That’s something your business should keep in mind every day – but it’s especially important when it comes to meeting ADA website compliance rules on your website. The Americans with Disabilities Act considers websites to be places of public accommodation; as such, they are required to be accessible to people such as those with hearing or vision impairments.
You can get a website for $5 and have it up in no time. But if you're selling products and your site is not ADA-compliant, you’re vulnerable to enforcement or lawsuits. The law holds the owners of websites responsible for compliance even if a third-party contractor made or updated the site.
It can be tempting to go with the cheapest option, especially if your business is just starting out. But when it comes to building your online presence, you’ll want to be sure the company you're hiring – domestic or foreign – has experience with ADA website-compliance rules. If it doesn't, any mistakes could cost you a lot more money than the initial cost of their services.
Likewise, if you're doing business overseas or across borders, you'll have to follow the compliance rules of those countries.
Fiverr, the online market for freelance services, operates globally and can be a great and inexpensive way to get your business up and running. But its site has had ADA-compliance issues that led to lawsuits in the past – which could be costly for companies that use its services.
So what does ADA website compliance mean? And how can you avoid compliance violations? It means:
- Making sure your site is accessible to everyone who visits it, regardless of any disability or impairment they have.
- Making sure all text is legible (even if someone's vision isn't perfect), and all images are captioned so people who are deaf or hard of hearing can understand them better.
- Making sure all pages load quickly so people who use screen readers can get through them quickly enough without losing interest or having to wait too long for each page.
- It also means making sure that all links work correctly, so that people who rely on screen readers can easily find what they're looking for without having to guess at navigation.
These guidelines are not intended to steer people or companies away from Fiverr or any other portal or business offering web services. It’s really about ensuring good, direct communication between you and your vendors. The most important thing is to make you aware of ADA-compliance regulations – and, in turn, to make sure your contractors are aware.
Another point to keep in mind is that you should make this effort not just to meet compliance standards, but because it’s the right thing to do. In the end, you want to meet the needs of all your customers.
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Story was written by Crissy Devine from Web Chick.
Website designed by WebChick.com, Central Ohio Web Designers
Website designed by WebChick.com, Central Ohio Web Designers
