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ADA compliant web design doesn’t just reduce risk. It improves how a site performs for every user who lands on it. At Gravitate, we approach ADA compliance as an ongoing design, development, and UX discipline, not a one-time legal checkbox or a software subscription.
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ADA compliance services help ensure your website can be used by people with a wide range of abilities, devices, and assistive technologies. That includes users with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities, as well as anyone navigating your site under less-than-ideal conditions—low bandwidth, bright sunlight, one-handed mobile use, or with assistive technologies like screen readers and keyboard navigation.
We audit, remediate, and build accessibility directly into your design system, codebase, and content, avoiding overlays or shortcuts in favor of durable, standards-based improvements that hold up over time.
The result is a website that becomes more usable, more resilient, and more aligned with how modern users actually interact with the web.
ADA compliance for websites means designing and developing digital experiences that people with disabilities can use effectively, in alignment with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
If you want a deeper breakdown of how these principles show up in real-world design decisions, we cover them in more detail in this accessibility blog.
In practical terms, a website is considered ADA compliant when users with disabilities can perceive the content, operate the interface, understand the information, and reliably use the site with assistive technologies.
These requirements are organized by WCAG into four core principles, commonly referred to as POUR:
ADA and WCAG guidelines are designed to support a wide range of users, including people with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. This includes users who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions, or other assistive technologies, as well as those with low vision, limited dexterity, or cognitive differences that affect how they process information.
Websites become non-compliant when accessibility breaks down in small but meaningful ways. Common issues include poor color contrast, missing or unhelpful alt text, forms that cannot be completed without a mouse, improper heading structure that disrupts screen readers, unlabeled interactive elements, and inaccessible documents or PDFs.
Many accessibility issues stem from the same underlying problems that hurt search performance—unclear page structure, inconsistent heading hierarchy, and bloated or poorly written markup—so accessibility and technical SEO are closely linked.
I wanted to take a moment to thank you and the Gravitate team for all of your efforts and collaboration. This has been a transition year for our team, and your steady guidance in growing and optimizing our Google Ads account, refining our LinkedIn Ads campaign strategy, and enhancing our SEO efforts has been greatly appreciated as we worked to build and strengthen our internal growth capabilities.
We could not be more pleased with our partnership with Gravitate, their collaboration, performance and proficiency in all facets of demand generation has surpassed our expectations. Within 90 days our Account Team, who are experts in their respective domains, learned our business objectives & technology, identified the challenges and opportunities and created a strategic plan of action.
Accessibility is not just a legal consideration. It’s a business decision that affects reach, reputation, and performance.
ADA-related website lawsuits and demand letters continue to rise, particularly in ecommerce, education, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors. Small businesses are not exempt, and neither are marketing sites that collect leads, donations, or applications.
Accessibility overlays and widgets do not guarantee legal protection. Courts have been clear about that. Building an accessible website based on WCAG standards significantly reduces risk and demonstrates good-faith compliance through real design and development work.
Roughly 15 percent of the global population lives with some form of disability. That is not a niche audience. It represents millions of people who interact with websites differently than designers often assume.
Accessible websites remove friction. They make it easier for more users to complete forms, read content, and take action, which directly supports conversion goals and broader conversion rate optimization services efforts.
Search engines reward clarity and structure, and users do too. Many accessibility best practices directly support SEO and Core Web Vitals improvements.
Accessibility signals professionalism and care. It shows that you’ve considered more than just the ideal user path and built something durable and inclusive.
For public-facing organizations, government entities, and mission-driven brands, accessibility is increasingly viewed as table stakes. It also improves the effectiveness of paid acquisition by ensuring that users arriving from campaigns can actually use the site, thereby supporting stronger outcomes from Google Ads.
Eligible small businesses may qualify for the Disabled Access Credit using IRS Form 8826, which can help offset the cost of accessibility improvements.
It’s not a reason to do the work, but it can make the decision easier to justify.
To reflect Seattle’s personality and complexity, Visit Seattle partnered with us to develop a persona-based IA, a mobile-first UI, and strong third-party integrations. Built on a versatile WordPress backend with flexible content controls, the platform empowers editors and provides customized search experiences for various visitor audiences.
AHV’s old site undersold the scale of their impact. We reimagined it from the ground up. Starting with clean IA, intuitive user flows, custom iconography, and a modular CMS. These updates brought their disaster relief work to the forefront, making it easy for users to engage.
The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) collaborated with us to increase awareness through a clean, intentional website. We developed iterative wireframes, held stakeholder workshops, and used moodboards to design an intuitive content hub. The outcome: a more compelling storytelling experience with increased traffic and higher engagement.
When accessibility is addressed at the design and code level, websites tend to load faster, behave more predictably, and feel easier to navigate. Cleaner markup, structured content, and clearer interaction patterns reduce friction and help users move through pages with less effort.
These improvements show up in measurable ways. Accessible websites often see lower bounce rates, higher engagement, and stronger conversion performance because navigation is clearer, forms are usable, and calls to action are easier to complete across devices and input methods. That usability directly supports inclusive UX and broader conversion goals.
Accessibility also aligns closely with accessibility SEO best practices. Semantic HTML, proper heading structure, descriptive alt text, and logical page hierarchy make content easier for both users and search engines to understand. The same changes that improve accessibility frequently contribute to stronger Core Web Vitals and more consistent organic performance.
ADA compliance web design works best when it’s treated as a system, not a one-time fix. Our approach mirrors how we handle UX, CRO, and web development across all Gravitate projects: start with clarity, fix what matters most, and build solutions that hold up over time.
Every engagement begins with a comprehensive accessibility audit evaluated against WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
We use a combination of automated tools, such as axe and WAVE, and manual testing with screen readers and keyboard navigation. This allows us to surface issues that automated scans alone routinely miss.
Findings are categorized by severity and WCAG principle—perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust—so you can see not just what’s broken, but how those issues affect real users. You receive a prioritized report that explains where accessibility breaks down, why it matters, and which fixes will deliver the greatest impact first.
Audit results only matter if they lead to clear action. From there, we develop a custom accessibility remediation roadmap tailored to your site, platform, and technical constraints.
The plan outlines specific design fixes, front-end code changes, and content updates required to meet WCAG 2.1 AA standards. Each recommendation is prioritized and mapped to how your site is built, with particular depth in WordPress, while also supporting Webflow and custom or headless implementations.
This approach creates a practical, standards-based path to ADA-compliant websites that can be implemented efficiently, without relying on temporary workarounds or generic checklists.
Accessibility improvements are implemented directly into your site as part of the design and development work, not added through widgets, overlays, or third-party shortcuts.
Our accessible web design process focuses on usability fundamentals, including clear UX patterns, semantic HTML, sufficient color contrast, and mobile accessibility across devices and screen sizes. Layouts, components, and interactions are reviewed to ensure they behave predictably for all users.
We address core accessibility requirements such as descriptive alt text, proper heading structure, keyboard navigation, readable content, and visible focus states as part of the same system. These elements are handled together to ensure accessibility is consistent throughout the site rather than patched in selectively.
By building accessibility into the codebase and design system itself, we deliver future-proof ADA-compliant website solutions that remain stable as content changes and the site evolves.
Accessibility evolves as your website evolves. New pages, content updates, and platform changes can introduce issues over time if they’re not monitored.
For teams that want continued confidence, we offer optional monitoring and support, including periodic accessibility scans, summary reports, and guidance to help catch issues early. Support can be provided through a retainer or targeted training for teams managing ongoing updates.
We also assist with accessibility statements, including templates or language that reflect your site’s current compliance status. Accessibility is iterative by nature, and ongoing oversight helps ensure improvements hold up as the site grows.
Revitalizing Bullhorn’s global brand, we expertly navigated a comprehensive redesign—managing 12k pages across eight international sites, ensuring intuitive content creation, and improving user experience and SEO. The result is a powerful, flexible, user-friendly website that ranks and underscores Bullhorn’s true industry supremacy.
To elevate Multnomah University, we audited complex stakeholder needs and mapped persona-based user journeys. Through improved IA, clearer navigation, and a robust CMS structure, the redesigned site better serves prospective students and campus audiences while giving the marketing team greater content flexibility.
Since 2016, we’ve partnered with CariFree to evolve their digital strategy. In 2023, that work culminated in a strategic site split—creating consumer and professional platforms with tailored messaging, clearer user journeys, and focused ecommerce strategies that drive stronger engagement, improved conversion, and scalable growth across B2C and B2B channels.
Our ADA website compliance service is modular and scalable, allowing teams to address immediate accessibility gaps while building toward long-term WCAG compliance.
A complete evaluation of your website against WCAG 2.1 AA standards.
UX and UI updates that improve accessibility without compromising design quality.
Code-level updates that ensure accessibility is built into the site itself.
Guidance and implementation support for accessible content across the site.
Resources that help teams maintain accessibility over time.
Ongoing oversight for sites that change frequently or scale over time.
The Gravitate team has been truly wonderful to work with. They are quick to respond and excellent at communicating and explaining. I’m so grateful they partnered with us to improve our eCommerce site. With their help, our customers have an easier time finding us online which is having a direct impact on our sales.
We especially love how everybody we worked with at Gravitate hasn't kept us in the dark. You guys have been super transparent about the whole process, and we feel like you're skilling us up in our own internal capacity for things and understanding things as well. On the development side, Blake has been just amazing with that. It's just been a fantastic experience overall. And the level of customer service that we get from you guys, it's been amazing.
Accessibility isn’t something you license. It’s something you build. Automated overlays and widgets promise instant compliance, but the reality is more complicated.
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Gravitate provides ADA compliance services for teams that want accessibility handled correctly, not patched together with shortcuts or widgets.
If you’re looking for a durable solution built into your design and codebase, we can help. Our team delivers accessible, high-performing websites aligned with WCAG standards and modern UX best practices.
Request a website accessibility audit or a ADA compliant web design quote to understand where your site stands and what it will take to move forward with confidence.
Courts have consistently ruled that public-facing websites are subject to ADA requirements, especially for businesses and nonprofits.
WCAG provides the technical standards for evaluating ADA compliance on websites.
It depends on site size and complexity. Audits take days. Remediation can take weeks.
Widgets do not fix underlying issues and do not guarantee compliance.
Yes. Size does not exempt organizations from accessibility expectations.
Accessibility is a spectrum. The goal is good-faith compliance with WCAG 2.1 AA and ongoing improvement.