Building a website in 2025 means designing for everyone and not just the average user. If your content locks out people with disabilities, you’re not just missing an audience. You’re risking lawsuits and leaving out millions who rely on accessible design.
That’s where ADA and WCAG come in. These aren’t just technical checklists. They’re the foundation for digital equality.
Whether you’re starting from scratch or improving an existing site, learning how to make a website ADA-compliant is no longer optional. It’s the standard.
In this guide, we break down what matters, what to fix, and how to do it right.
What Is ADA and WCAG Compliance?
ADA and WCAG extend beyond being optional frameworks for digital spaces. You should consider them the primary basis that determines whether someone can truly use your website or not.
If your website presents issues for people relying on assistive technology, then it doesn’t fully comply with the ADA or the WCAG guidelines.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) is a civil rights law. WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), on the other hand, is a technical reference point created by the W3C. Together, these two form the foundation that shapes people’s online experiences.
Based on the most recent WebAIM study, over 96 percent of homepages still fall short of full compliance. This is not just a design oversight. This huge percentage represents users who experience some hindrance when it comes to online banking, learning, applying for jobs, or making purchases online.
If a website ticks all the requirements of the ADA and WCAG checklist 2025, then it becomes more navigable for people with disabilities.
If you’re genuinely asking how to make a website ADA-compliant, begin by understanding the real obstacles faced by people using assistive tools. Most of these barriers can be resolved by prioritizing clarity, respect, and equal access in your design choices. It’s how you treat your users.
What Is ADA Compliance?
Try using a website without seeing it, hearing it, or using your hands. That’s the challenge ADA compliance tries to solve.
The Americans with Disabilities Act first passed in 1990, wasn’t built for websites but for digital spaces that now count as public spaces. If someone can’t access your site because it lacks captions, alt text, or keyboard support, you’re not just losing a user.
You’re creating a legal risk. Roughly 1 in 6 people worldwide live with a disability. ADA compliance means your website works for them, too.
What Is WCAG 2.1 Compliance?
WCAG 2.1 stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, version 2.1. These guidelines were created by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) to serve as the technical criteria for digital inclusion. You can consider them a global reference for accessible design.
WCAG 2.1 is built around four principles known as POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
- A perceivable website offers alternatives for non-text content.
- An operable one supports keyboard input.
- An understandable one is readable and predictable.
- A robust one works with current and future assistive tools.
The WCAG 2.1 compliance guide lays out testable standards with success criteria at three levels: A, AA, and AAA. Most public websites aim for Level AA. This covers a lot of shortcomings, such as incorrect contrast ratios, missing alt text, poor form labels, and more.
By meeting the WCAG 2.1 criteria, you address the core requirements in the ADA and WCAG checklist 2025. It is a direct path to fulfilling website compliance requirements 2025 with clarity and purpose.
ADA and WCAG Checklist 2025
Think of this checklist as a shared language between legal expectations and real human access.
The ADA expects websites to work for people with disabilities, but it doesn’t spell out how. That role is filled by WCAG 2.1, the globally trusted technical standard. Together, they form the working definition of digital accessibility in 2025.
There isn’t a separate list for ADA. Most businesses follow WCAG Level AA, which covers the core actions that improve usability across the board.
Here’s what that looks like in practice:
- Text alternatives required: Describe every meaningful image or icon with alt text.
- Use proper contrast ratios: Check that the text stands out from its background clearly.
- Accessible keyboard navigation: All users should reach every feature without a mouse.
- Add form field labels: Labels should stay visible, and speak to assistive tech.
- Avoid timed interactions: Give users control over session timers and popups.
- Provide clear error feedback: Show what went wrong and how to fix it in plain terms.
- Enable screen reader structure: Use proper heading levels and semantic code for flow.
- Make video captions mandatory: Include synced captions for all video and audio elements.
Partial compliance is still a step forward. Even small updates help users stay longer, interact more easily, and feel like they belong.
A Complete Guide To Make Your Website WCAG and ADA Compliant in 2025
Building a compliant website means crafting a space that everyone, regardless of ability, can access, explore, and trust. Here’s how you can do it.
1. Use Clear Keyboard Access
To achieve compliance, you need to make every key press count because not everyone uses a mouse. Some people tap through your site using only the keyboard.
If your buttons, links, or form fields skip focus or get stuck, users get shut out. According to the ADA and WCAG checklist 2025, keyboard functionality is a baseline requirement.
Every interactive element must respond to standard keys like Tab, Enter, and Escape. Users should flow from start to finish without frustration.
Adding skip links helps them jump over repetitive blocks. This one fix supports users with mobility, visual, and even temporary impairments.
2. Describe Images With Purpose
Images often carry the message. But without alt text, that message is lost to anyone using a screen reader. Over 60 percent of websites still skip this basic step.
WCAG 2.1 compliance guide standards require that all informative images include descriptive text. For decorative visuals, a null alt tag is enough. But functional icons, like a download symbol, must explain their role.
When in doubt, write for clarity, not complexity. This is one of the simplest ways to meet website compliance requirements 2025 and boost inclusion instantly.
3. Organize Headings Properly
Headings do not just make text look bold. They act as a map for your content. Jumping from an H1 to an H4 with nothing in between can leave screen reader users lost mid-journey.
To follow WCAG 2.1 principles, structure your content like an outline.
One H1 for the page title. H2s for main topics. H3s and beyond only if the content truly breaks into subpoints. Proper heading levels make your pages easier to skim, scan, and search for everyone.
4. Label Every Form Clearly
Ever tried filling out a form where the placeholder vanishes, and you forget what the field was for? That confusion multiplies for assistive tech users.
Every input needs a visible, persistent label. Error messages should announce themselves clearly and connect to the field they refer to.
Use ARIA attributes to tie it all together. This is a core part of the ADA and WCAG checklist 2025. A well-labeled form is not just helpful. It is usable. And that is the point.
5. Contrast Text Effectively
Design can look sleek and still be unreadable. Pale text on a light background? That is a visual dead end for many. WCAG guidelines require a contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text.
This ensures readability for users with low vision, color blindness, or poor screen quality. Use free tools to test your combinations.
If it fails, tweak either the text or the background until it passes. Accessibility is not about grayscale. It is about visual integrity.
6. Control Automatic Motion
Auto-playing videos, sliding banners, and popups that vanish before reading are not just annoying. They are serious barriers for users with cognitive or visual sensitivities.
To meet WCAG 2.1 standards, give people full control. Add play, pause, and close options. Avoid content that refreshes or disappears on a timer.
These changes protect users from distraction, confusion, and disorientation, especially those with epilepsy or ADHD. This is how to make a website ADA-compliant without sacrificing style.
7. Make Error Messages Helpful
Filling out a form, hitting submit, and seeing only “Something went wrong” is no help to anyone.
Error states need to be specific. If an email field is empty, say, “Please enter a valid email address.” That alone can reduce abandonment.
Pair messages with visual cues and ARIA live regions so screen readers can announce them. Good error feedback is a sign of thoughtful design. It supports user confidence and keeps them moving forward.
8. Add Captions to All Media
If your videos do not have captions, you are leaving millions of users in silence. Whether it is a product demo, a podcast clip, or a training tutorial, captions are non-negotiable.
They help users who are deaf or hard of hearing. They also benefit those in quiet spaces or noisy ones.
ADA compliance requires synchronized captions for all multimedia.
Add transcripts for audio content, too. These steps tick off core website compliance requirements for 2025 while enhancing content comprehension for everyone.
9. Allow Text Resizing
Your site’s typography might look perfect to you until someone tries to zoom. Users with low vision often need to enlarge text up to 200 percent.
Your layout must hold up under that scale. Avoid fixed pixel sizes or layouts that break under zoom.
Responsive text helps your content flex without collapse. This improves readability and device compatibility at once. According to the WCAG 2.1 compliance guide, this simple fix opens the door for many.
10. Use Semantic HTML Structure
The structure should not be skin deep. Using proper HTML tags like <nav>, <header>, and <main> makes your layout understandable to assistive tech. It defines purpose and priority.
A div with no context tells users nothing. But a <button> or <section> gives screen readers a roadmap.
Semantic markup bridges visual design with technical meaning. For full compliance, your code should speak the same language as your layout. That is how you build clarity into the core.
Best Tool To Stay WCAG and ADA Compliant
Correcting existing websites or creating new ones isn’t that difficult if you use the right tools. Through good tools, you can identify issues and fix them right away. This way, your right aligns with WCAG and ADA standards right away.
Accessibility Spark
Accessibility Spark is one such tool that helps you achieve ADA compliance. This tool analyzes websites through AI and machine learning to remediate any and all issues. The implementation process takes about five minutes.
Accessibility Spark runs a quick and thorough scan of your website, monitoring it for ADA compliance and the WCAG checklist.
If your website lacks forms, alt text for images, or captions for videos, this tool highlights the problem areas right away. It doesn’t just highlight them but also makes instant adjustments within five minutes.
Features:
- AI‑powered screen reader tweaks
- Keyboard navigation auto‑repair
- Contrast and font adjustments
- Document tagging enhancements
- Focus indicator errors fixed
Within a few hours, your website can become ADA-compliant and comply with WCAG guidelines.
Keep Your Website Compliant With Accessibility Spark
Spotting and fixing accessibility issues once isn’t the end of the process. Real compliance with ADA standards and the WCAG checklist means returning to your site regularly and making consistent improvements. It’s a cycle, not a checkbox.
That’s where Accessibility Spark comes in. It runs recurring scans, pinpoints new gaps, and helps you adjust without starting from scratch. With automated checks in place, your website stays ready for 2025’s evolving standards and supports every user who lands on your page.