Website ADA Compliant

Step-by-step guide to ensuring your WordPress website meets accessibility standards

Chris Granat
Updated: November 24, 2024

In today’s digital landscape, creating an accessible and inclusive online experience is not just a good practice; it’s a legal requirement. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that websites be accessible to individuals with disabilities, ensuring equal access to information and services for all. Moreover, designing your WordPress website for ADA compliance can also have a positive impact on your SEO ranking, making your site more visible to a broader audience. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into the steps you need to take to make your new WordPress website ADA compliant while optimizing it for search engines.

The Significance of WordPress ADA Compliance

1. Legal Obligation: ADA compliance is not an optional feature; it’s a legal requirement. Failing to comply with ADA regulations can lead to lawsuits and financial penalties.

2. Inclusivity: ADA compliance promotes inclusivity by ensuring that people with disabilities can navigate and interact with your website effectively.

3. SEO Benefits: Search engines, including Google, favor WordPress websites that prioritize accessibility. By making your WordPress ADA compliant, you can enhance your SEO ranking, potentially increasing your online visibility. Similarly, incorporating HIPAA compliance into your website design ensures that you meet legal requirements for protecting sensitive patient information, further boosting user trust and credibility.

Understanding ADA Compliance and WCAG

Before diving into the details of designing an ADA-compliant WordPress website, it’s crucial to understand the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG 2.1 is the gold standard for web accessibility and serves as a reference point for achieving compliance. It outlines various criteria that websites should meet to be considered accessible.

Choosing the Right ADA Compliance Plugin

An efficient way to kickstart your journey towards WordPress ADA compliance is by using specialized WordPress plugins. Here are a couple of popular options:

1. WP Accessibility: This plugin is designed to help you identify and address accessibility issues on your website. It provides solutions to improve your site’s accessibility and offers features that aid compliance.

2. Accessibility by UserWay: This versatile plugin offers a wide range of WP accessibility features, including keyboard navigation enhancements, font size adjustments, and more. It’s an excellent choice for achieving comprehensive ADA compliance.

In addition to accessibility tools, there are many other essential plugins that can enhance your site’s performance, security, SEO, and functionality. Check out this guide on the best WordPress plugins to find the top tools for optimizing your website.

Conducting Accessibility Testing

Regular accessibility testing is a critical component of maintaining ADA compliance for your WordPress website. Here are some key areas to focus on during testing:

1. Keyboard Navigation: Ensure that all website functionality and navigation can be accessed and used with a keyboard. Users with mobility impairments rely on keyboard navigation for seamless browsing.

2. Alt Text for Images: Add descriptive alt text to all images, providing essential information for users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers to interpret website content.

3. Color Contrast: Maintain adequate color contrast between text and background elements to ensure readability for all website visitors, including those with visual impairments.

4. Forms and Error Handling: Create forms with clear labels and error messages to guide users through the process, including those using screen readers.

5. Responsive Design: Confirm that your WordPress website is responsive and adapts seamlessly to various screen sizes and devices, benefiting both desktop and mobile users. For more insights on web design and how to identify the technologies used on websites, you can also learn how to tell if a website is WordPress, which can be particularly useful in understanding the technology behind websites you encounter.

Designing an Accessible WordPress Website

When it comes to designing an ADA-compliant WordPress website, attention to detail is crucial, whether you’re a seasoned website designer or a novice. Here are specific aspects to consider:

1. Content Accessibility:

Heading Structure: Use proper HTML headings (H1 to H6) to structure content logically. This aids readers and users in comprehending the content hierarchy.
Semantic HTML Elements: Utilize semantic HTML elements such as lists and tables to ensure content is conveyed clearly.
Readable Text: Choose legible fonts and font sizes to enhance readability, allowing readers to adjust text size without compromising functionality.
Color Contrast: Maintain adequate color contrast between text and background colors, catering to users with varying visual abilities.

2. Forms and Navigation:

Accessible Forms: Create forms with clear, descriptive labels, and ensure they are navigable using keyboard input.
Navigation Links: Use meaningful link text and implement skip navigation links to help readers jump directly to content areas.

3. Mobile Accessibility:

Optimize your WordPress website for mobile users by ensuring it is responsive and functions seamlessly on mobile devices.

Keeping Your WordPress Website ADA Compliant

ADA compliance isn’t a one-time task; it’s an ongoing commitment. Here are some strategies to maintain your WordPress website’s ADA compliance:

1. Regular Updates: Stay informed about evolving accessibility standards and updates to WordPress. Regularly check for new plugins and features that can enhance your site’s compliance.

2. User Feedback: Encourage users to report any accessibility issues they encounter while using your website. Create a user-friendly mechanism for feedback, and promptly address any concerns.

3. Accessibility Statement: Include an accessibility statement on your WordPress website. Describe your commitment to ADA compliance and provide contact information for accessibility-related inquiries. Remember that accessibility is an ongoing journey, and continuous efforts are essential to ensure equal access to your digital content for individuals with disabilities. To help you keep track of your website updates and content changes, you can also learn how to check when a website was last updated to ensure that your information is always current.

Conclusion

In conclusion, designing and maintaining an ADA-compliant WordPress website is not only a legal obligation but also a way to make your online presence more inclusive and accessible to all users, including the publisher of a website. By following the guidelines and employing compliance plugins, you can achieve ADA compliance and craft a website that accommodates a wider audience while simultaneously enhancing your SEO ranking. Remember that accessibility is an ongoing journey, and continuous efforts are essential to ensure equal access to your digital content for individuals with disabilities.

Achieving compliance is not just about meeting legal requirements; it’s about creating a more inclusive digital space where everyone can access and benefit from your website’s content and services. As you embark on this journey, keep in mind the importance of accessibility, not only for compliance but also for building a better online experience for all users.

Chris Granat

Chris is the founder and lead web designer at Flamingo Agency, a Chicago web design agency.