We know everyone’s been there- crafting the best website to attract an audience and increase conversion. The visual impact of your website is crucial, of course. But seriously, is it everything that matters?
Designs often overshadow the accessibility of websites. This is because there’s so much time spent adding graphical elements to wow visitors’ visual senses. While it roots a justifiable goal, things only work for some time.
Your website must epitomize user-friendliness. User-friendly here refers to a harmonious balance of accessibility, readability, and visual appeal. In building your brand and implementing inclusive branding, making your website accessible essentially equates to broadcasting to the world that your business welcomes and caters to all customers. Embracing these practices accentuates your brand quality and, most of the time, attracts customers who wish to partake in your admirable culture – a prime example of the benefits of an accessible website.
Benefits of having Accessible Websites
Many people in the process of developing their websites are unaware of how web accessibility benefits them from both a business and legal standpoint. They often believe that visual impact is the sole factor that matters, overlooking the underlying benefits web accessibility provides.
Sounds impressive. But how?
1. You influence a more expansive audience
As mentioned above, the accessibility of your website will determine how inclusive your brand is. You show that you put value in every visitor by not only targeting a specific audience. So when developing your site, visitors must feel like your website is directly talking to them.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 1 billion people live with disabilities globally. It accounts for 61 million adults with disabilities in the United States, where 12 million of them are individuals with visual impairments.
And people with disabilities play a significant role in the market. They’re estimated to have over $220 billion in purchasing power. So, it’s not only the proper action but also a sensical business perspective. The more people who use your website, the more your website will grow organically.
2. You build traffic and increase the audience
You increase the number of visitors or “sessions” of your website when you make it accessible, and it helps with SEO (search engine optimization).
By providing descriptions under your site’s images or videos, you give context to the visuals. Also, it’s helpful to add keywords to your title and headings. If you have videos & audio on your website, adding transcripts improves searchability and the user experience. Search engines will have your website rank higher and appear more often.
3. You reinforce trust
Website accessibility lets you establish trust because you’re also showing your brand values. When you stand on your website’s accessibility, you present a positive image for your brand, show effort, and communicate that you care. As a result, you make it more appealing, and your clients offer more support by connecting you with their peers (referral system).
4. You can stay away from legal battles
Website inaccessibility can appear discriminatory to people with disabilities. Of course, we know businesses don’t intend to do this. But maybe, they haven’t thought about it deeper!
Your brand may still face legal requirements and complications regarding web inaccessibility. However, did you know that, here in the United States, there’s an act that requires businesses to make their website accessible to all populations? It’s the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). It accommodates people with disabilities and allows them equal treatment as their peers.
So, in the development process, it’s essential to comply with ADA or use The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as your guide.
Remember: Have your website built the right way!
5. Your current customers will contribute to it
When you make your website accessible, you don’t only benefit new visitors but also your existing ones. For example, if you have captions on your website videos, you can also catch the market of those who want to turn off the sound because they’re in a busy, loud room and instead read.
Final Point
While we absolutely adore a well-designed website, we also need to focus on usability for everyone. It’s merely a piece of art if it’s not also functional. So we cannot neglect the latter.
Suppose we fail to do more than beautification. It confuses and leaves an overwhelming feeling for the visitors. As a result, you drive most of them away in search of another customer-friendly, easily accessible websites because the target audience got tired of dealing with the complexity and the confusing elements.
So, let your website be accessible to grow your business. We can help you achieve this!
