“But We Already Have an Overlay”: How to Win Accessibility Clients in 2025
A prospect’s website has 47 keyboard navigation failures, empty headings, confusing screen reader announcements, and form labels that don’t exist.
But they tell you they’re “covered” because they installed an accessibility overlay for $49/month.
If you’re a WordPress agency, you’ve heard this. Probably this week.
Here’s how to handle this conversation without sounding like you’re just trying to upsell them.
Start With Empathy (They Were Sold a Story)
Your prospect isn’t stupid. They made a reasonable decision based on what they were told:
“Install this widget and you’re website is accessible.”
It’s compelling. It’s simple. And for a business owner who doesn’t understand accessibility, it sounds perfect.
Don’t start by telling them they screwed up. Start by acknowledging they tried to do the right thing. Then help them understand what “the right thing” actually looks like.
The Three Questions That Cut Through the Marketing
Instead of launching into a technical explanation about why overlays don’t work, ask these three questions:
“Have you tested your site with an actual screen reader since installing the overlay?”
Most haven’t. When they say no, offer to show them. Five minutes of watching a screen reader or keyboard only user struggle with their “accessible” site is worth more than any PowerPoint deck.
“Have you tested your site with free tools like WAVE to see if issues remain since installing the overlay?”
They probably haven’t. Most people are shocked to discover dozens of serious accessibility issues that the overlay missed—despite its claims of making their site accessible.
If you need a detailed accessibility report to share with prospects, consider using the free Insi demo at insihub.com/demo. There’s nothing to install, and it creates a professional, shareable report you can use to walk prospects through why their current overlay solution is failing. Insi partners can also host the demo on their own website.
“Have you looked at what disability rights organizations say about overlays?”
The National Federation of the Blind, the National Association of the Deaf, and dozens of disability advocacy groups have explicitly condemned overlay solutions. When the people you’re supposedly helping are telling you it doesn’t work, that’s worth listening to.
What They Actually Need (And What to Charge)
Here’s where most agencies fumble the transition. You’ve established that overlays don’t work. Now what?
Don’t pitch accessibility as a one-time project. That’s the same false promise overlays make.
Accessibility is ongoing for three reasons:
- Content changes – New blog posts, product descriptions, and landing pages introduce new issues
- Plugin updates – WordPress plugins update constantly, and updates frequently break accessibility
- Compliance standards evolve – WCAG 2.2 added requirements that weren’t in 2.1
Position yourself to provide continuous accessibility monitoring and remediation as a retainer service.
The Retainer Structure That Works
Tier 1: Accessibility Monitoring ($200-400/month)
- Regular automated scanning
- Monthly accessibility metrics reports
- Email alerts when new issues appear
- Priority list of issues to fix
Tier 2: Monitoring + Remediation ($600-1,200/month)
- Everything in Tier 1
- Monthly remediation sprints (4-8 hours)
- Fix high-priority accessibility issues
- Documentation for client’s internal team
Tier 3: Comprehensive Accessibility Management ($1,500-3,000/month)
- Everything in Tier 2
- Quarterly manual testing
- Staff training for content editors and designers
- VPAT documentation (if required for government contracts)
- Accessibility statement maintenance
These aren’t arbitrary numbers. They’re based on the actual time required to maintain accessibility on a WordPress site, plus the risk you’re helping clients avoid.
The Objection You’ll Hear: “That’s More Than the Overlay”
Yes. It is.
Here’s your response:
An overlay costs you $500-600 per year and doesn’t actually make your site accessible. It just adds a widget that disability rights organizations have explicitly said makes their experience worse. This retainer costs $2,400-4,800 per year and actually remediates the accessibility barriers on your site. It also includes monitoring to catch new issues before they become lawsuits. A single ADA lawsuit settlement averages $20,000-50,000 in legal fees alone. Which risk makes more sense?
The Documentation That Closes Deals
When you’re competing against “just install this overlay,” you need to make the invisible visible.
Create a comparison document that shows:
What the overlay claims to fix:
- Lists their marketing promises
- Shows their website copy
What it actually does:
- Screen reader testing results showing failures
- Keyboard navigation issues that still exist
- Poor accessibility scanning results, despite having an overlay installed
- Real user testimonials about overlay problems
What your approach provides:
- Specific before/after examples from similar sites
- Timeline for remediation
- Ongoing monitoring process
- Legal risk reduction documentation
Bring this to prospect meetings. Walk through it together. Let them see the difference between marketing claims and actual remediation.
When They Still Choose the Overlay
Sometimes they will. Budget constraints are real, and not every business is ready to prioritize accessibility properly.
When this happens, document it.
Send a follow-up email that says:
I understand you’ve chosen to use an overlay solution for now. I want to make sure you understand the limitations of this approach. [List the specific risks]. If you’d like to discuss a more comprehensive accessibility strategy in the future, I’m here to help.
Then check in with them every six months. Overlay vendors come and go. Lawsuits happen. When they’re ready for a real solution, you want to be the first call they make.
The Real Reason This Matters
This isn’t just about winning clients. It’s about building a WordPress ecosystem where accessibility is actually taken seriously instead of being treated as compliance theater.
Every agency that positions accessibility as ongoing infrastructure instead of a one-time fix moves the industry forward.
Every time you help a client understand why overlays don’t work, you’re protecting real people with disabilities from a worse web experience.
And yes, you’re also building a more sustainable business model for your agency. Recurring revenue from accessibility retainers is better for everyone than one-time project fees.
What This Looks Like in Practice
Here’s what you’re selling:
Month 1: Initial accessibility audit, prioritized remediation plan Month 2-3: Fix critical and high-priority issues Month 4+: Ongoing monitoring, monthly remediation sprints, new issue resolution
After six months, the client’s site is genuinely more accessible. Not “technically compliant on paper” but actually usable by people with disabilities.
That’s a story you can tell. That’s a reference you can use. That’s a case study that wins new clients.
The overlay vendors can’t say any of that.
The question isn’t whether overlays are better than nothing. The question is whether you’re going to help your clients make informed decisions about accessibility or let them believe marketing promises that won’t protect them.
