Web accessibility for small businesses: where to start
Start with the pages where customers buy, book or contact you. Scan them, fix the failures found most often (low-contrast text, missing alt text, unlabeled form fields), then test them with a keyboard, aiming for WCAG 2.2 Level AA. The ADA's definition of a business open to the public has no minimum number of employees, and only some laws exempt very small organizations, so check which rules reach you.
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A small business website has one job: let customers find what you offer and buy, book or get in touch. Web accessibility means people with disabilities can do that, whether they use a screen reader, move around with a keyboard, need strong contrast or zoom in far. The yardstick is WCAG, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines from W3C. W3C's guidance on interim repairs describes the latest WCAG at Level AA as the generally accepted goal, and our page on WCAG conformance levels explains A, AA and AAA.
The case for starting is practical as well as legal. In WebAIM's February 2026 analysis of one million home pages, 95.9% had detected WCAG 2 failures, and 96% of the errors its automated scan found fell into six categories. The first scan of a small site is therefore likely to report a short, familiar list. This page is general information, not legal advice. For the US legal background, see our guide to ADA website compliance for businesses.
Where should a small business start?
Work through these six steps in order. The first three need no developer.
1. Choose the pages that matter most
W3C's interim repairs guidance begins by choosing a scope. It lists key tasks such as registration, search or checkout, frequently accessed content, content with reported barriers, and content being redesigned. For a small business that usually means the home page, the pages where people buy or book, the checkout or booking form, and the contact page. Test one page for each template rather than every page, because a flaw in a product page template appears on every product. That last point is our reading.
2. Scan for what machines can find
Run the free scan on those pages. These six failures, which WebAIM's automated check found most often, are where most small sites should look first, with the share of home pages affected in February 2026:
- Low-contrast text: 83.9%
- Missing alt text on images: 53.1%
- Missing form input labels: 51%
- Empty links: 46.3%
- Empty buttons: 30.6%
- Missing page language: 13.5%
Contrast depends on how a page is painted, so a check that reads only the HTML cannot judge it; what we check says which of our checks need a browser. Our guide to the six most common accessibility errors covers the fixes.
3. Run W3C's Easy Checks
Easy Checks is W3C's list of tests that a non-specialist can run on a page. W3C describes them as quick and easy rather than definitive, and warns that a page can seem to pass them and still have significant barriers. The table follows W3C's list and shows where we have a guide or free tool for each check.
| Check | What to look at | Help from GotAlt |
|---|---|---|
| Page title | Does the title describe the page and differ from the titles of other pages? | Page titles guide |
| Image alt text | Does every meaningful image have text that is true of the picture, and do decorative images have an empty alt attribute? | Alt text checker |
| Headings | Are headings marked up as headings, in an order that makes sense? | Heading checker |
| Contrast | Does text stand out enough from its background? | Contrast checker |
| Resize text | Does the page still work when you zoom in? | Zoom and reflow guide |
| Keyboard and focus | Can you reach and use every control with Tab, and always see where focus is? | Keyboard test guide |
| Forms, labels and errors | Does every field have a label, and does an error say what went wrong? | Accessible forms guide |
| Video and audio | Do recordings have captions or a transcript? | Captions and transcripts guide |
W3C's list has two more checks, for moving or flashing content and for how a page reads with images and styles turned off. Write down each problem as you find it: the page, what you did and what happened. That list becomes your fix list.
4. Fix problems at the source
Fix problems where they live: in the theme, template or component, so that one change reaches every page that uses it, and in your content habits, such as alt text on every upload, link text that says where the link goes, and captions on video. If you build on a platform, what it does for you and what stays your job differs. See our notes for Shopify, WordPress, Wix, Squarespace and Webflow. If a developer, agency or theme vendor works on your site, ask which WCAG version and level they build to.
Be wary of overlays. An overlay is a script that adds a toolbar and patches the page in the visitor's browser, and some are sold as a quick route to meeting WCAG. In April 2025 the US Federal Trade Commission finalized an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1,000,000. Its complaint alleged that claims the product made websites meet WCAG were false, misleading or unsubstantiated (FTC press release). Our guide to overlay alternatives covers what to do instead.
5. Publish a statement and a way to report problems
Publish a short accessibility statement: the standard you work to, what you know is not yet accessible, and how a visitor can report a barrier and get help. The DOJ's web guidance has a tip on reporting accessibility issues: a way for the public to report problems lets website owners fix them. W3C's page on organizational policies gives a simple example policy that sets a conformance target and a contact for reporting issues. The free accessibility statement generator drafts one in your browser. Then answer every report you receive, and keep a dated record of what you tested, found and changed.
6. Recheck after every change
A new theme section, a plugin, a banner or a campaign page can bring back a problem you already fixed. Recheck the key pages after each change and on a schedule. Our guide to how often to test accessibility goes into the schedule.
Does the law apply to a business my size?
Size counts differently under each law, and some laws ignore it. The table gives what each source says. It is general information, not legal advice, and whether an exemption applies to you is a question for a lawyer.
| Law | What it says about size | Source |
|---|---|---|
| US: ADA Title III (businesses open to the public) | The definition of a public accommodation lists 12 categories of private business, from stores and restaurants to service businesses, hotels and gyms, if their operations affect commerce. It sets no minimum number of employees. The DOJ says the ADA applies to the web offerings of those businesses and that it has no regulation setting detailed standards. | 42 U.S.C. 12181(7); DOJ guidance, March 18, 2022 |
| EU: European Accessibility Act | Has applied since June 28, 2025 to covered products and services for consumers, including online shops, ticketing platforms and banking. Microenterprises providing services are exempt, and the Directive defines one as an enterprise with fewer than 10 persons and an annual turnover or annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 2 million. The exemption is for services only. | Directive (EU) 2019/882, Articles 3 and 4; Your Europe |
| Canada: federally regulated private organizations | Under the first phase of the digital rules, organizations averaging 99 or fewer employees are fully exempt. Those averaging 100 to 499 must meet the web page rules for newly published or updated pages by December 5, 2028. Headcount is an average over the preceding three calendar years. | Canada.ca, Digital Technologies Phase 1 |
| Ontario: AODA | Applies to designated public sector organizations and to businesses and non-profits with 50 or more employees. Public websites must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, except for live captions and prerecorded audio description, in force since January 1, 2021. | Ontario.ca |
Our EU accessibility law page sets out the EU rules in more detail.
Two cautions. First, businesses that operate only online are less settled under the ADA. Federal appeals courts are split on whether Title III reaches a business with no physical location, so the answer can depend on where a case is filed. Second, a business can fall outside one law and inside another. The UK and Germany have their own rules (UK, Germany), and our laws overview lists more. The Which accessibility laws apply to my website? tool asks where you are based, where your customers are and what kind of organization you are, then lists the laws with sources.
If a demand letter or complaint has already arrived, read what to check first after an ADA demand letter and talk to a lawyer. For the numbers on lawsuits, see ADA website lawsuit statistics.
What a small business does not need to do
- Obtain a certificate. WCAG itself says that making a conformance claim is not required in order to conform (W3C, Understanding Conformance). Be wary of anyone who sells a badge or seal.
- Reach Level AAA. The same W3C page says it is not recommended that Level AAA conformance be required as a general policy for entire sites, because it is not possible to satisfy all Level AAA criteria for some content. Level AA is the working target.
- Fix everything at once. W3C's interim repairs guidance suggests deciding which parts of the site to repair now and which to defer. It prioritizes high-impact repairs (issues on many or frequently used pages, in critical processes, or at Level A) and low-effort ones. It also describes a phased approach: meet some criteria in one release and all Level A and AA criteria in the next.
What free checks cannot tell you
Automated tools and quick checks find part of what a person would. The DOJ's guidance says automated checkers can be helpful tools if used carefully, that a clean report does not necessarily mean everything is accessible, and that pairing a manual check with automated checkers gives a better sense of how accessible a site is. Sources disagree on the exact share of WCAG that a machine can test; roughly a third is a defensible summary, as our automated testing coverage page sets out. Whether someone using a screen reader can finish your checkout, and whether focus moves through a form in a sensible order, needs a person to test. W3C says of its own Easy Checks that more assessment by professionals is needed for a definitive and comprehensive evaluation.
Our reading, not a rule: bring in a professional when the site takes payments or bookings, when a demand letter or complaint arrives, before a redesign or platform move, or when a customer or contract asks for a conformance report (see VPAT and ACR). Our guides to website accessibility audits and monitoring versus an audit explain what you would get, and responding to accessibility complaints covers the case where someone has already written to you.
Check it yourself
These free tools cover the first pass:
- Which accessibility laws apply to my website? is a questionnaire that lists the laws that may reach you, with sources.
- Contrast checker takes a text color and a background color and gives the exact ratio, with a pass or fail at AA and AAA. Run your brand colors through it first. For text over a photo, use the image contrast checker.
- Alt text checker reads a page, downloads up to six of its images and judges whether each alt text is true of the picture.
- Heading checker draws the outline a screen reader user navigates by and flags a missing or second H1, skipped levels and empty headings.
- Accessibility bookmarklet checks a live page in your browser, including a staging site or a page behind a login.
- WCAG checklist tracks all 55 Level A and AA criteria in WCAG 2.2, with notes, and exports a CSV file.
For a first look across your site, Scan my site for free.
Keep it checked
A one-off check covers your site as it is on the day you look, and small sites change often. GotAlt checks the pages you monitor every week. It compares the alt text of up to six images per page with the image itself, runs its rule checks, opens monitored pages in a browser for contrast and other checks that need a rendered page (see what we check), and reports what changed. Plans are from $69 a month. Audit my whole site from $69/mo.
Small business web accessibility questions
Do small businesses have to make their websites accessible?
It depends on the law and the business. The ADA's definition of a business open to the public sets no minimum number of employees, and the DOJ says the ADA applies to businesses' web offerings. Some laws exempt very small organizations, such as the EU's exemption for service microenterprises. This is general information, not legal advice. Our laws questionnaire lists the laws that may reach you, with sources.
Is there a small business exemption for web accessibility laws?
Some laws have one and others do not. The ADA's definition of a public accommodation has no minimum number of employees. The European Accessibility Act exempts service microenterprises: fewer than 10 persons and a turnover or balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 2 million. Canada's federal digital rules fully exempt private organizations averaging 99 or fewer employees, and Ontario's AODA applies from 50 employees. Check each law's exact test.
What should a small business fix first?
Fix the pages where customers buy, book or contact you, and start with the failures found most often: low-contrast text, missing alt text, missing form labels, empty links and buttons, and a missing page language. WebAIM found that these six categories made up 96% of the errors its automated scan detected on one million home pages in 2026. Then test those pages with a keyboard.
Can I make my small business website accessible myself?
For much of it, yes. Many common failures are fixed in a theme setting, a template or the way you write content, such as alt text, link text and form labels. Free tools and W3C's Easy Checks surface many problems, but not all. A professional evaluation is worth considering for a checkout or booking flow, a redesign or a legal letter, because W3C says definitive evaluation needs more assessment by professionals.
Do I need an accessibility statement?
Not always, but it is good practice. Some laws require one from particular organizations, such as public sector bodies, so check which apply to you. A short statement names the standard you work to, what is not yet accessible and how to report a barrier, which gives customers a route to tell you about problems. Our statement guide says what to include.
Will a plugin or overlay make my small business site accessible?
No tool can promise that. An overlay patches the page in the visitor's browser and leaves the source code as it was. In April 2025 the FTC finalized an order requiring accessiBe to pay $1,000,000 over claims that its product made websites meet WCAG, which the FTC alleged were false, misleading or unsubstantiated. Fix the theme, templates and content, and test with tools and people.
Do I have to fix every page at once?
No. W3C's interim repairs guidance suggests choosing first which parts of the site to repair now and which to defer, starting with key tasks such as checkout and search, frequently used content and pages with reported barriers. It also describes a phased approach: meet some criteria in one release and all Level A and AA criteria in the next. Write down your plan and its dates.
See what a scan finds on your site
The free scan runs GotAlt's rule-based checks on pages of your site and says what a scan leaves to a person. No signup.
Scan my site for freeRelated guides
- ADA website compliance: what Title III asks of a business website.
- Monitoring vs a one-time audit: why sites regress after a fix.
- How often to test: a cadence for checks and re-checks.
- Offering accessibility as an agency: scope, delivery and what to promise.
- Accessibility in procurement: what to ask vendors and put in an RFP.
- Responding to an accessibility complaint: what to do when a visitor reports a barrier.
- WCAG vs ADA vs Section 508: standard, law and federal rule, told apart.