Best Practices for Creating an Accessible Website in Government

For most government agencies, digital accessibility used to be a background task. It was something you’d get to eventually or check off during a major redesign. Not anymore.

With the Department of Justice (DOJ) signing its final rule under Title II of the ADA, accessibility for government websites is no longer just a best practice; it is a federal mandate with a deadline attached. But while the legal pressure is real, the goal here isn’t just to avoid a lawsuit. It’s about ensuring that every constituent, regardless of ability, can pay a bill, read a meeting agenda, or get emergency alerts without hitting a digital wall.

Whether you represent a small town or a large state agency, here is a practical look at what the new landscape means and how to handle it, from your main .gov portal to your social media feeds.

1. Meet the Deadline That’s Coming

The new DOJ ruling has moved us from vague guidelines to a clear timeline. State and local governments are now on the clock to ensure their web content and mobile apps meet WCAG 2.1, Level AA standards.

The deadlines are specific:

• Larger entities (population 50,000+) need to be compliant by April 24, 2026.
• Smaller entities (population under 50,000) have until April 26, 2027.

In just a couple of months, all government agencies will need to be compliant.

2. Fix the Basics

You don’t need to be a developer to spot some of the most common accessibility failures. When looking at your current site (or evaluating a new accessible website CMS), keep an eye on these three areas:

Headings Are for Structure, Not Style

We’ve all seen it: someone wants text to look big and bold, so they make it an "H1" or "H2." But screen readers use those headings to create a table of contents for blind users. If you skip from H1 to H4 just because you like the font size, you’ve broken the navigation map for that user.

The "Click Here" Problem

Links need to make sense out of context. If a screen reader pulls up a list of links on your page and half of them just say "Click Here" or "Read More," the user has no idea where they go. Instead, make the link descriptive: "Read the 2025 Budget Report."

The PDF Trap

This is the single biggest headache in local government website accessibility. We love our PDFs (flyers, agendas, registration forms), but standard PDFs are notoriously difficult for assistive technology to read.

Whenever possible, turn that content into a regular web page (HTML). If it must be a PDF, it needs to be tagged and remediated, not just "printed to PDF" from Word.

3. Evaluate Your Social Media Posts

This is the area most agencies overlook. Under the law, your digital presence isn't just your website URL; it’s everywhere you communicate with the public. If you post a critical update on Facebook or X (formerly Twitter), it needs to be just as accessible as your homepage. Some things to watch out for:

1. Title Case Your Hashtags: Capitalize the first letter of each word (e.g., use #CityCouncilUpdate instead of #citycouncilupdate). This forces screen readers to pronounce the words distinctively rather than garbling them into one long, nonsense sound.
2. Add Mandatory Alt Text: Most social platforms now make it easy to add a description to your images. If you post a photo of a snow plow schedule, the alt text needs to explain that schedule, not just say "truck."
3. Include Captions: If you post a video, it needs accurate closed captions. Auto-generated captions are a good start, but they are rarely 100% accurate. Always double-check them.

Why Archiving Matters Here

Compliance isn't just about the moment you post; it's about the record you keep.

If a resident claims they couldn't access a critical alert you posted six months ago, or if a post gets deleted, how do you prove it was compliant? This is where social media archiving acts as your safety net. By automatically capturing your posts (and their metadata), you preserve proof of what was communicated and how, ensuring you are audit-ready without having to take manual screenshots.

4. Stay Compliant Following These Best Practices for Government Websites

The biggest mistake agencies make is treating accessibility as a one-time project. You fix the site, launch it, and high-five the team. Six months later, it’s broken again because new content was uploaded incorrectly.

True accessibility requires website governance to maintain standards over time.

• Don't Trust Robots: Automated scanning tools are great, but they typically catch less than half of actual accessibility errors. They can tell you if an image is missing a tag, but they can't tell you if the tag makes sense. You still need human eyes on your high-traffic pages.
• Check Your Vendors: If you buy a third-party tool, like a rec center scheduler or a payment portal, you are likely responsible for its accessibility. Don't just take their word for it; ask for their VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) documents before you sign the contract.
• Assign Responsibility: Who checks the accessibility of a press release before it goes live? If the answer is "everyone," then the answer is really "no one."

Is your agency ready for the new standards?

The path to compliance doesn't have to be overwhelming. It just requires the right tools and a little preparation. With ADA deadlines approaching, now is the time to make sure your digital communications hold up—today and years from now. A CivAll demo shows how agencies stay compliant, accessible, and prepared without adding more manual work.

We help government agencies streamline their digital operations. From ensuring your social media records are compliant and archived to building future-ready government platforms that serve every constituent, we’re here to help you govern with confidence.