Common ADA Compliance Mistakes

Frequent Issues to Avoid

• Missing alt text for images
• Poor color contrast
• Unlabeled form fields
• Non-descriptive link text (e.g., "click here")
• Inaccessible navigation menus
• Videos without captions

Many accessibility problems are easy to overlook but can have a big impact on users. For example, if you upload an image of a product but forget to add alt text, a blind user relying on a screen reader will have no idea what the image represents. Similarly, if your site uses light gray text on a white background, people with low vision or color blindness may not be able to read it at all. Forms are another common trouble spot—if you don't label your fields, users with assistive technology won't know what information to enter, leading to frustration and abandoned forms.

Links like "click here" or "read more" are confusing out of context. Imagine a screen reader user navigating a list of links—"click here" doesn't tell them where the link goes. Menus that only appear on mouse hover are impossible to use for people who navigate with a keyboard. And if you post a video without captions, anyone who is deaf or hard of hearing will miss your message entirely.

How to Fix Them

Start by reviewing your site with accessibility in mind. Add descriptive alt text to every image, such as <img src="shoes.jpg" alt="Red running shoes">. Check your color contrast using online tools—if you can't read your text easily, neither can your users. Always pair form fields with clear labels, for example: <label for="email">Email</label><input id="email" type="email">. Make sure every link makes sense on its own, like "View our summer collection" instead of "click here." Test your navigation with just a keyboard—can you reach every menu and button? And for videos, add captions or a transcript so everyone can follow along.

Accessibility checkers like WAVE or axe can help you spot many of these issues, but nothing beats trying your site as if you had a disability. If you find something confusing or unusable, chances are your users will too.