Making Your Website More Accessible: A Complete Guide for Small Business Owners

In the digital age, your website is often the first impression your business makes. But what happens if potential customers can’t use it—simply because of how it’s built?

That’s the issue of web accessibility. It’s not just about checking a box or avoiding legal trouble. It’s about opening the digital door to more people, building a better user experience for everyone, and ultimately growing your business by being inclusive.

This comprehensive guide walks you through the what, why, and how of making your website more accessible. It’s written specifically for small business owners who want to do the right thing and see results.

(And no—you don’t need to be a developer to take action. Promise.)

What Web Accessibility Actually Means

Web accessibility means designing and developing websites in a way that everyone can use them—regardless of ability or disability. It includes people who are blind, deaf, have mobility impairments, cognitive differences, or even temporary challenges like a broken arm or aging vision.

Accessibility isn’t just about making your website usable with a screen reader. It’s about ensuring everyone can navigate, understand, and interact with your content, whether they’re using a keyboard, voice commands, or assistive technologies.

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides guidelines called WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which are the global standard for what accessible design looks like in practice.

The Business Case for an Accessible Website

Let’s be blunt: accessibility is good business.

Roughly 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. live with a disability. If your site isn’t accessible, you’re excluding a huge portion of potential customers. And that’s not just unethical—it’s also financially shortsighted.

Accessible websites have broader reach, perform better in search engine rankings, reduce legal risk, and increase customer satisfaction. They also tend to load faster, work better on mobile, and keep people engaged longer. Accessibility is the foundation of a more resilient, inclusive, and high-performing web presence.

Common Accessibility Barriers (and How to Fix Them)

Here are some of the most frequent website accessibility issues—along with practical, fixable solutions:

1. Missing Alt Text: Images without alt text are invisible to screen reader users. Add meaningful alt text that describes the purpose of the image.

2. Poor Color Contrast: Low contrast between text and background makes content unreadable. Use tools like WebAIM's contrast checker to ensure your text passes the minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1.

3. Unlabeled Form Fields: Forms need descriptive labels so users understand what to enter. Always associate labels with input fields using HTML or platform tools.

4. Inaccessible Navigation: Menus that rely on mouse-only interaction exclude keyboard users. Make sure all menus and links can be accessed with the Tab key.

5. Missing Page Structure: Headings (H1, H2, etc.) aren’t just for style—they’re for structure. Use them properly to break up content and help screen reader users navigate.

6. Videos Without Captions: If your videos have no captions or transcripts, hearing-impaired users are left out. Always add captions or provide a written summary.

Fixing these common issues doesn’t require a full redesign—just a commitment to making thoughtful updates.

Writing Inclusive Content That Works for Everyone

Accessible websites aren’t just about layout and code—they’re also about content.

Use plain language. Avoid overly complex or technical terms unless they’re necessary, and define them when you do use them. Short sentences and active voice make content easier to understand for people with cognitive differences or reading disabilities.

Break up your content with clear headings and lists. This improves comprehension and makes it easier for screen reader users to navigate your content by jumping to sections.

Use descriptive link text instead of vague phrases like “click here.” Instead, write links like “download our product catalog” or “read more about our services.”

Inclusive content helps everyone—not just those with disabilities.

Image Use and Alt Text Best Practices

Images make websites more engaging—but they need to be accessible.

Every image should include alt text unless it’s purely decorative. Good alt text describes the function or purpose of the image, not just what it looks like. For example, "Smiling barista handing a customer a latte" is better than "coffee image."

Decorative images can be given a blank alt attribute (alt="") to let screen readers skip them. Never leave alt attributes completely out—it causes confusion.

Charts and graphs should have detailed descriptions or accompanying data in plain text. If the visual is complex, consider adding a caption or summary beneath the image.

Color Contrast, Typography, and Layout Considerations

Design plays a huge role in accessibility.

Use high-contrast color combinations to make text easy to read, especially for users with low vision or color blindness. Black text on a white background is ideal, but color tools can help you find other compliant combinations.

Choose legible fonts with sufficient spacing. Avoid overly decorative fonts for body text, and use at least 16px as your base font size. Give enough space between lines (1.5x line height is a good rule of thumb).

Keep layouts clean and intuitive. Group related elements together, avoid clutter, and use consistent navigation across all pages. If someone has to hunt for a menu or scroll endlessly to find information, that’s a usability failure—not just an accessibility one.

Accessibility and Mobile Responsiveness

Mobile responsiveness is about more than layout—it’s also about accessibility.

Ensure touch targets (like buttons and links) are large enough to tap without precision. A good guideline is 44x44 pixels.

Use flexible layouts that adapt to screen size. Don’t rely on hover effects or mouse-only interactions—many mobile users rely on touch or voice control.

Ensure text doesn’t get cut off or require side-scrolling. And don’t use fixed-size text—use relative units like em or rem so users can adjust the size on their devices.

A mobile-friendly site is an accessible site.

Testing Tools and How to Use Them

You don’t need to guess whether your site is accessible. There are free tools to help you check.

Start with automated tools like:

• WAVE by WebAIM: Great for catching color contrast, alt text, and structure issues

• axe DevTools: Chrome extension for developers and designers

• Google Lighthouse: Built into Chrome DevTools, audits for accessibility, performance, and SEO

These tools won’t catch everything, so it’s also important to do manual checks:

• Navigate your site using only a keyboard

• Use a screen reader (like NVDA or VoiceOver)

• Zoom your text to 200% and see what breaks

Regular testing keeps your site functional for more people—and helps catch issues early.

Legal Considerations for Accessibility (ADA, WCAG, etc.)

In the U.S., the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) has been interpreted to apply to websites, particularly for businesses considered public accommodations.

While there’s no federal law spelling out exact requirements, the WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines are widely accepted as the legal standard. Failing to meet them has led to lawsuits, especially for e-commerce, hospitality, medical, and education sites.

Making your site accessible isn’t just the right thing to do—it protects your business from costly legal trouble. If you’re unsure where you stand, consider an accessibility audit from a qualified consultant.

How to Prioritize Fixes When You’re Short on Time

Don’t let perfection stop you from making progress. Accessibility is a journey.

Start by fixing high-impact, high-traffic pages first—like your homepage, contact form, or online store. Address the most common issues: missing alt text, poor contrast, and unreadable font sizes.

Then move to forms and navigation, making sure they work with a keyboard and screen reader. Finally, revisit older blog content or secondary pages as time allows.

Make improvements a regular part of your website updates—not a once-a-year project.

Accessibility Myths (And What to Do Instead)

Myth: Accessibility is only for people with disabilities.
Reality: Accessible design helps everyone—from older users to mobile users to people with slow internet.

Myth: Making a website accessible ruins the design.
Reality: Accessible sites can be beautiful. In fact, clean design usually supports both usability and aesthetics.

Myth: Accessibility is too technical for me.
Reality: Many fixes—like writing good alt text or using readable fonts—are things anyone can do with the right guidance.

Long-Term Strategies to Maintain Accessibility

Accessibility isn’t a one-time checklist. It’s a mindset.

Train your content team (or yourself) to write inclusive copy. Make alt text and contrast part of your content creation process. Check new plugins or tools for accessibility before adding them to your site.

Schedule quarterly or biannual accessibility audits using the tools mentioned earlier. Add accessibility to your standard QA process when launching new pages or products.

And most importantly—listen to feedback. If a user tells you something doesn’t work for them, thank them and fix it.

Bonus: Accessibility as an SEO Superpower

Here’s the hidden bonus: accessibility boosts your search rankings.

Google rewards clean code, readable content, structured headings, descriptive alt text, and mobile performance—all of which are accessibility best practices.

When you make your site easier to use, it becomes easier to find. That’s a win-win.

Final Thoughts: Inclusion Is a Business Advantage

Web accessibility isn’t a favor—it’s a competitive edge. It helps you reach more customers, reduce bounce rates, improve SEO, and make a positive impact.

For small business owners, accessibility is an opportunity to build a better brand, serve your audience more fully, and future-proof your website.

Start small. Keep learning. And remember: when you design for inclusion, everyone benefits.