Protect Your Business from ADA Lawsuits – Ensure Your Website is Compliant

by | Aug 2, 2023

Note: This alert addresses potential litigation. AMERAVANT does not provide legal advice. If your company is sued you should engage legal counsel to assist you in resolving the matter.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures that all individuals, regardless of their disabilities, have equal access to goods and services, including websites. Unfortunately, there has been a substantial increase in legal actions targeting businesses whose websites fail to meet ADA compliance standards. There have been over 16,000 lawsuits filed against companies alleging that their websites are not ADA-compliant. Plaintiff attorneys have a stable of plaintiffs they use to file these lawsuits and file them at an alarming rate. The goal is to extract a settlement payment from each company. These payments can be significant.

The following are some valuable insights and practical steps to help you safeguard your business and reduce the risk of potential lawsuits:

    1. Understand ADA Compliance: Familiarize yourself with ADA guidelines related to web accessibility. These standards provide valuable information on how to make your website more accessible to individuals with disabilities, including those using screen readers or other assistive technologies.
    2. Conduct an Accessibility Audit: Assess your website’s current level of accessibility by performing an accessibility audit. Several online tools and professional services can help identify potential issues and areas for improvement.
    3. Improve Website Navigation: Ensure that your website is easy to navigate, with clear headings, well-organized content, and intuitive menus. This will not only benefit users with disabilities but enhance the overall user experience.
    4. Alt Text for Images: Include descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all images on your website. This allows screen readers to convey the image’s content to visually impaired users.
    5. Caption and Transcribe Multimedia: Provide captions for videos and transcriptions for audio content to accommodate users who are deaf or hard of hearing.
    6. Readable Text and Color Contrast: Use clear, legible fonts and ensure there is sufficient contrast between text and background colors. This improves readability for all users, including those with visual impairments.
    7. Keyboard Accessibility: Make sure all website functions can be operated using a keyboard, as some users may have difficulty using a mouse.
    8. Form Accessibility: Optimize online forms for screen readers and provide clear instructions to assist users in completing them.
    9. Regular Testing: Periodically test your website’s accessibility, especially after making updates or changes. This ensures ongoing compliance and a positive user experience.
    10. Provide Contact Information: Include contact details on your website for users to report accessibility issues or request assistance.

By taking proactive steps to make your website ADA compliant, you not only reduce the risk of potential legal actions but also demonstrate your commitment to inclusivity and a positive customer experience. Moreover, an accessible website can widen your customer base and improve your brand reputation.

If you’re unsure about how to proceed or need professional assistance, consider consulting with web accessibility experts who can guide you through the process.

Designing a website with SEO in mind is crucial for improving its visibility in Google searches. Here are some key aspects to consider for optimizing your website design for SEO:

### 1. **Keyword Research and Implementation**
– **Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research**: Identify relevant keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, or Ahrefs.
– **Strategic Placement**: Integrate these keywords naturally throughout your website, including in titles, headings, meta descriptions, and body content.

### 2. **Responsive Design**
– **Mobile-Friendly**: Ensure your website is optimized for mobile devices as Google uses mobile-first indexing. Responsive design makes your site accessible and functional on both desktop and handheld devices.

### 3. **Site Structure and Navigation**
– **Logical and Intuitive Structure**: Organize content using a clear, hierarchical site structure. This helps search engines understand the organization of your content and improves user experience.
– **Breadcrumbs and Internal Linking**: Use breadcrumbs and a robust internal linking strategy to enhance navigation and authority distribution across your pages.

### 4. **Page Speed Optimization**
– **Fast Loading Times**: Optimize images, leverage browser caching, and minimize HTTP requests to improve page speed. Tools like Google PageSpeed Insights can help assess and improve load times.

### 5. **Content Quality and Originality**
– **High-Quality Content**: Regularly update your site with high-quality, original content that provides value to your audience. This engages users and encourages sharing and backlinking.
– **Content Freshness**: Updating content with the latest information can improve its relevance and ranking.

### 6. **Meta Tags and Descriptions**
– **Compelling Meta Descriptions**: Write concise and compelling meta descriptions that incorporate primary keywords to improve CTR (click-through rates).
– **Title Tags**: Ensure each page has a unique title tag that includes keywords and accurately describes the page content.

### 7. **Use of Headers and Formatting**
– **Proper Use of Headers**: Utilize header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to structure content and highlight important information, making it easier for search engines to understand the hierarchy of your content.

### 8. **Optimized Media**
– **Alt Text for Images**: Add descriptive alt text to images using relevant keywords to improve image search ranking and accessibility.
– **Video Optimization**: If you use videos, ensure they’re properly optimized for fast loading and include transcriptions or captions.

### 9. **Secure and Accessible Website**
– **HTTPS**: Ensure your website runs on HTTPS to secure user data and improve trust and ranking signals to Google.
– **ADA Compliance**: Make sure your website is accessible to all users, which can also positively affect your SEO.

### 10. **XML Sitemaps and Robots.txt**
– **Submit an XML Sitemap**: Submit a sitemap to help Google understand the structure of your website and prioritize crawling.
– **Optimize Robots.txt**: Use the robots.txt file to guide search engines on which pages to crawl and index.

### 11. **Local SEO Considerations**
– **Google My Business**: Ensure your business is listed and updated on Google My Business if you target local audiences.
– **Local Keywords**: Include location-based keywords and create content relevant to your local audience.

By implementing these strategies, you’ll lay a strong foundation for your website to be more easily found and ranked by Google, ultimately increasing your site’s visibility and organic traffic.

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