Why You Should Make Your Website More Accessible

Is your website accessible? We are not talking about whether people can simply reach your site. Your site should be navigable by everyone that visits. From that perspective, your site may have some work to do.  

What Is Accessibility? 

When speaking about accessibility on websites, we mean that every person, regardless of their personal circumstances or disability, should be able to easily navigate or otherwise utilize the service. An accessible website is built with the needs of disabled people in mind.  

A website could ensure subtitles are placed in every video for people with hearing impairments or integrate colors that will not confound people with colorblindness, among many other adaptations.  

Why Is Accessibility Important? 

Accessibility should be included in the design of your business’ website for many reasons, starting with the fact that it is the right thing to do. Businesses are often required by law to provide accessibility for people in the form of ramps, braille signs, and signs with large print. Websites should be no different. 

Accessibility is very helpful at helping the millions of people living with disabilities live a full and independent life instead of counting on others to aid them. 

Lastly, website operators or businesses should want to create an accessible site simply because it will increase the number of people capable of using your website.

Promote Inclusivity 

Leading by example is the best way to promote inclusivity in various spaces, including website design. If more websites are deciding to integrate purposefully inclusive designs, then others are likely to follow. Nobody wants to own the only non-inclusive website in their industry or area. 

Accessibility Is Not a Common Practice 

Unfortunately, most websites are not designed with accessibility in mind. Creating a website that does promote accessibility and inclusivity will help your business stand out from the rest.  

If a person with visual impairments finds that they can work with your site easier than they could work with another, then the chances are high that they will become a repeat customer for you.   

Inclusive Design Is Good Business 

Inclusive design can be a boon for your business. Disabled customers patronize inclusive businesses more often, after all.  Other benefits exist for accessible business websites as well.  

Leads to good web design and SEO 

More and more websites have discovered that using an inclusive approach to web design is leading to better site development. Implementing an accessible site structure not only leads to better UX outcomes but also helps the site rank higher in terms of SEO because of the improved organization and labeling that is common on accessible sites.  

The law increasingly demands accessibility 

Businesses thrive when they can identify and solve future problems before they occur. A growing number of laws are aiming to mandate the inclusivity of websites. It is better to adapt now as a choice than to delay other projects when the law tells you to update your site. 

Improve the user experience for all users 

All users can benefit from an inclusive design. Whether that is having more identifiable text or using a site layout that is navigable by using only the keyboard, a more accessible site leads to better experiences all around.

In the end

Websites are the first point of contact that people have with most businesses. Integrating accessibility into a website will ensure that disabled customers feel comfortable supporting your efforts, and you may reap the other rewards that we have mentioned, too.  

Of course, it is not always easy to make your site accessible on your own. Getting professional aid in this endeavor can vastly improve the outcomes and minimize your blind spots.  

Our experienced web design and development team build beautiful websites that are:

✅ Functional

✅ Accessible

✅ Aesthetically pleasing

✅ Optimized for screens of all sizes (desktop, laptop, tablet, and mobile)

✅ Built with SEO best practices

✅ Secure

✅ Fast

Check out our OPM packages today!