Adding accessibility to a website has become a necessity today. Besides the obvious benefit of helping people with disabilities use websites with more ease, there are other reasons why business owners should consider web accessibility. Today we want to talk a bit more about this subject and show you why you need to focus on website accessibility and make the change as quickly as possible.

1. Web accessibility improves SEO

The goal of SEO is to improve your website’s online rating and increase organic traffic. There is no doubt that SEO saw significant changes in the past decade, and we can all expect new changes in the future. One of the more efficient ways to boost your SEO is by making your website accessible. This tells search engines that your website offers assistance to people with disabilities, opening a whole new group of customers. That’s why we love SEO so much – it brings many possibilities if you do it the right way.

If you make your website accessible, it will always be in front of other websites in your niche.

2. Avoid legal issues

Web accessibility is a civil right for everyone. Since technology is advancing rapidly, it does not make sense that people with disabilities have a hard time accessing websites. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that people with disabilities have the same ease of access to all public services.

When it comes to web accessibility, there are no strict rules yet. However, there were several legal cases where companies were legally prosecuted because their websites were not made accessible. The number of lawsuits is going up, and there is no reason to risk the safety of your business by not making your website accessible. When we talk about modern digital marketing strategies, that would be a mistake.

Converting your website to an accessible website is an excellent way to avoid claims of discrimination.

3. Web accessibility creates positive PR

Just how technology and businesses evolve, that’s how customers change. Today’s customers are more demanding, and they prefer to choose brands that support their views of the world. Public relations are more important than ever.

The same thing applies to business partners. Everyone wants to work with companies that share their interests and values. If you make your website accessible, that will do wonders for your PR status.

Consumers will notice this, and they will understand that you want to do your part in fighting for everyone’s equal rights. At the same time, it will be easier to find business partners. Everyone wants to associate with companies that support equality.

On a different note, not making your website accessible could harm your public status. Customers might even walk away from your business. Maybe not today, but as the need for website accessibility grows higher, that is more likely to happen. With that in mind, you should make the transition now. People starting with digital marketing should understand the importance of web accessibility.

4. Web accessibility increases usability

Besides boosting your SEO and PR rating, web accessibility has another fantastic benefit. It improves the usability of your website. People with disabilities will have a hard time using your website the way it was intended. The goal is to make products and services on your website accessible.

Websites that don’t support accessibility require a mouse. However, those websites that support web accessibility allow users to navigate with the keyboard as well. This further implies that all the navigational elements on your website work as intended. The structure is well organized, and without that, you could not add this feature.

Navigating a website with a keyboard makes it easier to locate the content. Furthermore, adding features like alternative text for objects and images and definitions of technical terms will also help people who use English as a second language. Business owners should consider web accessibility if they wish to create websites everyone can use.

5. Web accessibility improves the quality of the backend code

Building a website is easier today than it was ten years ago. People can either hire a web designer to build them a website from scratch or use a Content Management System (CMS) like WordPress and set up a website in minutes. That’s why WordPress is so popular today, but you might wonder if it’s possible to create accessible WordPress websites. Know that you can do this in WP too, because WordPress is versatile and allows many different features.

Keep in mind that web accessibility requires a cleaner code. This way, you are forcing yourself to create quality backend code, which will only benefit your website. You will improve the loading speed, reduce the number of bugs, and create a better user interface.

6. Improve the user experience

Making a website accessible improves the overall user experience of your website. The idea is to create a pleasant journey for your customers, and adding features that make things easier is better for everyone. Don’t be surprised if even people without disabilities start using your accessible version of the website.

Six reasons why business owners should consider web accessibility – delivered

Let’s do a quick summary of why you should make your website accessible:

• it dramatically improves SEO, website’s search engine ranking, and brings more organic traffic to your website while opening it to a whole new group of users;
• by adding website accessibility, you will avoid potential legal issues;
• web accessibility builds positive PR and shows your company in the best light while creating a brand out of your business;
• websites that support accessibility features are easier to use and navigate;
• web accessibility requires better backend code, which will significantly improve the structure of your website and reduce bugs;
• the overall experience will be much better, not just for people with disabilities but for everyone else;

These six reasons why business owners should consider web accessibility should be more than enough to get you started with this transition today. Don’t waste any more time, and make your website accessible. Besides helping your customers, you will also help your business in the future, which we are sure is your ultimate goal.