How to Build an ADA-Compliant Website — and Avoid Legal Fees

Three months ago, a founder contacted me in a panic. His ecommerce company had just received a demand letter alleging that his website violated the Americans with Disabilities Act. He had 30 days to respond with a remediation plan. “I thought we just needed to add that accessibility widget,” he told me. “Now our lawyer says we need to rebuild significant portions of the site. What do I actually need to do?”

I’ve had this conversation dozens of times. Between navigating my own website projects and consulting with businesses ranging from three-person startups to municipal governments, I’ve developed a clear understanding of what it actually takes to build and maintain ADA-compliant websites.

This guide is the resource I wish existed when I started: a practical, actionable roadmap that cuts through the confusion and gives you exactly what you need to know about tools, timelines and real costs.

Understanding the standard: WCAG 2.1 Level AA

Before diving into implementation, let’s establish what “ADA compliant” actually means for websites.

The Americans with Disabilities Act doesn’t explicitly mention websites because it was enacted in 1990 — before the modern web existed. However, courts have consistently ruled that websites are covered under Title III as places of public accommodation. In April 2024, the Department of Justice published a final rule under Title II establishing WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for state and local government websites.

While this rule specifically targets public entities (with compliance deadlines in April 2026 and April 2027), it provides clear guidance for private businesses: WCAG 2.1 Level AA is the federal standard.

WCAG 2.1 Level AA includes 50 success criteria organized around four principles:

1. Perceivable: Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive (visual, auditory, tactile)

2. Operable: Users must be able to navigate and interact using various input methods

3. Understandable: Content must be readable and predictable

4. Robust: Content must work with current and future technologies

Let me break down what this means practically.

The essential requirements: What you must fix

From my auditing experience, these are the most common violations and the most critical to address:

1. Color Contrast

• What it means: Text and background colors must have sufficient contrast ratios — 4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text.

• Why it matters: Users with low vision, color blindness or age-related vision changes struggle to read low-contrast text.

• How to fix it: Use tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker. Adjust your color palette to meet minimum ratios. This often means using darker text on lighter backgrounds or vice versa.

• Time investment: 2-4 hours for small sites, 8-16 hours for complex sites

2. Alt text for images

• What it means: Every image must have descriptive alternative text that conveys the same information as the image.

• Why it matters: Screen readers announce alt text to users who can’t see images.

• How to fix it: Write concise, descriptive alt text for every image. Decorative images should have empty alt attributes (alt=””).

• Time investment: 15-30 seconds per image; multiply by total images

3. Keyboard navigation

• What it means: All functionality must be accessible using only a keyboard (Tab, Enter, Space, Arrow keys).

• Why it matters: Users with mobility impairments who can’t use a mouse rely on keyboard navigation.

• How to fix it: Test your site using only Tab to navigate and Enter/Space to activate. Ensure all interactive elements (links, buttons, form fields, dropdown menus) are reachable and usable. Implement visible focus indicators.

• Time investment: 20-40 hours for comprehensive implementation on complex sites

4. Form labels and error messages

• What it means: Every form input must have a programmatically associated label. Error messages must be clear and descriptive.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users need to know what each field expects. All users benefit from clear error guidance.

• How to fix it: Use proper label elements linked to inputs. Provide specific error messages (“Email address must include @”) rather than generic ones (“Invalid input”).

• Time investment: 1-2 hours per form

5. Heading structure

• What it means: Headings must follow a logical hierarchy (H1, then H2, then H3) without skipping levels.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users navigate by headings. Search engines use heading structure to understand content organization.

• How to fix it: Audit your HTML. Ensure one H1 per page (usually the page title), then H2s for major sections, H3s for subsections. Never skip from H2 to H4.

• Time investment: 4-8 hours for site-wide correction

6. Video captions and transcripts

• What it means: All video content needs captions for audio. Audio-only content needs transcripts.

• Why it matters: Deaf and hard-of-hearing users need text alternatives. Captions also benefit users in sound-sensitive environments.

• How to fix it: Use YouTube’s auto-captioning (then edit for accuracy), generate captions using tools like Rev.com or create them manually. Provide downloadable transcripts for audio content.

• Time investment: 5-10 minutes per minute of video for basic captioning

7. Link text

• What it means: Link text must be descriptive. Avoid “click here” or “read more” without context.

• Why it matters: Screen reader users often review links out of context. “Click here” doesn’t convey destination or purpose.

• How to fix it: Use descriptive phrases: “Download the Q3 earnings report” instead of “Click here.”

• Time investment: 2-4 hours for site-wide link text improvement

The implementation roadmap: 60-day plan

Based on projects I’ve managed, here’s a realistic timeline for getting a typical small business website to WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance:

Week 1-2: Assessment

Action items:

• Run automated scans using free tools (WAVE, axe DevTools)

• Manually review your top 10-20 most important pages

• Test keyboard navigation throughout the site

• Test with a screen reader (NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac)

• Document all issues by severity (critical, serious, moderate, minor)

Output: Comprehensive accessibility audit report with prioritized remediation list

Investment: 12-20 hours if doing internally; $2,000-$5,000 for a professional audit

Week 3-4: Critical fixes

Focus on: Issues that completely block access for users with disabilities

• Fix keyboard navigation (ensure all interactive elements are accessible)

• Add missing alt text to critical images

• Correct severe color contrast issues

• Fix form labels and validation errors

• Implement skip navigation links

Investment: 30-50 development hours; $3,000-$7,500 if outsourcing

Week 5-6: Comprehensive remediation

Focus on: Secondary issues and polish

• Complete alt text implementation

• Fix remaining contrast issues

• Correct heading hierarchy throughout the site

• Improve link descriptiveness

• Add captions to existing video content

• Implement ARIA landmarks and labels where needed

Investment: 40-60 development hours; $4,000-$9,000 if outsourcing

Week 7: Testing and quality assurance

Action items:

• Comprehensive keyboard navigation testing

• Screen reader testing on major browsers

• Automated scan to verify fixes

• User testing with people who use assistive technology (if budget allows)

Investment: 12-20 hours; $1,500-$3,000

Week 8: Documentation and ongoing processes

Action items:

• Create and publish an accessibility statement

• Document internal accessibility guidelines for content creators

• Establish a quarterly audit schedule

• Implement accessibility checkpoints in the content workflow

Investment: 8-12 hours; $1,000-$1,500

Real costs: Budget planning

I’m often asked what accessibility “costs.” Here’s what I’ve seen across different types of websites:

Small business website (10-20 pages, simple structure)

• Initial audit: $2,000-$3,000

• Remediation: $3,000-$8,000

• Total: $5,000-$11,000

Mid-size website (50-100 pages, moderate complexity)

• Initial audit: $4,000-$7,000

• Remediation: $10,000-$20,000

• Total: $14,000-$27,000

Large website (200+ pages, complex functionality)

• Initial audit: $8,000-$15,000

• Remediation: $25,000-$50,000+

• Total: $33,000-$65,000+

Ecommerce site (product catalog, transaction flows)

• Initial audit: $6,000-$12,000

• Remediation: $15,000-$35,000

• Total: $21,000-$47,000

These ranges assume starting from a typical website with moderate accessibility debt. Sites built with accessibility in mind from the start can often achieve compliance for 20-30% less.

Tools: What I actually use

I’ve tested dozens of accessibility tools. Here’s what I recommend based on actual utility:

For automated testing (free)

• WAVE (WebAIM): Browser extension that provides visual feedback on accessibility issues. Best for page-by-page review.

• axe DevTools: Chrome/Firefox extension with detailed issue reporting. Better for developers.

• Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools. Provides accessibility scoring alongside performance metrics.

Critical reality check: Automated tools catch 30-40% of accessibility issues. They’re essential but insufficient. You must do manual testing.

For manual testing (free)

• NVDA: Free screen reader for Windows. Essential for understanding how screen reader users experience your site.

• VoiceOver: Built into macOS and iOS. Test with this if you’re Mac-based.

• Keyboard-only navigation: Use Tab, Enter, Space and Arrow keys to navigate your site without a mouse. Free and essential.

For color contrast (free)

WebAIM Contrast Checker: Quick, simple, accurate. I use this daily.

Colorblindly: Chrome extension that simulates different types of color blindness.

For ongoing monitoring (paid)

While I don’t recommend specific monitoring platforms (since needs vary significantly), look for services that provide:

• Automated scanning on a schedule

• Issue tracking and prioritization

• Integration with development workflows

• Real human QA, not just automated results

Budget $200-$500/month for small sites, $500-$2,000/month for enterprise.

What about accessibility overlays and widgets?

This is the question I get most frequently, so let me be direct: Accessibility overlay widgets do not provide compliance and often create additional barriers.

In 2024, over 1,000 businesses using accessibility widgets were sued — representing more than 25% of all website ADA lawsuits. The Federal Trade Commission fined accessiBe $1 million for making false claims about ensuring ADA compliance.

These widgets don’t fix underlying code issues. They attempt to patch problems on the fly, often introducing new barriers in the process. Professional accessibility consultants uniformly advise against them.

If someone is selling you a “one-line of code” compliance solution, they’re selling you legal risk, not legal protection.

The accessibility statement: What to include

Every accessible website should have an accessibility statement. Here’s what I include when developing them for clients:

1. Commitment: State your commitment to accessibility.

2. Standards: Note you’re working toward WCAG 2.1 Level AA compliance.

3. Current status: Be honest about current compliance level.

4. Limitations: List any known issues you’re working to resolve.

5. Feedback mechanism: Provide a way for users to report barriers (email, phone, form).

6. Timeline: If you’re in active remediation, mention expected completion.

7. Contact: Provide specific contact information for accessibility concerns.

Be genuine. Don’t claim full compliance if you haven’t achieved it. Courts look more favorably on organizations making good-faith efforts with transparent communication than those making false claims.

Ongoing maintenance

Accessibility isn’t a one-time project. Websites change constantly. New content gets added, features get developed, and plugins get updated.

Based on my consulting work, plan for:

Monthly: Quick automated scans (1-2 hours)

Quarterly: Comprehensive manual review of new content (4-8 hours)

Annually: Full site audit (same scope as initial audit)

Ongoing costs: Budget $500-$2,000/month, depending on site complexity and update frequency.

When to get professional help

I’m pragmatic about DIY vs. professional services. Here’s when I recommend bringing in experts:

Get professional help if:

• You’ve received a demand letter or lawsuit

• You’re in a high-risk industry (finance, healthcare, education, government)

• Your website has complex functionality (advanced forms, custom interactions, video platforms)

• You need formal compliance documentation (VPAT, accessibility conformance report)

• Your team lacks accessibility expertise

DIY is reasonable if:

• You have a simple website (informational, low complexity)

• You have technical team members willing to learn

• You’re not facing immediate legal pressure

• You can commit the time needed for learning and implementation

The bottom line

I’ve guided organizations through accessibility implementation ranging from three-week emergency remediations post-lawsuit to 18-month comprehensive transformations. The pattern is consistent: Early investment saves money, time, and legal exposure.

Building accessibility into your website from the start costs 20-30% of what retrofitting requires. Avoiding a lawsuit saves tens of thousands in legal fees alone. And reaching 70+ million Americans with disabilities expands your market in ways that far exceed your investment.

If you’re building or maintaining a website in 2025, accessibility isn’t optional. The question is whether you’ll address it strategically and cost-effectively now or reactively and expensively later.