Every version of this checklist covers the same ground under different headings, which is why searching for it returns four names for one document. What none of them do is tell you what your list will cost, and that is the number that decides whether the work is scheduled. This page is the checklist grouped the way a developer works, with the sheet doing the arithmetic: on the worked example the list comes to 401 issues, 167 hours and $15,872 across 240 pages and nine templates.
ADA website checklist: the template items, which are worth the most
Landmarks and a skip link, one h1 per page with a sensible heading order, a visible focus indicator on everything focusable, contrast that meets the ratio, a keyboard-operable navigation including any dropdown, and a language attribute on the html element. Fourteen failing criteria across nine templates is 126 issues on the worked example, and each fix reaches 26 pages.
The content items, which are the long tail
Alt text on images that carry meaning and empty alt on the decorative ones, link text that makes sense out of context, tables with real headers, captions on video, and headings used for structure rather than for size. On the worked example 180 images with no alt text are the single largest line, and they are also the cheapest per issue.
The interaction items, which are where the complaints are
Every form control labeled, errors identified in text as well as color, no keyboard trap in modals, focus returned when a dialog closes, and enough time to complete anything timed. Six forms at two issues each is small in count and large in consequence: this is the group a customer actually complains about.
Questions people ask about ADA compliance website checklist
Is one ADA 508 compliance checklist enough for both?
Yes. Both point at WCAG Level AA, so one list satisfies both; only the evidence a buyer wants differs.
How do we know a criterion is failing?
Scan for the machine-checkable ones and test the rest by keyboard and screen reader on two pages of each template.
Should a website ADA compliance checklist be per page or per template?
Per template, with content items counted per page. That is what makes the total both honest and actionable.