How to Check if Your Website Is ADA Compliant (Instantly for Free)
If you’re not sure whether your website is ADA compliant, don’t worry. Checking ADA compliance doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to check if your website is ADA compliant using free tools. We’ll also walk you through the steps to make your website fully ADA compliant.
How to Check if Your Website Is ADA Compliant
To check if your website is ADA compliant: run an automated scan + perform manual testing.
You can start by using the free ADA compliance checker from WebYes (embedded below). Simply enter your website URL, and the tool will scan your site for common accessibility issues, including missing alt text, low colour contrast, improper heading structure, and more.
However, automated tools can’t catch everything. Some issues, such as focus states, screen reader behaviour, and overall usability, require human review. After the automated scan, follow up with manual testing for a complete assessment of your website’s accessibility.
You can do the manual testing yourself or hire a professional. If you choose to do it yourself, tools like Accessibility Insights can help. However, it can be time-consuming and requires attention to detail, especially if you’re not familiar with accessibility standards.
Once you’ve completed both automated and manual testing, you can assess whether your website meets ADA requirements. If your site passes the key accessibility checks and aligns with WCAG 2.1 AA guidelines, it’s likely to be considered compliant.
What to Do if Your Website Is Not ADA Compliant
If your website didn’t pass all accessibility checks, that means it currently falls short of ADA requirements. But the good news is, every issue can be fixed, and your website can be brought into full compliance with the right steps.
Now, follow these steps to bring your website into ADA compliance:
- Fix the identified accessibility issues
- Re-run checks to confirm everything is resolved
- Publish an accessibility statement to communicate your accessibility efforts
- Set up continuous monitoring to maintain compliance over time
Let’s go through each step in detail.
📝 Note: We have a detailed guide on how to make a website ADA compliant. For more in-depth steps and examples, we recommend checking that out.
Step 1: Fix the identified accessibility issues
Start by addressing all issues found during your automated and manual audits. This includes common problems like missing alt text, low colour contrast, inaccessible forms, and broken keyboard navigation. Be sure to fix both technical barriers and content-related issues.
Step 2: Re-run checks to confirm everything is resolved
After making your fixes, scan your site again using website accessibility checker tools like WebYes, and repeat the key steps from your manual testing. This ensures all issues have been properly resolved and no new ones were introduced during updates.
Step 3: Publish an accessibility statement
Add an accessibility statement to your website to show your commitment. It should include your compliance status, any remaining limitations, and contact details for users needing assistance. This helps users and also shows good-faith effort under the ADA.
💡 Tip: You can use the W3C accessibility statement generator to create a statement quickly.
Step 4: Set up continuous monitoring
Accessibility isn’t a one-and-done task. Set up regular automated scans and schedule manual testing, especially after content updates or site changes. Website monitoring tools like WebYes can help you track new issues and stay compliant over time.
How WebYes Can Help You Make Your Website ADA Compliant
WebYes helps you meet ADA compliance requirements by guiding you through the process of identifying and fixing accessibility issues on your website. You don’t need to be an expert in WCAG or U.S. accessibility law; WebYes handles the heavy lifting.
Here’s how WebYes supports your ADA compliance efforts:
- Instant accessibility audits: Enter your website URL to scan for WCAG 2.1 issues in seconds.
- AI-powered fixes: Get AI-generated solutions you can review and paste directly into your code to fix accessibility issues.
- Ongoing monitoring: Keep your site compliant with regular scans that catch new issues as they appear.
ADA lawsuits are on the rise, and now’s the time to take action to protect your business. Ensuring your website is accessible helps you stay compliant, avoid legal risk, and serve all your visitors equally. WebYes makes it easy to get started on the path to ADA compliance.
FAQs
Yes, you can face fines or legal issues if your website doesn’t meet ADA standards.
The ADA is the law, and it references WCAG 2.1 AA as the standard to follow
Not fully. While accessibility widgets can help identify or fix some issues, they don’t guarantee full compliance.
Yes, to some extent. You must make your website as accessible as possible, and clearly list any inaccessible parts in your accessibility statement, along with your plan and timeline to fix them.
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