Website accessibility is becoming increasingly important in 2023. It is crucial for websites to be accessible to all users, including those with disabilities of all kinds. It allows them access to the same information and services that are available to everyone and includes things like news articles, online shopping, online banking, government services and more. By making websites accessible, we are ensuring that everyone has equal access to online content.
One of the main reasons for the importance of website accessibility is the growing number of people with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization and the CDC, 16% of the world’s population, and 26% of the U.S. population, have a disability. That’s over 1 billion people worldwide and around 86 million people in the U.S. who may be unable to access websites that are not designed with accessibility in mind. This can include physical, sensory, cognitive and intellectual disabilities. With such a large portion of the population affected by disabilities, it is essential that websites are designed to be inclusive and accessible to all.
Accessible websites can help businesses reach a wider audience.
Website accessibility should also be a key consideration for businesses because it can help you reach a broader audience. It can help you tap into this large and often overlooked market, which could lead to increased revenue and growth by increasing engagement, sales and customer satisfaction due to the site being easier to navigate for all users. In 2021, e-commerce retailers lost an estimated $828 million over the holiday season because their websites were not accessible. Additionally, accessible websites can impact a company’s reputation and brand image, along with potentially improving your SEO ranking.
A focus on accessibility can also help to ensure that a website is compliant with laws and regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Rehabilitation Act and the European Accessibility Act (EAA). The laws prohibit discrimination against individuals with disabilities and require that businesses and organizations make reasonable accommodations for them. Ignoring the guidelines could result in a company being sued by a user for inaccessibility.
What can businesses do to improve their websites?
To ensure that a website is accessible, I suggest companies consider, at a minimum, incorporating accessibility features such as alternative text for images, captioning for videos and keyboard-only navigation. Additionally, conduct regular testing and evaluations to identify and address any accessibility barriers, as website updates and modifications can sometimes cause issues.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to help make websites more accessible. These guidelines provide a set of standards for web developers and designers to follow when creating websites. The WCAG outlines four main principles of website accessibility: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. These principles are designed to ensure that websites are accessible to all users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities.
Operable: “Users must be able to operate the interface (the interface cannot require interaction that a user cannot perform).”
Understandable: “Users must be able to understand the information as well as the operation of the user interface.”
Robust: “Users must be able to access the content as technologies advance (as technologies and user agents evolve, the content should remain accessible).”
Some steps you can take to align with these principles include making sure that users can pause, stop or hide content that may cause seizures due to photosensitivity. Include clear and simple language, avoiding jargon, and provide ways to help users find and understand information. And consider using technologies that are supported by commonly available assistive technologies.
By following the WCAG guidelines, business owners, web developers and designers can ensure that their websites are accessible to all users. This can help to create a more inclusive and user-friendly web experience for everyone.
A tip to try to see if your website is accessible from a navigation perspective is to go to your website home page, or any page on your site, and click your mouse in the top left corner. From there, only use the tab key to try and navigate through your website. Are you able to move through the entire page? Do navigation dropdowns work, and are buttons highlighted? If not, consider reaching out to your website provider to discuss an accessibility audit.
I’ve found that having a professional web accessibility audit done is the best way to see how much needs to be done to get a passing accessibility score. This audit can also uncover other website issues such as broken links, responsiveness and security issues and is something that should be done on a regular basis. Completing a web audit is a good route to take to ensure your website is in tip-top shape.
When working to improve the accessibility of your website, you can run into multiple issues—some of which are easy to fix and some more complicated. Changing things like alternative text tags on images or page names can be relatively painless. When you get into navigation, content and site structure, things can get more complicated and may require a UI/UX designer and a web developer to correct. My advice is to do what you can on your own, as even small updates are a start in the right direction.
In conclusion, website accessibility is becoming increasingly important in 2023 and beyond. With a growing number of people with disabilities and legal requirements to comply with, it is essential that websites are designed to be inclusive and accessible to all. Making your website accessible can have a positive impact on your business or organization in multiple ways now and in the future.