Protecting Your Brand and Retail Network Through Website Compliance

Have you ever considered the accessibility of a website? How someone with visual, auditory, or speech impediments navigates the internet? In 1990 the the civil rights law, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was instituted to protect citizen’s from discrimination based on any disability. The Act seeks to impose accessibility requirements on public accommodations, including websites. 

Over the last five years the ADA has been applied to website accessibility. With nearly 61 million Americans living with some sort of disability, according to the CDC, there are bound to be more and more opportunities for websites to support all viewers. 

So how exactly do you create an ADA compliant website? One of the biggest challenges with ADA is that it is a broad set of rules that govern everything from sidewalks, to evaluators in buildings, to websites. There is no specific language dictating requirements for websites. The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) created the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to provide a framework to help developers build accessible websites. This includes guidelines such as providing <alt> tags for all non-text content, screen readers, and minimum contrast levels between colors. The unsettled state of the law is why vague nature of the guidelines is why we suggest always working with an experienced accessibility consultant and legal support team to get a true assessment of the accessibility of your digital properties and to evaluate your risk and any required next steps.

In automotive and similar industries, ongoing compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) standards can feel like hitting a moving target. As such, even conforming to the WCAG is not preventing dealerships from receiving demand letters and complaints alleging that their websites violate the ADA. This is why it is important to work with a digital solutions provider. One of their responsibilities for their respective service is to design and deliver compliant websites. At the end of the day each dealer and dealership is ultimately responsible for their own website, including responding to accessibility-related demands and complaints. 

There are specific opportunities for the automotive industry to ensure ADA usability. With 92 percent of car buyers conducting their research online before they purchase a car, it is easy to understand that a large number of people are affected by a less than “accessible” site. Given the massive exposure of online shoppers that are covered by the ADA, lawsuits were up 177 percent year over year from 2017 to 2018. These claims showcase the opportunity to design and program sites with ADA in mind and also serve as warning for the potential reputation and business disruption with claims settling on average between $10,000 and $90,000 (National Retail Federation).

This requires a high level of diligence regarding websites accessibility. And if your site is outdated, you may want to consider investing in third-party tools to provide additional features and functionality, such as screen readers to help disabled shoppers access and utilize a website.

Understanding this ever-changing world of website accessibility and the impacts it has on Automotive Brands, Shift Digital works with manufacturers and digital service providers to better protect brands, retail networks, and the public in this matter. At Shift Digital all website providers and third-party tool providers we manage are required to comply with all applicable laws, including the ADA.

As you evaluate your website and possible partners to help you manage ADA compliance, keep in mind that a strong digital partner will be able to protect your brand’s digital properties and help respond to accessibility-related opportunities. The right partner can help determine if your site has any issues and provide a remediation report if one is discovered. Keeping up with evolving standards can feel difficult, but a great digital partner will be able to educate and protect you as things change. The real goal and opportunity is to create a website experience that is accessible to all, individuals with and without disabilities, to ultimately creating a win-win scenario for your business and your customers.