Keep clients coming back · Every business
Website Accessibility Basics for Small Business Sites
Most small business websites fail the same handful of checks, and an owner can find nearly all of them in an hour with free tools and a keyboard.
General information, not legal/tax/financial advice; talk to a licensed professional about your situation.
A small business website is accessible when people who use screen readers, keyboards, magnification or captions can read it, book from it and contact you through it, and the Department of Justice's position is that the ADA covers the goods and services businesses offer online. The working standard is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), and six fixes cover the failures found most often on the web: contrast, image descriptions, form labels, link and button text, keyboard use and page language.
The one-hour check
| # | Check | How to test it | What to fix |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Text contrast | Run the home page and booking page through a free checker such as WAVE | Darken light gray text and text over photos until it passes |
| 2 | Image descriptions | Look for images flagged as missing alternative text | Describe what each meaningful image shows; mark decorative ones as decorative |
| 3 | Form labels | Click each field's label; the cursor should land in the field | Give every field a visible label, not just placeholder text |
| 4 | Links and buttons | Find icons and buttons with no text, such as a bare phone or menu icon | Add a text name that says where it goes ("Book an appointment") |
| 5 | Keyboard only | Unplug the mouse; use Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter and the space bar to book | Make every step reachable and the focus outline visible |
| 6 | Page language | Check the tool's report for a missing language setting | Set the page language in the site builder or template |
| 7 | Video and audio | Play each video with sound off | Add captions; add a transcript for audio |
| 8 | Color alone | Look for errors or required fields shown only in red | Add a word or icon alongside the color |
| 9 | Zoom | Zoom the browser to 200% on a phone and a laptop | Make sure nothing overlaps or gets cut off |
| 10 | Tap targets | Try the booking buttons with a thumb | Make buttons at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, per WCAG 2.2, or space them apart |
What the largest scan of the web finds
Why it works
The WebAIM scan found detectable WCAG failures on 95.9% of one million home pages, with an average of 56.1 errors per page, and the six failure types in the exhibit were the most common. Because an automated scan cannot judge everything WCAG covers, such as whether an image description is accurate, the keyboard and zoom tests in the checklist matter as much as the scan, and the Department of Justice's 2022 guidance lists the same barriers: poor contrast, missing alt text, missing captions, unlabeled forms, no keyboard access and color used alone. Website builders and booking platforms control some of this, so it is worth asking your provider which WCAG version and level their templates meet.
Sources
- WebAIM. The WebAIM Million: 2026 Report. One million home pages.
- U.S. Department of Justice. Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA. ADA.gov, 2022.
- W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. What's New in WCAG 2.2. 2023.
Related reading: What Customers Learn About Your Business Before They Ever Call · Online Booking for Small Service Businesses: What to Turn On and What to Leave Off · Accessibility for Small Service Businesses: The Space, the Website and the Booking · Accessible Booking and Intake Forms: A Checklist
Email hello@osnovaops.com about your website and we will help you find and fix what blocks customers from booking.
Not ready to talk? osNOVA runs free live events for owners.