Web Accessibility And Compliance

Web Accessibility and Compliance for B2B Marketers

Overview

This skill covers web accessibility and ADA compliance practices for B2B marketing pages, with a focus on color contrast, typography, and layout decisions that affect both legal compliance and user experience. All practices are sourced exclusively from Exit Five podcast guests and reflect their direct recommendations and testing experience.

Color Contrast and Text Legibility

Treat color contrast as a legal requirement, not a design preference. Non-compliance with ADA/WCAG standards can result in fines and excludes a meaningful portion of your audience from accessing your content.

• Verify contrast ratios using a dedicated tool. Search for "website contrast checker," input your primary text and background colors, and confirm the ratio meets the required threshold. Aim for a 4.5:1 to 5:1 contrast ratio between text and background colors. This is low-hanging fruit for compliance and can prevent legal liability. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)

• Never place colored text on a similarly colored background. Even if the colors appear distinct to some viewers, they may fail contrast checks and create serious readability problems for users with visual impairments. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)

• Do not place text on busy or complex background images. Text overlaid on detailed imagery creates contrast and readability problems, particularly for users with visual impairments, and will fail color contrast checks. Use solid color backgrounds, or ensure any image used behind text is simple enough that legibility is maintained across all devices and viewing conditions. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)

• Keep in mind that approximately 25% of internet users have some form of impairment affecting digital readability. Accessibility is not a niche concern — it affects a substantial share of your audience. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)

Layout and Navigation Accessibility

Layout decisions directly affect both accessibility compliance and content consumption. Apply the following when structuring landing pages and web content.

• Do not use tabbed content interfaces on landing pages. Heat map data from a test with 2,000 sessions showed zero users clicked on any tab beyond the first one. Tabbed layouts hide content that users never see, and they create keyboard navigation problems that affect ADA compliance. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)

• Replace tabbed content with scrollable sections. When all content is visible as the user scrolls, consumption improves, heat map signals become more meaningful, and keyboard navigation works as expected for users relying on assistive technology. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)

• Limit copy blocks to one or two columns maximum. This improves readability and reduces the cognitive load for all users, including those with reading or attention-related impairments. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)

Running Accessibility Audits

• Run pages through accessibility checker tools to identify and fix compliance issues before launch. Tools mentioned include Accessibe and WAVE. Do not rely on visual inspection alone — automated checkers surface contrast failures, missing alt text, and navigation issues that are easy to miss manually. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)

• Treat accessibility checks as a standard step in the page build process, not a one-time audit. Pages change over time; new design elements can introduce new violations. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)

Where Experts Disagree

No disagreements were identified among contributing guests on this topic. All practices above reflect consistent guidance from the source material.

What NOT To Do

• Do not place text over busy background images. This fails contrast checks and creates readability problems for users with visual impairments. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)
• Do not use colored text on similarly colored backgrounds. This is a direct WCAG violation and a common source of ADA non-compliance. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)
• Do not use tabbed content blocks on landing pages. Real-world heat map data shows users do not click secondary tabs, and tabbed interfaces create keyboard navigation barriers. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #185)
• Do not skip accessibility tool audits. Visual review is insufficient. Use tools like Accessibe or WAVE to catch violations that are invisible to the naked eye. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)
• Do not treat accessibility as optional. ADA compliance is a legal requirement. Non-compliance creates liability exposure in addition to excluding users. (Source: Tas Bober, Episode #218)

Sources