AODA Website Accessibility Checklist for Ontario Small Businesses Before a Redesign
If your business is planning a website redesign, accessibility should be part of the project before new layouts, forms, or content go live. It is much easier to catch navigation, contrast, heading, and form issues during planning than it is to patch them after launch.
For Ontario businesses, that matters for both usability and compliance risk. Accessibility work is not just a technical add-on. It affects whether people can read your content, submit your forms, navigate your menus, and complete the next step without friction. It also helps your team avoid rebuilding pages twice because basic issues were missed in discovery.
This checklist is designed for small and mid-sized Ontario businesses that want a practical review before a redesign, migration, or content refresh. If you already know you need hands-on support, Design Tactics also offers digital accessibility and AODA compliance support alongside broader website design services.
Why run an accessibility checklist before a redesign?
A redesign usually changes templates, navigation, calls to action, media, and lead forms all at once. That creates a window where accessibility problems can either be fixed efficiently or accidentally multiplied across the new site.
For example, a Kingston service business may replace an older theme with a cleaner modern design, but still carry over weak heading structure, low-contrast buttons, inaccessible PDF downloads, or forms that are hard to use on a keyboard. A quick visual review is not enough. You need a checklist that looks at content, interaction, and launch readiness together.
Start with scope, templates, and high-traffic pages
Before reviewing individual issues, decide what needs to be checked first. Most businesses do not need to begin with every archived article or attachment. Start with:
- the homepage
- main service pages
- contact and quote-request forms
- location pages
- download pages, menus, and key landing pages
If your redesign will reuse one page template across dozens of pages, fixing that template early can remove a large amount of repeated accessibility debt.
Checklist item 1: Confirm heading structure and page clarity
Every important page should have one clear H1 and a logical H2/H3 structure underneath it. This helps screen-reader users, but it also makes content easier for everyone to scan.
Check for:
- one clear H1 per page
- headings used to organize sections, not just style text
- no skipped structure where an H4 appears before an H2
- clear labels on service sections, FAQs, pricing notes, and contact steps
If a page feels visually clean but the heading order is confusing in the code, fix that before launch.
Checklist item 2: Test keyboard navigation and focus states
A site should be usable without a mouse. This is one of the fastest ways to catch real interaction problems before a redesign goes live.
Use the Tab key to move through the page and check whether you can:
- reach the main menu and submenus
- see where keyboard focus currently sits
- open forms, popups, and accordions
- submit the main contact or quote form
- close overlays without getting trapped
If the focus outline disappears, jumps unpredictably, or becomes trapped inside a modal, the redesign is not ready yet.
Checklist item 3: Review forms, labels, and error handling
Many Ontario small businesses rely on website forms as a primary lead path. If those forms are difficult to use, accessibility becomes a conversion problem as well as a compliance concern.
Check that:
- every field has a visible label
- required fields are identified clearly
- error messages explain what needs to be fixed
- placeholders are not doing the full job of labels
- success and error states are understandable without colour alone
This is especially important on quote-request, intake, and booking forms where a missed submission can mean a missed lead.
Checklist item 4: Check colour contrast, buttons, and link states
Brand updates often introduce accessibility problems when colour choices look polished in a mockup but become hard to read in real use. Light grey text, low-contrast buttons, and links that only change colour can all create friction.
Review:
- body text against background colours
- button text and hover states
- links inside paragraphs
- text over images or banners
- form instructions and disclaimers in smaller type
If a user has to strain to read a call to action, that is both a usability issue and a business issue.
Checklist item 5: Audit images, icons, PDFs, and embedded media
Accessibility work is not limited to text pages. Businesses often miss supporting assets that remain live for years after launch.
Review whether:
- important images have useful alt text when needed
- decorative images are not being announced unnecessarily
- icons have clear labels or supporting text
- videos include captions when appropriate
- downloadable PDFs are still necessary and can be used accessibly
If a PDF exists only because it was convenient to upload, consider whether the information should live on an HTML page instead.
Checklist item 6: Review mobile usability and zoom behaviour
Accessibility problems often show up differently on mobile devices. Tap targets can become too small, forms can be harder to complete, and important content can disappear or become clipped at larger zoom levels.
Before launch, test key pages on a phone and tablet and check whether users can:
- read content without pinching constantly
- tap navigation and buttons easily
- complete forms without layout breakage
- access contact details, maps, and directions cleanly
This is especially useful for local businesses whose users may be searching on mobile while trying to call, book, or request a quote.
Checklist item 7: Watch third-party tools and plugin behaviour
Many accessibility issues come from components that were not written by your team. Sliders, popups, chat widgets, cookie banners, booking tools, and form plugins can all create new problems after a redesign.
Check third-party tools for:
- keyboard access
- focus management
- screen-reader labels
- timed popups that interrupt reading
- mobile overlays that block content or forms
If a plugin creates repeated accessibility problems across the site, replacing or reconfiguring it may be faster than trying to patch every instance.
Checklist item 8: Build a remediation list before launch day
An accessibility review is only useful if the fixes are prioritized clearly. Before the redesign launches, sort findings into three groups:
- Must-fix before launch: broken forms, keyboard traps, unreadable contrast, missing structure on core pages
- Fix in the immediate post-launch sprint: secondary content issues, older downloads, lower-priority template cleanup
- Monitor and improve over time: legacy content, archive pages, lower-value assets
This keeps the project realistic while still protecting the most important user journeys.
A practical note on AODA expectations
AODA-related website reviews should be handled carefully and specifically. Not every business has the same obligations, and accessibility is not something to reduce to a checkbox exercise. In practice, many teams use WCAG AA-style standards as the working benchmark behind an AODA-oriented web review, but the right next step depends on your site, your content, and your risk level.
The safest approach is to treat accessibility as part of quality control, not as a last-minute legal patch.
What to do next if your checklist finds issues
If your review uncovers repeated problems across templates, forms, or core service pages, do not wait until after launch to decide who owns the fixes. Assign responsibilities during the project, confirm what the developer or designer will correct, and make sure the updated pages are re-tested before the site goes live.
If you want a practical review of your current site or redesign plan, contact Design Tactics. We can help you review accessibility priorities, reduce launch risk, and make sure the site supports real users as well as your business goals.