The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), most notable to provide accessibility for all, is in the spotlight recently as many business websites have been sued for non-compliance.
Your website is designed but is it also checked for compliance factors for the ADA and with the GDRP?
What are the costs of non-compliance? A lawsuit and the associated publicity could cost a brand it’s reputation in a particular industry. Besides the monetary costs of hiring an attorney, website developer and possibly paying extremely high fines, the main cost of non-compliance is alienating part of your website’s audience.
The ADA law says it needs to “Establish requirements for making the goods, services, facilities, privileges, accommodations, or advantages offered by public accommodations via the Internet, specifically at sites on the World Wide Web (Web), accessible to individuals with disabilities.”
Here’s some articles referring to checklists and what you (and your website developer) will need to do in order to make your website ADA Compliant for users.
Items such as Alt texts, Close Captioning in Videos and Font contrasts are just of handful of the many technicalities a website should overhaul if it is not adhering to these guidelines.
There’s even a website which does an ADA compliance website checkers here. We’re not sure how compete the checker is, however, we do know that most website developers will know what needs to be fixed on your small business website.
Now on the subject of GDPR and your website. The General Data Protection Regulations creates privacy rules about one’s personal data, such as
- Basic identity information such as name, address and ID numbers
- Web data such as location, IP address, cookie data and RFID tags
- Health and genetic data
- Biometric data
- Racial or ethnic data
- Political opinions
- Sexual orientation
If you process the data of EU citizens, you will need to implement data protection procedures to maintain their privacy. Read more here.
Hubspot also has published a comprehensive checklist related to the GDPR.
Does your small business website need help with ADA & GDPR Compliance? Contact Cheryl@highkeyimpact.com for guidance.
