6 Benefits of Accessible Website Design
Penny Dower Hunt, 3 December 2022.
People with disabilities face unique challenges when using the internet. It can be difficult for them to navigate websites, read your content, and find information. However, following simple design guidelines can prevent this from happening on your website.
Accessible web design makes your website easier to use and navigate and gives all users equal access to your website's content. That will help attract new customers and make your existing customers feel more welcome. For this reason, today, we will discuss the six benefits of accessible website design.
Having a more accessible website will undoubtedly attract more visitors.
1: Widen your reach
In the USA alone, there are over 60 million people with disabilities. If you fail to make your site accessible, you will turn away a significant portion of your potential audience. In fact, according to one study from the United Kingdom, businesses lost nearly US$15 billion in just one year because their websites weren't accessible to people with disabilities. That said, if you implement the necessary changes to make your website more accessible, you will be able to reach a much wider demographic.
There is an estimated $220 billion yearly spending power among the disabled community. Not only is it moral, but it is also financially prudent to take note of this market.
2. Website usability for everyone
As we alluded to earlier, making your website more accessible will enhance its functionality and aesthetics. According to experts from azcitationservices.com, by using web accessibility best practices, you can iron out any issues you may have with your interface, load times, and navigation. That is not only going to help you make your website more accessible for people with disabilities but more intuitive for everyone else.
You will receive more organic traffic if your web design is user-friendly.
3: Better search engine optimization
Google's primary focus is enhancing the user experience. If its search engine produces higher-quality and more relevant results, more people will trust it. You can trace this philosophy back to Google's beginnings. For these and other reasons, Google has significantly invested in its people and infrastructure to improve product accessibility. That care and attention naturally translate to Google's ranking algorithms.
Several forms of accessibility are known to be used as considerations in search engine rankings.
- Image Alt text
- Transcripts for videos
- Closed captioning
- Accessible navigation
You must take measures for SEO for your client's website, as Google Crawler will notice it. But, more importantly, it will help the website get ranked on SERP.
In this case, it's not hard to see the connection. Because of the common ground between optimisation, prioritising the latter will typically lead to achieving the former. Put another way, if you focus on accessibility, everyone benefits.
4: A competitive edge
If you want to make it in today's very competitive internet market, you need to find a way to stand out from the crowd. That said, there are many ways to stand out. For instance, you can provide unique services and offer your material in a novel manner relative to the competition. However, having a more accessible website design may also aid in this endeavour. For starters, there's the previously discussed expansion of the target demographic. But there's more to it than that.
Advocating for a more accessible website requires a public relations push and an explanation of how the company will benefit from the move. A powerful way to show compassion and make a statement is to advocate for the social environment in a way that includes people with disabilities.
Having a more accessible website design will give you a competitive edge
5: Prevents potential legal trouble
Many businesses are not intentionally dismissive of people with disabilities; they simply haven't given the issue much thought. As a result, they may not realise how easy it is to make their sites accessible and conform to all legal requirements. Your business or organisation may have legal responsibilities regarding online accessibility. If ignored, your organisation risks suffering costly lawsuits and other negative publicity.
The best action is to implement an accessibility policy and ensure that your website conforms to all applicable standards and regulations. By doing so, you will avoid potential legal and reputational issues while improving your organisation's overall visibility on the web.
6: Enhances your online reputation
Having a user-friendly website may also improve your company's credibility. If you're wondering why and how this is possible, it's mostly because restricting access to your website is the same as telling potential customers not to bother you. These online platforms do not provide all users equal access to your company's content and services. That is why making your website more accessible will enhance and strengthen your brand reputation.
Individuals with disabilities who have a good online experience submit positive evaluations and refer you to others. That is also something that's going to help you rank higher and improve organic traffic to your website.
Having an accessible website can also help you rank higher.
The Basics of Accessible Website Design
Now that we have explained all of the benefits, it's time to mention a few of the most critical elements of accessible web design:
Alt text:
When used with screen readers, alt text can provide visually impaired users with textual information to help them understand what they are looking at.
Video and audio alternatives:
The most common form of video and audio alternatives are narrating and captioning, respectively.
Navigation:
Everyone must be able to navigate the entire site with just a keyboard or assistive technology
Colour and contrast:
The browser should allow users to change the current colour scheme, and the contrast ratio of all standard-sized text must be at least 4.5:1.
Conclusion
These are just some elements you should incorporate into your website. Hopefully, the six benefits of accessible website design we have mentioned will convince you to make the necessary changes. We are confident that you won't regret it if you do this.