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Equalize Digital

Website Accessibility Consulting, Training, and Development

Home / Services / Accessible Website & Application Development

Accessible Website & Application Development

Custom website and web application design and development from an accessibility-first perspective for enterprise, government, education, and nonprofit websites.

Let’s Build Something New

Sometimes remediating an existing site doesn’t make sense – whether because of the sheer number of issues present, past technical debt, or because branding and messaging have shifted. Whether you’re ready to refresh your online presence or are starting something new, our team of designers and developers can help you launch a professional, on-brand website that is fully accessible and WCAG compliant.

Equalize Digital has designed and developed custom websites for enterprise businesses, colleges and universities, government agencies, K-12 schools, nonprofits, and a variety of other businesses.

Each website or web application we build is designed to meet the specific business and marketing needs of the client and is optimized not only for accessibility, but also for search engine ranking, user experience, and conversions. If you’re looking for creative vision and strategic thinking in addition to accessibility expertise, you’re in the right place.

Capabilities

  • WCAG 2.1, ADA, and Section 508 compliant websites
  • Mobile-first design and development
  • User journey mapping and UX
  • E-commerce and online stores
  • User portals and intranet sites
  • Custom WordPress theme and plugin development
  • Ongoing website hosting and technical support

Sample Past Projects

Equalize Digital has launched hundreds of custom websites over the past 15+ years, working with a variety of nonprofit, for-profit, and government organizations worldwide. We pride ourselves on delivering highly-flexible, fast, secure, mobile-friendly, and easy to manage websites that are, most importantly, WCAG 2.1, ADA, and Section 508 compliant. In addition to placing priority on delivering solutions that prioritize user experience, we also have extensive experience with search engine optimization and content marketing. Our team can handle all aspects of your new website project from design to code to content creation.

Workforce Solutions Panhandle website on a desktop monitor and portal on a laptop

Workforce Solutions Panhandle

Website and customer portal designed and developed for Workforce Solutions Panhandle, an American Job Center network partner providing employment assistance and job training in the Texas Panhandle. The public-facing website allows WSP staff to easily manage content without developer assistance. The portal allows staff to communicate with and onboard new customers, remotely. 

CO-WY AMP Website Home Page on Desktop Computer

CO-WY Alliance for Minority Participation

The CO-WY Alliance for Minority Participation is a two-state initiative funded by the National Science Foundation that supports students, programs at individual schools, and initiatives meant to increase the number of underrepresented students in STEM. The website allows students and faculty members across 16 partner institutions to connect and provides valuable resources to minority and first-generation college students.

Friends for Life Home Page on Desktop Computer

Friends for Life

Friends For Life is a nonprofit animal shelter based in Houston, Texas. Friends For Life’s website is a major contributor to their success as an organization as they use it to feature adoptable pets, accept volunteer and adoption applications, and raise funds for the organization.

Lesbians Who Tech Sponsor Portal Dashboard

Lesbians Who Tech Sponsor Portal

Sponsor portal developed for Lesbians Who Tech, an organization that runs conferences and events for LGBTQ+ individuals working in tech. The portal allows event sponsors from Fortune 500 companies to access information about their sponsorship packages and communicate privately with LWT staff. The portal syncs with the Eventbrite API to auto-import attendee information.

Fort Collins Montessori School Home Page on desktop computer

Fort Collins Montessori School

Fort Collins Montessori School is a kindergarten-sixth grade public Montessori charter school in Colorado. The school’s website includes public-facing information about the school as well as a password-protected area for parents and an integrated volunteer sign-up management system.

Our Approach to Custom Website Projects

We have decades of experience executing website projects at every scale and have a carefully refined discovery, design, and development process that allows for a final product that will achieve your organization’s goals and allow you to stand above the competition. In contrast to typical marketing agencies, accessibility is central to our process and every phase of the project includes accessibility reviews and refinement to ensure your final website meets or exceeds your legal requirements for accessibility.

Request Proposal

1) Initial Consultation

We gather key information on your business and define expectations for the project. This preliminary discussion helps us to understand the problem(s) you’re trying to solve, the resources at our disposal, and any limiting factors that may exist. Out of this discussion we’ll create a proposal for your approval.

2) Discovery

Once a proposal is accepted, the project officially begins with a discovery phase. The discovery phase allows us to gain a clearer understanding of business and customer goals, desired design aesthetic, and create a full scope of content needed. We’ll also establish the specific accessibility laws/guidelines which may apply to your organization. During this phase we’ll create user journey maps, navigation structure, a site map, and generate both a content request document and design brief.

3) Content

The content phase is when your team will supply us with all of the content (text, images, CSV files, PDFs, etc.) that will be needed for the website. If desired, we can help you to draft content and can supply stock images. Once all content is ready, we’ll perform a first accessibility review to make sure there are no accessibility problems in the content supplied.

4) Design

Following the content phase, we design the home and interior pages needed for the site. We focus heavily on ensuring that your website design positively represents your brand and puts the information your customers are seeking right at their fingertips, regardless of their abilities. All designs receive an accessibility review to ensure proper color contrast, proximity, etc. By focusing on accessibility early, we create clean, easy-to-navigate designs that draw in visitors and maximize user experience quality.

5) Development

Development begins after designs are approved, though our development team is heavily involved at every stage of your project. Regular check-ins with our developers throughout earlier phases ensures that we are able to execute your project on-time, on budget and within scope. During development, your team will get a break while we turn your designs into a working website.

6) Test & Debug

Every website project includes a rigorous testing & debug phase, during which our team tests every feature, performs a visual check on every page, checks the website’s performance in all major browsers, and reviews project scope to ensure we’re delivering everything promised. These tests are performed by multiple people and any issues uncovered are compiled into a change list for our development team. We often involve our clients heavily in the testing phase — the more eyes, the better has always been our policy. During test and debug, we’ll also run a full accessibility audit on the completed site and remediate any discovered issues.

7) User Testing & Remediation

For clients who want to go the extra mile to ensure the accessibility and usability of their website, we include a user testing phase towards the end of our test and debug period. In this phase we’ll have real-world blind and visually impaired users navigate the site with keyboards and screen readers to identify any additional items that need to be fixed.

8) Launch & Training

Once all testing items are complete, it’s time to launch your website! As your website is launched, our team runs through a final checklist that includes over 30 items — everything from setting up SSL encryption, to configuring Google Analytics conversion goals. This ensures that every website we deliver meets our rigorous internal standards and is delivered securely, in compliance with all current best practices. Following launch, we provide training in the use of your new website, including specialized training in how to maintain the accessibility of the site.

Do you need a new website?

Whether you’re concerned about accessibility compliance or you want to give your online presence a fresh coat of paint, our team is ready to see your project through to completion, and beyond. Because every website is unique, our website proposals are tailored to suit your specific requirements.

Request a Website Proposal

New Website FAQs

What content management systems do you work in?

While we can typically audit and remediate websites in a number of content management systems (or even PHP/HTML sites without databases), all of our custom websites are built within the WordPress CMS.

Can you make existing WordPress plugins accessible?

If you have specific WordPress plugins that you need or want to use on your website but that are not accessible, yes, we can typically resolve the accessibility issues in those plugins by building another plugin to “patch” them. Some WordPress plugins have such a large number of accessibility issues that we may suggest an alternative or suggest that we build something from scratch.

How long does a new website project take?

Website projects typically take a minimum of 5 weeks and can take up to 12 weeks or more for very large projects.  Generally, the amount of time a project will take is dependent upon the size of the website, if there is any complex functionality to build, and how quickly the client is able to respond to questions or provide us with needed content.

If your need is urgent, check with us to see if a rush option is available.

Do you respond to RFPs?

Yes, we do occasionally submit responses to RFPs for new website projects depending upon the scope of the project and timeline. If your agency or organization has an RFP that you would like us to review and respond to, please email it to sales [at] equalizedigital.com. Please note, we do have a strong preference toward responding to RFPs that list a budget.

Can you build websites for enterprise organizations?

Yes. Our team has developed accessible websites and web applications and has provided accessibility consulting for large universities, government agencies, and enterprise-level clients.

Do you host websites?

Yes, we do have hosting and hosting + support plans available. We host websites in a secure, cloud-based managed WordPress environment that includes an SSL certificate, CDN, advanced firewalls, and more. Please inquire for additional information.

Do you provide support post launch?

All website packages include 30 days of unlimited support following the launch of your website. At the conclusion of your included support period, you may elect to purchase a monthly support package or can receive support on an a la carte/as requested basis. For WordPress websites, our support packages include us running plugin, theme, and core updates on a biweekly basis.

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