The importance of web accessibility
Web accessibility is not simply a regulatory requirement—it is a crucial factor in website performance, user experience (UX), and search visibility. By investing in website accessibility you can:
- Enhance SEO performance: Search engines prioritize well-structured, accessible sites, leading to improved rankings and discoverability.
- Expand audience reach: Making a website accessible ensures that users of all abilities can engage with content, increasing potential conversions.
- Improve UX: Accessible design principles lead to a more intuitive and frictionless experience for all users, not just those with disabilities.
- Improve conversion rates: An accessible website improves conversion rates by enhancing usability, expanding audience reach, improving SEO, reducing friction in the user journey, and building trust through a seamless, inclusive experience. This article does a good job of highlighting accessibility from an ROI perspective: What’s the ROI of Web Accessibility?
Many websites fail to meet basic accessibility standards, causing frustration for users and lost opportunities for businesses. Here are some of the most common mistakes:
Missing or inadequate alt text
Images without descriptive alt text prevent screen readers from accurately conveying their meaning to visually impaired users.
Insufficient color contrast
Low contrast between text and background makes content difficult to read for users with visual impairments.
Non-descriptive link text
Generic links such as “click here” or “read more” do not provide meaningful context for users navigating with screen readers.
Inaccessible forms
Forms without proper labels, focus indicators, or clear error messages can be difficult or impossible for assistive technology users to complete.
Lack of keyboard navigation
Users who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse may be unable to navigate a website if interactive elements do not support keyboard input.
Addressing accessibility concerns may seem complex but small improvements over time can yield significant benefits. Here are a few really helpful tools to get started learing about web accessibility.
- WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): Provides automated accessibility reports and highlights areas requiring attention. You can see information on the browser extension here.
- axe DevTools: A browser extension that detects accessibility violations in real time.
- Google Lighthouse:Evaluates accessibility alongside performance and SEO, offering actionable insights for improvement. Learn about their scoring system.
- Color Contrast Checker: Ensures that text and visual elements meet contrast ratio requirements for readability.
- Our team publishes content related to web accessibility on our blog which you can find here!
Achieving web accessibility goes beyond compliance—it creates an inclusive, user-friendly digital experience.
Reach out to a member of our accessibility team to chat about a website audit for your website. It’s free!
You can find the form on our website accessibility page.
