ADA Compliance on HubSpot CMS: A Practical Build Guide

Accessibility isn’t a “nice-to-have.” It’s a product and website requirement — full stop. And if you’re building on HubSpot CMS, the good news is that you can create highly accessible, ADA-aligned websites with the right foundations, components, and governance in place.

This guide breaks down what really matters, what’s required, and how your team can build accessible experiences that support every visitor — while improving overall UX, SEO, and conversions in the process.

Core Accessibility Principles & WCAG 2.2 Essentials

If you’re aiming for compliance, start with the standards that shape it: WCAG 2.2, built around four key principles (POUR):

• Perceivable – Information must be presented in ways users can perceive.

• Operable – All functionality must work via keyboard and other inputs.

• Understandable – Content and interfaces must be clear and predictable.

• Robust – Content must work across browsers, assistive tech, and future technologies.

Most public-facing sites aim for WCAG 2.2 AA, which includes newer criteria like stronger focus appearance requirements and alternatives for drag-and-drop interactions.

For U.S. organizations, the DOJ’s ADA website guidance aligns closely with WCAG 2.2 AA. Education, government, and public-sector audiences often require even stricter adherence.

Laying a Strong Accessibility Foundation on HubSpot CMS

HubSpot gives your team a flexible, modular system — but accessibility must be intentional. A compliant build starts with the essentials:

1. Semantic HTML & Clear Structure

• One H1 per page

• Logical heading hierarchy

• Meaningful, descriptive link text

• Landmark regions for header, nav, main, and footer

2. Color & Contrast

• 4.5:1 contrast for normal text

• 3:1 for large text

• Never rely on color alone to communicate meaning

• Visible, accessible focus states that meet WCAG 2.2 appearance rules

3. Keyboard-Friendly Navigation

Everything — menus, accordions, tabs, forms — must work via keyboard only. No traps, no dead ends, no “mystery meat” focus indicators.

4. Accessible Media

• Alt text that communicates purpose and context

• Captions for video

• Transcripts for audio

• Audio descriptions when visuals convey unique meaning

5. Forms That Everyone Can Use

• Labels programmatically connected to inputs

• Field sets/legends for grouped fields

• Descriptive error messages tied to fields via aria-describedby

• Never use placeholders as labels

6. Accessible Components & Modules

HubSpot’s modular system shines when accessibility is built into every component:

• Buttons with accessible names

• Dialogs with proper focus management

• Tables with headers, scopes, and captions

• Accordion/tab structures using proven ARIA patterns

Component-level governance ensures your content editors don’t accidentally break accessibility as the site grows.

Design, Content, and Development Tactics That Strengthen Accessibility

Great accessibility happens when design, copy, and engineering work together.

Design Best Practices

• Readable typography: sufficient weight, size, and line height

• Minimum target size: 24×24 CSS pixels

• High-contrast focus states

• Reduced motion options and limited animation

Content Best Practices

• Use clear, plain language

• Descriptive headings and meaningful link text

• Avoid “click here” — explain the action

• Provide contextual form instructions before users interact

• For complex data, offer tables or CSV downloads

Development Best Practices for HubSpot CMS

• Use semantic HTML first; ARIA only when necessary

• Validate that toggles, tabs, and accordions support Enter/Space and arrow keys

• Add skip links for keyboard users

• Ensure dynamically injected content preserves focus state and screen reader announcements

• Optimize performance so assistive tech doesn’t lag

And of course:
Run automated checks + manual keyboard and screen-reader tests. Both matter.

Testing, Remediation & Long-Term Governance

Accessibility isn’t a project — it’s a practice. And it needs structure to last.

Your Testing Stack Should Include:

• Automated scanning tools

• Manual keyboard testing

• Screen reader testing (NVDA, VoiceOver)

• WCAG 2.2 AA-aligned acceptance criteria

• A repeatable bug-reporting template

Ongoing CMS Governance

• Recurring audits of templates and modules

• Accessibility checks before new components ship

• Caption/transcript confirmations on media-heavy pages

• Proper form labeling and error handling verification

Organizational Governance

• Document standards in your design system

• Build accessibility into editorial guidelines

• Appoint an internal accessibility owner or committee

• Add accessibility checks to your QA and sprint workflows

• Track accessibility bugs alongside other product issues

Show Your Work

Create an Accessibility Statement outlining:

• Your WCAG target level

• Known limitations

• How users can report issues

• Your process for continuous improvement

Track KPIs like:

• Open accessibility defect count

• Time-to-remediate

• Lighthouse accessibility score improvements

When you invest in accessibility, you’re also investing in better UX, stronger SEO, and higher conversions. Accessible sites simply perform better for everyone.

Ready to Make Your HubSpot CMS Website ADA-Compliant?

If you want a clearer picture of where your site stands, we can help. Our team offers a free accessibility audit to identify risks, opportunities, and practical next steps tailored to your HubSpot ecosystem.