Top 5 Mistakes That Hurt Your Website's ADA Compliance
Sidharth Nayyar
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Sidharth Nayyar
Ready to make your website accessible? Engage with our team or start a free trial today.
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Many websites unintentionally break ADA compliance by overlooking basic accessibility principles. From missing alt text to poor keyboard navigation, these errors not only harm user experience for millions with disabilities but also increase your risk of legal action. In this blog, we break down the top five most common accessibility mistakes, explain why they matter, and provide practical, actionable solutions.
Web accessibility isn’t just a technical checklist—it’s a commitment to inclusion. With more people depending on digital platforms for everything from healthcare to education to employment, accessibility has become a civil rights issue. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) mandates that public-facing websites provide equal access to people with disabilities. Yet, too many organizations overlook key accessibility practices—either due to lack of awareness, resources, or time.
But ignorance isn’t a defense in court. ADA-related digital lawsuits have been on the rise, increasing every year, and are hitting businesses of all sizes. Even more critically, inaccessible websites exclude a significant portion of the population: those who navigate with screen readers, rely on captions, or can’t use a mouse.
If your site is failing on accessibility, it’s failing your users—and potentially violating the law.
Let’s dive into the top 5 mistakes that commonly derail ADA compliance, and what you can do to fix them.
What’s the problem? Alt text—or alternative text—is the written description of an image used by screen readers to communicate visual content to users who are blind or visually impaired. Without alt text, users miss essential content. Worse, when alt text is generic ("image123.jpg") or overstuffed with keywords for SEO, it becomes useless.
Real-world impact: Imagine a blind user browsing an online store and encountering an image of a product without alt text. They have no way to know what the item is, and this can directly affect purchasing decisions and site trust.
Solution:
Every meaningful image must have accurate, concise, and descriptive alt text. For decorative images (like design flourishes), set alt="" to allow screen readers to skip them.
💡 Example:
Instead of alt="Image1", use alt="Red cotton t-shirt with round neck and short sleeves"
> 🔎 Stat: In WebAIM’s 2023 evaluation of 1 million websites, over 56% had images with missing or inappropriate alt text, making it the single most common accessibility error.
What’s the problem? If users can’t read your text because of poor contrast, your design is failing—especially for people with low vision or color blindness. This includes combinations like pale gray text on white or red text on green backgrounds.
Real-world impact: Low contrast doesn’t just make content hard to read—it can make it unreadable. This can be particularly detrimental for users with age-related vision loss or common forms of color blindness like deuteranopia.
Solution: Ensure that all text meets the WCAG 2.1 Level AA contrast requirements:
Use tools like the WebAbility.io Contrast Checker or WebAIM's Contrast Checker to validate your design.
💡 Tip: High contrast doesn’t mean boring. Designers can maintain vibrant aesthetics while ensuring readability by using bold fonts, dark overlays, and thoughtful color pairings.
> 🔎 Stat: According to Color Blind Awareness, 1 in 12 men and 1 in 200 women globally are colorblind, impacting their ability to perceive certain color combinations.
What’s the problem? Many websites are built with mouse users in mind, neglecting those who rely on keyboard-only navigation, screen readers, or alternative input devices. If users can’t tab through elements or get stuck in interactive widgets, they’re blocked from completing tasks.
Real-world impact: Users with motor disabilities, such as Parkinson’s or arthritis, may not be able to use a mouse. If your site doesn’t support full keyboard navigation, they can’t interact with your menus, forms, or even submit an order.
Solution:
<button>, <a>) instead of <div>s or <span>s for interactive elements.💡 Try it yourself: Unplug your mouse and try navigating your entire site using just the keyboard. Can you reach and activate everything?
> 🔎 Stat: Over 2.4 million Americans have visual impairments that may require screen readers and keyboard navigation (CDC).
What’s the problem?
Semantic HTML uses proper tags (like <header>, <nav>, <main>, <footer>, <button>, <h1>) to convey meaning to assistive technologies. Without it, screen readers can’t understand the structure of your site.
Real-world impact:
If a page doesn’t have headings or misuses <div> tags for every element, a screen reader might announce the content as one long, unreadable blob, making it impossible for users to scan or navigate efficiently.
Solution:
<h1>, followed by <h2>, <h3>, etc.role="button") only for enhancing accessibility when native HTML doesn’t suffice. Misuse can break functionality.💡 Pro Tip: Think of your site like a book—semantic HTML is the table of contents, chapter titles, and page numbers that help users find their way.
> 🔎 Stat: Pages with proper semantic HTML score up to 50% higher in accessibility audits (Google Lighthouse, 2023).
What’s the problem? Without skip links or ARIA landmarks, keyboard and screen reader users must slog through navigation menus every time they load a page. This wastes time and creates a poor user experience.
Real-world impact: Picture a user who has to listen to the same header and menu options before accessing blog content every single time. Frustrating, right?
Solution:
<main>, <nav>, <aside>, <footer>).💡 Bonus: These fixes improve usability for everyone—not just users with disabilities.
> 🔎 Stat: Studies by the Nielsen Norman Group show that skip links can improve navigation speed by 40% for users relying on keyboard navigation.
Read more about skip links in our Practical Guide to Implementing Skip to Navigation Links
Website accessibility is not about checking boxes—it’s about respecting the diversity of human ability. And it’s not limited to government or healthcare websites. Whether you're running an eCommerce store, a blog, or a SaaS platform, ensuring your content is accessible is part of being a responsible digital citizen.
By addressing these five common mistakes, you’re not just reducing legal risk—you’re building a better internet.
At WebAbility.io, we believe accessibility should be easy and automated. That’s why our AI-powered Virtual Accessibility Assistant scans your site, flags errors, and helps implement fixes that comply with ADA, WCAG 2.1 AA, and even AAA standards.
Q1: Who is legally required to comply with the ADA for websites? Any business that serves the public—including retailers, banks, hotels, schools, and even blogs—must meet ADA accessibility standards if they’re U.S.-based or serve U.S. customers.
Q2: What is the difference between WCAG AA and AAA?
Q3: What’s the penalty for being non-compliant? ADA lawsuits can result in settlements ranging from $5,000 to over $100,000, excluding legal fees. More importantly, you risk reputational damage.
Q4: Can automated tools fully ensure compliance? No. Automated scans can catch about 30% of issues. A combination of automation + manual review is the best approach. Tools like WebAbility.io bridge that gap with smart suggestions and dashboards.