There are one out of four adult Americans living with a disability. And according to statistics, 54% of all disabled adults in the US use the internet daily. That is a lot of people that rely solely on web-accessible websites. But the benefits of web accessibility are for all users. Every customer that can access your website, is a benefit to your business.
There are 5 main advantages of web accessibility that are notable:
Improves Site Usability
Accessible websites are of much higher quality. They are more operable, simple to navigate, and easier for everyone to understand. The text is readable, and color contrasts are clearer. Whether or not you have a disability, this is much nicer on the eye.
To make your site accessible you often must clean up your code and eliminate bugs. The process can take some time. However, your entire user base will grow when you focus on usability and accessibility for your site. Consequently, your new clients are fiercely loyal to sites that accommodate their needs.
Avoid Lawsuits
Web accessibility lawsuits are growing rapidly. There was a lawsuit against Beyoncé’s website that brought attention and awareness to the issue. Similarly, companies such as Foot Locker, Kylie Jenner, and Brooks Brothers have been sued for not providing an accessible website. Web accessibility-related lawsuits have risen by 300% since 2018. This is completely preventable if your standards are in line with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Implementing these guidelines is a wise investment. Not only do they protect you from a lawsuit, but they open you up to a huge community of people.
Boost Your Companies Reputation
Having an ADA-compliant website is mentionable. It opens the door for millions of customers, you might not ever have had, to access your website. There are so few websites that fully comply with the ADA. The few that do are frequented often by this large people group. When you can promote your compliance with ADA, you can show you care by marketing and welcoming almost a ¼ of our population that had no access to your site.
Becoming ADA compliant can boost and strengthen your brands’ reputation. When people with disabilities have a positive experience with your website, they are more likely to recommend you on social media as well as with family and friends. We live in a day where reviews can make or break your business.
Better SEO
The methods and goals of SEO and web accessibility are very much aligned. The things you need to change to make your site accessible will boost the rankings and increase your bounce rate. As a result, your website will appeal to screen readers and search engines. Several search ranking components are standard for WCAG:
- Easy navigation
- Closed captioning
- Image ALT text
- Transcripts for videos
- Support for mobile devices
- Voice search (Bixby, Siri, and Alexa)
In essence, an accessible site is set up to feed right into Google’s search engines. They compliment and serve each other well.
Broadens Target Audience
Making your website accessible to this large and appreciative audience is simply good business sense. As mentioned above, the disabled make up a considerable part of our country. When you open the door for them to access your website, this can only benefit your business and broaden your audience.
In Conclusion
Imagine going to bed being able to hear and waking up completely deaf. Your entire focus in life would change. Closed Captions would be at the forefront of your website experience. Something you never thought twice about before. When in fact, 10 million people are hard of hearing and almost 1 million are completely deaf. And this is just one type of disability. To think that less than 10% of sites are web-accessible should raise two big flags. First, there is a large audience in need of access to a great many businesses. And second, your business can grow exponentially when you grant them that doorway.
Having an accessible website is a positive move for both your audience and your business. What we do today to connect with the disabled community will be a lifeline in our future. So, let’s do it well.
https://www.w3.org/WAI/standards-guidelines/wcag/
https://www.ada.gov/
https://www.360webdesigns.com/standard-practice-for-ada-website-compliance/
