5 Common Accessibility Issues on Small Business Websites (And How to Fix Them)

In today’s digital-first world, your website is often the first impression potential customers have of your business. But for millions of users with disabilities, navigating the web isn’t as simple as clicking a link or tapping a button. Web accessibility isn’t just a technical best practice—it’s a legal and ethical responsibility that affects your brand, your audience reach, and your bottom line.

Unfortunately, many small business websites unintentionally exclude users with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments due to common accessibility oversights. At WCAG Pros, we help businesses of all sizes identify and fix these issues to meet WCAG 2.1 standards, improve user experience, and reduce legal risk.

Below, we break down five of the most common accessibility issues we see on small business websites—plus tips on how to fix them.

Missing or Inaccurate Alt Text for Images

The Issue:

Alt text (alternative text) is used by screen readers to describe images to visually impaired users. When alt text is missing—or worse, inaccurate or overly vague—visually impaired users miss out on important content or context. Common mistakes include:

• Decorative images without empty alt attributes
• Product images with no descriptions
• Alt text like “image123.jpg” or “picture”

Why It Matters:

Images often carry essential information, especially in industries like e-commerce, hospitality, or real estate. Without accurate alt text, a significant portion of your audience may not fully understand your offerings or call-to-actions.

How to Fix It:

• Add meaningful alt text to all informative images.
• Use empty alt attributes (alt=””) for purely decorative images.
• Avoid using “image of” or “picture of” in the alt text—get straight to the point.

Example: Instead of alt=”shoes”, use alt=”Red leather high-top sneakers with white soles”.

Low Color Contrast Between Text and Background

The Issue:

Color contrast refers to how distinguishable text is from its background. Many small business websites use colors that look great visually—but fail WCAG’s minimum contrast requirements, making text hard to read for users with visual impairments or color blindness.

Why It Matters:

Poor contrast can make content nearly invisible to users with low vision or color deficiencies. WCAG requires a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt and above or 14pt bold).

How to Fix It:

• Use online contrast checkers (like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker) to evaluate your site.
• Adjust font color or background color to meet contrast guidelines.
• Avoid placing text over busy images unless you use overlays or solid backgrounds.

Pro Tip: Don’t rely on color alone to convey information—use labels, icons, or patterns for added clarity.

Inaccessible Forms and Buttons

The Issue:

Forms are critical for everything from contact inquiries to e-commerce checkouts. Unfortunately, many small business forms lack proper labels, focus indicators, or keyboard navigation—making them unusable for people with screen readers or mobility impairments.

Common problems include:

• No descriptive labels on input fields
• Missing or poorly labeled submit buttons
• Keyboard traps (users can’t tab out of a field)
• Inadequate error messages

Why It Matters:

If users can’t fill out a form or click a button, they can’t become customers. Inaccessible forms can lead to frustration, high bounce rates, and lost revenue.

How to Fix It:

• Use clear, associated <label> tags for every form field.
• Ensure users can tab through fields and buttons logically.
• Use ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes when needed to enhance screen reader support.
• Provide descriptive error messages and instructions in real time.

Example: Instead of “Invalid input,” say “Please enter a valid email address.”

Lack of Keyboard Navigation Support

The Issue:

Some users rely solely on keyboards (rather than a mouse) to navigate a website—especially users with motor disabilities or vision impairments. If your site isn’t keyboard-friendly, it’s essentially unusable for this group.

Common issues:

• Menus that can’t be opened or navigated with the keyboard
• Interactive elements that don’t receive keyboard focus
• Modals or pop-ups that trap the focus and prevent exit

Why It Matters:

Keyboard accessibility is a core requirement of WCAG compliance and ensures that all users, regardless of how they interact with a device, can fully navigate and interact with your site.

How to Fix It:

• Test your site using only the Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, and Arrow keys.
• Ensure all links, buttons, and form fields are reachable via the keyboard.
• Make sure focus states (outlines) are visible and intuitive.
• Use role and tabindex attributes when needed to improve accessibility.

Try This: Can you navigate your entire site without using a mouse? If not, keyboard-only users can’t either.

Missing or Improper Use of Headings and Landmarks

The Issue:

Screen readers rely on headings (<h1>, <h2>, etc.) and landmarks (like <nav>, <main>, <footer>) to navigate pages efficiently. Small businesses often misuse these elements or skip them altogether, making navigation confusing for assistive technology users.

Common mistakes:

• Skipping heading levels (e.g., jumping from <h1> to <h4>)
• Using headings only for styling, not structure
• No skip-to-content or navigation landmarks

Why It Matters:

Proper structure helps all users, especially those using assistive technologies, understand your site’s content hierarchy and navigate quickly.

How to Fix It:

• Use a single <h1> per page to define the main topic.
• Nest subheadings in order: <h2> for main sections, <h3> for subsections, and so on.
• Avoid using heading tags just to make text bold—use CSS for styling.
• Include skip links and proper semantic landmarks for easier navigation.

Why Accessibility Matters for SEO and Legal Compliance

Beyond usability, web accessibility also supports your business goals:

SEO Benefits

Accessible websites often have better structure, cleaner code, and more descriptive content—all of which benefit search engine rankings.

Legal Risk Mitigation

ADA-related lawsuits against small businesses are on the rise, especially in California and New York. Ensuring WCAG compliance helps protect your business from costly litigation.

Increased Audience Reach

Approximately 1 in 4 U.S. adults lives with some form of disability. By making your website accessible, you make your business inclusive—and accessible to a broader customer base.

Final Thoughts

As a small business owner, you want to serve all of your customers equally and that starts with your website. Addressing these common accessibility issues not only protects you from legal trouble but also builds trust, improves usability, and opens your business to a wider audience.

At WCAG Pros, we specialize in accessibility audits, remediation, and compliance consulting for small businesses like yours. Whether you’re just getting started or need help fixing an existing site, our team is ready to help you build a more inclusive and accessible web presence.