Just think, by not making your website accessible, you are probably loosing out on prospective customers in disabled users. Commerce aside, it just makes more sense and is the ethical thing to do. Optimize your website today or users with disabilities with this tips:
What is an accessible website?
A website built with technologies and tools making it easier for a user with disability to interact, use and communicate with a website is called a accessible website. Without these special features, exploring and consuming content from a website can be a challenging experience for a users with auditory, cognitive, speech, visual and physical disabilities. Let us try and explore why designing a website with accessibility in minds is not only beneficial for disabled users but for website owners as well:
Equal Access for All:
If you have published a website, you would want as many users to consume your content as possible. Making your website accessible just adds to your user base by making it usable for people with disabilities. you get more users and interaction on your website and they get a site they can use, a win-win for both! According to world health organization over a billion people a year experience some form of disability, thats a huge pool of potential customers for any business website.
Legal Requirements
It is now legally required in several countries for business websites to be accessible to individuals with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are two prominent examples. Non-compliance with these regulations can lead to legal consequences, including lawsuits and reputational damage. Having an accessible website makes your compliant with the law and also shows your commitment towards the disabled community and your social responsibility.
User Experience
Web accessibility features are equally beneficial for other users on the website as well, Consider the example of video captions on your website, while this is very useful for hearing disabled users it can also benefits users in noisy environments or those who prefer to watch videos without sound. Accessibility features like clear navigation, descriptive headings, and organized content structure can make user experience better, making it easier for all visitors to find and interact with the information they seek.
Search Engine Optimization
This aspect of having an accessible website for SEO is often overlooked but accessible website can have a positive impact on your overall SEO score. Search engines, like Google, favor websites with relevant content and improved user experience, websites that are accessible can provide a good user experience and tend to rank higher in search results. By implementing accessibility, you can better the website’s structure, its content, metadata, making it index easily with search engines, ultimately driving more organic traffic to your site.
How to make your website Accessible ?
- Images should always have alt text
- Allow users to increase the font size of text
- Check contrast sensitivity
- Keyboard navigation
- Caption your media content
- Use placeholders
- Avoid tables if possible
Conclusion
Simply put, having accessibility features on your website is a smart choice you can make for your business website. It enables users with disablility to interact with your content, increases your user base and also help you meet legal requirement while improving your SEO score. By adopting a accessible website, you create a more inclusive online environment, contributing to a more equitable and empowered society.
For all your NDIS related web development and website development with accessibility in mind, please contact our team or email us.
