GoDaddy Website Accessibility & ADA Compliance

Make your GoDaddy website ADA and WCAG 2.1 compliant. Fix common GoDaddy Website Builder accessibility issues and avoid legal risk.

8 min read

Introduction

GoDaddy Website Builder (formerly GoCentral) is used by millions of small businesses, but accessibility customization is severely limited. The platform's drag-and-drop editor doesn't expose ARIA attributes or semantic HTML controls, making full WCAG compliance impossible without custom code.

Small businesses with GoDaddy sites face the same ADA lawsuit risk as large companies. Demand letters target businesses of all sizes. ADA plaintiff law firms increasingly use automated scanners to identify accessible violations across thousands of small business websites.

Legal Risk: Websites built on GoDaddy Website Builder are subject to ADA Title III requirements. Over 200+ lawsuits target GoDaddy Website Builder sites annually. 85% of sites are non-compliant.

Common Accessibility Issues

No Alt Text Control for ImagescriticalWCAG 2.1 AA 1.1.1

GoDaddy Website Builder doesn't provide alt text fields for all image types.

Form Labels Not EditableseriousWCAG 2.1 AA 1.3.1

Contact forms in GoDaddy Website Builder have limited label customization.

Color Contrast Limited ControlseriousWCAG 2.1 AA 1.4.3

GoDaddy theme color presets don't guarantee WCAG contrast ratios.

No Skip NavigationmoderateWCAG 2.1 AA 2.4.1

GoDaddy Website Builder doesn't include skip navigation links.

How to Fix Common Issues

Add Alt Text in GoDaddy

Before (inaccessible)

Image uploaded with no alt text (GoDaddy default)

After (accessible)

Add alt text: Settings > Image > Alt Text field in image editor. Use descriptive text like 'Dentist performing teeth cleaning procedure'.

GoDaddy allows alt text for some image blocks. Access via the image settings panel. For background images, use the section description field as a workaround.

Custom CSS for Accessibility

Before (inaccessible)

/* No skip link */

After (accessible)

.skip-link { position: absolute; top: -40px; left: 0; background: #000; color: #fff; padding: 8px; z-index: 100; }
.skip-link:focus { top: 0; }

Add custom CSS in GoDaddy's CSS editor (Website > Website Settings > Advanced > Custom CSS). Add skip link HTML via custom HTML block at top of page.

GoDaddy Website Builder-Specific Notes

GoDaddy Website Builder has the most limited accessibility customization of major builders. For serious accessibility compliance, consider migrating to WordPress or a custom site. GoDaddy Managed WordPress hosting gives you full WordPress accessibility control. GoDaddy's website builder is best for very simple sites with minimal interactive elements.

Accessibility Statistics

200+

Lawsuits per year

85%

Sites non-compliant

20-40 hours (limited options)

Avg fix time

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make my GoDaddy site fully WCAG 2.1 AA compliant?

Full compliance is difficult with GoDaddy Website Builder due to limited customization. You can address image alt text and some color issues. For full compliance, consider GoDaddy's Managed WordPress option or a custom site.

Should I add an accessibility overlay to my GoDaddy site?

No. Accessibility overlays don't achieve real WCAG compliance and have been sued alongside the websites they claim to protect. Focus on native fixes or migrate to a more flexible platform.

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WCAG 2.1

ADA

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