What is ADA Compliance and how can I make my website more accessible?

ADA compliance means making your website accessible to people with disabilities — things like screen reader compatibility, clear navigation, readable text, and appropriate color contrast. 

There’s no single checklist that guarantees 100% compliance, however, accessibility under the ADA is commonly evaluated using the WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), which define three levels of compliance:

• Level A: The most basic accessibility requirements. This level alone is not sufficient for most real-world accessibility needs and generally does not meet legal or practical expectations.
• Level AA: The recommended and widely accepted standard for ADA compliance. It addresses the most common barriers for users with disabilities and is the level most organizations aim to meet.
• Level AAA: The highest level of accessibility. It is not required for ADA compliance and is often not practical for most websites.

ShinePages supports WCAG Level AA compliance by providing the tools and structure needed to build accessible websites, including:

• Proper semantic HTML structure
• Keyboard-friendly navigation
• Screen-reader-compatible elements
• Accessibility-ready widgets and layouts

While ShinePages provides the technical foundation for Level AA, actual compliance ultimately depends on how content is created and structured on each individual site.

To make sure your site meets accessibility standards, please follow these important guidelines:

1) Use the Heading widget for headings:
Always use the Heading widget with the correct hierarchy (H1–H6). Do not use the Text widget with large font sizes to visually “fake” a heading.


2) Use the Text widget for paragraphs:
The Text widget should be used for body text and paragraphs. All paragraph text should be no smaller than 16px - and potentially much larger, depending upon the font. Do not use the Heading widget for non-heading content, as headings are meant strictly for structure.

3) Describe all content images:
Any image that is part of your content must include a description.
Open the image settings (ie: click the "Edit Image" button from the toolbar) add a description in the "Image Description" field - this automatically creates the required alt tag/alt text.
​Background images used purely for design do not need alt text and should never be used to present important content (e.g., text embedded in a background image).

4) Ensure sufficient color contrast:
Make sure there is enough contrast between text and background colors so content is easy to read for all users.

5) Avoid flashing or moving text: 
This could trigger sensitivities. 

6) Label form fields clearly: 
Make it easy for users with screen readers to understand what's required. 

7) Add captions or transcripts to videos whenever possible.
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8) Run an accessibility audit:
Because accessibility requirements can vary by site, once you’ve followed the steps above, we recommend running your site through an ADA compliance or accessibility auditing service to identify any remaining improvements.

There are also free tools that can help you check your site, like:
-WAVE Accessibility Tool
-Google Lighthouse in "Accessibility" results