How Much Does It Cost to Make a Website Accessible?
For a good reason, consumers want equally accessible sites. That way they can use your website the way other users can. If they don’t get that, they can leave, send a cease & desist letter or sue. One lawsuit and your business can go bankrupt. Or you can face harassment from lawyers.
So you have decided to take the leap and make your site ADA compliant. Good for you! Taking that step is the first one to avoiding potential lawsuits from users with disabilities.
There is one problem: you need to know how to set your budget. Accessibility and accommodation are not free, unfortunately. If they were, then more people would abide by the ADA. You need to figure out how much money to invest to make sure that your website meets an established set of goals.
Factors That Affect Accessibility Costs
Website accessibility costs vary. You may have to pay as little as $500 or more than $25,000. A few factors come into play:
1. Goals for WCAG Tiers
You need to first figure out what Web Content Access Guidelines (WCAG) tier you want to hit: A, AA, or AAA. The lowest tier requires a minimal amount of accessibility, while the higher tier requires the maximum amount. As you can imagine, the higher you go to meet a tier, the more the expenses vary. Reaching AA is a reasonable medium that fits ADA compliance.
2. Size of Content
You need to know how much website content that needs modification for accessibility. That means how many pages, videos, and audio will need scrutiny and fixing.
If you are doing audio or video, you need subtitles at the bare minimum. Some videos may require a vocal description or a transcript so that visually impaired users can understand the context.
3. Staff Training For Developers
The tech industry, unfortunately, has the reputation of serving the elite status quo, and not adjusting for all sorts of users. You need to decide if you want your staff to know about addressing ADA concerns and implementing them. If you hire developers, training them could prove valuable to yourself and to them.
4. Website Complexity
In addition to the amount of content, you also need to determine which content will require more effort to adjust. Videos, PDFs, moving ads, and countdown timers are website elements that will need more modification to meet WCAG guidelines.
5. Freelance, Agency, Or In-House Services
Who you get to do the website changes can vary. Freelancers charge the least but may lack the branding to back up their expertise. In-house can overlap with staff training; it can be the least expensive if you hire developers temporarily on contract, but if you want an ongoing staff member then expect to pay a developer’s annual salary. Agencies that specialize in ADA modification will be the most expensive because they sell based on their experience in helping other clients.
How Site Compliance Can Help
At Site Compliance, we know how to make your website accessible and ADA compliant on any budget. We will be happy to help you meet all the necessary requirements.
Reach out to us today to get started. We promise not to break your bank and help your website comply with the WCAG.