If you have a website, or are thinking about getting a website, you might have been hearing more talk online recently about ADA compliance, website accessibility, and news of small businesses getting sued because of accessibility issues (scary stuff!).
It’s an important topic with lots of conflicting opinions and advice. Especially when it comes to website builders like Showit.
In this post, I’ll talk about what ADA stands for, why accessibility matters on websites, and what you can do to make sure your Showit site is safe to avoid any legal dramas.
What is ADA compliance?
So first, what even is ADA and why should you care?
ADA stands for the Americans with Disabilities Act. And it basically exists to ensure equal opportunities for people with disabilities (all about it! đź‘Ź).
When it comes to websites, it’s focuses on making sure people with disabilities can reasonably access and use your site. This includes people with:
- Visual impairments
- Hearing impairments
- Motor disabilities
- Cognitive or learning disabilities
There’s no such thing as a website being officially “ADA certified”. And sadly that means no cute little badge for your site footer. BUT if your site is found to be inaccessible, with no effort made to try and improve it, you could be at risk of legal action.
Now you’re listening, eh?
How does ADA measure website accessibility?
Website accessibility is usually measured against WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) standards. These are best practices that help make digital content more usable for more people.
WCAG itself isn’t a law BUT it’s widely referenced as the benchmark for accessibility under legislation like the ADA in the US, AODA in Canada, and similar regulations across the UK and Europe when accessibility is assessed.
So it’s worth being aware of.
Why website accessibility matters?
Website accessibility matters for legal reasons, of course. But more than that, it matters because real people are trying to use your website.
Unless you’re a huge a-hole, I’ll guess you actually care whether disabled people can read your content, navigate your pages, and book or buy from you without stress.
Accessibility affects user experience, trust, and your reputation. So if someone lands on your site and can’t use it, that has a negative impact, even if it wasn’t intentional.
Not to mention 1 in 5 people live with some form of disability. Even if empathy isn’t your strongest trait, that’s 20% of your website visitors that you could losing due to poor accessibility.
Not good for business!
What’s considered accessible (and what’s not!)
At a basic level, accessible websites are just easier to use. They’re clearer, more readable, and less frustrating for everyone. But especially for those with disabilities.
Accessible websites will:
- have good contrast between text and background
- use readable font sizes and clear typography
- include alt text for images
- be structured logically with clear headings
- have buttons and links that actually say what they do
- not rely on colour alone to communicate information
- be easy to navigate using a keyboard or voice commands
Accessibility issues include:
- low contrast text
- very small or hard-to-read fonts
- important text saved as images
- missing or vague alt text
- buttons that aren’t labelled clearly
- layouts that confuse screen readers
When these basics aren’t in place, people can’t use your site properly. They’ll get stuck, miss information, or most likely get frustrated and leave.
Not the kind of impression you want to make.
What does this mean for Showit?
Showit gives you a lot of creative freedom. It’s literally a blank canvas, which is why so many of us love it.
BUT that also means accessibility isn’t automatically handled for you. You’re left to go rogue and there’s no quick fix button that fixes it or flags anything up.
That means that, especially if you are designing the site yourself, that you need to make sure you design with accessibility in mind.
That doesn’t mean Showit sites can’t be accessible. They definitely can and should be.
It just means accessibility is something you intentionally design and build in.
Things you can control on Showit:
- colour contrast
- font choice and text sizing
- heading structure
- alt text for images
- button labels and link clarity
- mobile readability
Things Showit doesn’t currently handle perfectly:
- full keyboard navigation
- advanced screen reader behaviour
- deeper technical accessibility features
This is why most Showit designers aim for reasonable accessibility, not technical perfection. Accessibility doesn’t mean your site has to be boring or devoid of personality (phew!). It just means clarity comes first.Accessibility isn’t about being perfect or stripping the personality from your brand. It’s about making your website usable, respectful, and easier for more people to engage with.
How to make your Showit website more accessible
If you want to be more intentional without overcomplicating things, start here.
Check your colour contrast
Make sure your text clearly stands out from the background. If it looks subtle or “aesthetic” but hard to read, it’s probably not accessible.
Choose readable fonts
Avoid super thin fonts or overly decorative styles for body text. Save those for accents and headlines if needed. And as hard as it may be, try to limit script and handwritten fonts too.
Add meaningful alt text
Describe what’s in the image or its purpose. Decorative images can be left blank so screen readers skip them.
Use clear buttons and links
“Click here” doesn’t help anyone. “Book a consultation” or “View services” does.
Structure pages logically
Use headings in a clear order so both users and screen readers can follow the page easily.
For Showit specifically, you’ll need to order text content from the bottom to the top. It’s a Showit quirk that screen readers and search engines read Showit content upside down.
Honest Showit accessibility flaws
Now, Showit isn’t perfect when it comes to accessibility. No platform is.
That said, Showit is constantly improving and actively working on platform updates, including addressing accessibility issues. Accessibility on Showit is about making reasonable improvements where you can, while the platform continues to evolve.
Here’s some known issues to be aware of:
You can’t reliably navigate the site or links using the Tab key
This can make navigation difficult for users who don’t use a mouse.
Showit’s canvas-based layouts aren’t keyboard-friendly
The visual layout doesn’t always translate clearly for keyboard or screen reader users.
Showit’s native forms don’t always label fields clearly
This can make forms harder to understand for people using assistive technology.
No built-in skip links or logical tab order
Keyboard users may have to tab through every element on a page.
Reversed reading order (DOM order)
Content may be read in a different order than it appears visually, which can feel confusing.
Some limits come from how the platform is built
Certain accessibility improvements aren’t fully possible, even with custom code.
Helpful tools to check accessibility
You don’t need to an army of tools to check accessibility. It’s important to remember tools won’t magically make your site compliant, and they don’t replace good practices. But they’ll help you identify any issues you might currently have and stay ahead of the game.
Here’s few accessibility tools I recommend:
- WAVE Accessibility Tool – Great for spotting contrast issues, missing alt text, and structure problems.
- Headings Map –
- Color Contrast Checker – For testing color combinations before committing to them
AccessiBe Accessibility widget
You might have seen accessibility widgets on certain websites that and let users adjust things like text size, contrast, or navigation. One tool that’s great for this and compatible with Showit is AccessiBe.
AccessiBe is a paid subscription tool, but it’s been really easy to use with Showit. You’re given an embed code to add to your site, and once it’s live, it updates automatically in the background.
What I like most is that it’s very low maintenance. Once it’s set up, it just stays on your site and runs without you needing to manage it constantly. Their support team are also really helpful.
If you’re a website designer youself, they offer free access for agencies too. Bonus!
Can I get sued if my website is not accessible?
Accessibility lawsuits exist. But the biggest issues tend to come up when businesses make no effort at all or rely on misleading “instant compliance” claims.
Making reasonable improvements, documenting your efforts, and continuing to improve over time goes a long way.
Accessibility is not a one-time thing. It’s an ongoing process, just like SEO or website maintenance.
How do accessibility lawsuits actually happen?
Most accessibility lawsuits don’t come from random spot checks or government agents browsing small business websites.
They usually happen in one of two ways:
1. A real user can’t access a website
Someone with a disability tries to use a site and can’t. For example, they can’t read the text, navigate the page, or use key features. In some cases, they or their legal representative raise a complaint.
2. Legal firms actively look for accessibility issues
In some regions, especially the US, there are law firms that look for websites with obvious accessibility problems. If a site shows little to no effort toward accessibility, it may be targeted.
This is why you sometimes hear about “small businesses getting sued”.
Final thoughts before you go
You don’t need a perfect website to be responsible. What matters is your intention.
Making good choices and improving where you can. Especially on a platform like Showit, small changes really do make a difference.
Accessibility isn’t about fear or ticking boxes. It’s about care, clarity, and building a website that works for more people.
Because at the end of the day, if you make it easier for everyone to use your website, you’ll give them a better experience, they’ll feel included by you, and that builds trust.
If you’re unsure where your site stands, an accessibility or website audit can help you find out how your site measures up, and if you need to make any changes. Get in touch if you need support!
Accessibility isn’t about ticking a single box and you’re good to go. It’s about showing effort, intention, and ongoing improvement.
And most of the time, it’s not because your site is “bad”, it’s just because these details were never considered in the first place.
Related links
Below you can find more related links to read more about this topic.
- ADA Website Guidance (external link) – the official ADA website
