Is Accessibility Really Important to Your Site?
Accessibility is important on websites because it ensures that people with disabilities have equal access to information and functionality. This includes individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Making a website accessible means making it usable for everyone, regardless of their abilities. This not only helps people with disabilities, but it can also improve the user experience for everyone. Accessible websites are often more user-friendly and can provide a better overall experience for users. Moreover, accessible websites can reach a wider audience and can help organizations meet legal requirements such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Ensuring accessibility is crucial in creating a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape.
Can Being Accessibility Compliant Really Help SEO and My Search Engine Rankings?
Yes, accessibility compliance can help with search engines and SEO. Accessibility guidelines, such as the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), often overlap with best practices for search engine optimization (SEO). For example, using descriptive and concise page titles, header tags, and alt text for images can improve accessibility for users with disabilities and also make it easier for search engines to crawl and index a website. Search engines also prioritize user experience and, therefore, tend to favor websites that are easily navigable and accessible to all users. In addition, making a website accessible can help improve its overall usability and user engagement, which can have a positive impact on its search engine ranking. Overall, accessibility compliance can help websites achieve better visibility and search engine performance.
Can My Website's Accessibility Compliance Increase My Customer Base?
Approximately 15% of the world's population, or over one billion people, have a disability. Accessibility-compliant websites can benefit this population by providing equal access to information and functionality. In addition, accessibility features can improve the user experience for everyone, regardless of ability. This can include people who temporarily have a disability, such as a broken arm, or who have aging-related disabilities. Making a website accessible can help reach a wider audience and provide a better overall user experience, which can be beneficial for businesses and organizations. Therefore, the percentage of the world's population that can benefit from an accessibility-compliant website is significant, and making websites accessible is an important step in creating a more inclusive and equitable digital landscape. Who wouldn't want to have an extra billion people drop by their site?
So, Am I Going to Wind Up With a "Plain Jane" Website?
No, accessibility does not mean that a website has to be "plain Jane". Accessibility refers to the design and functionality of a website that allows users with disabilities to navigate and access its content and features. While accessibility requirements may limit some design elements, they do not mean that a website has to be plain or unattractive. In fact, accessible websites can be visually appealing and engaging, while still meeting accessibility standards. Designers and developers can use a variety of techniques, such as color contrast, font size, and visual hierarchy, to create visually appealing websites that are also accessible. The goal of accessibility is to ensure that all users, regardless of ability, can access and use a website. This can lead to a better user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities.
So, Where's My "Magic Wand" to Compliance?
There is no magic wand that will make your site meet ADA/WCAG compatibility standards without some hands-on changes. Anyone who claims that their product will "fix" your site's accessibility is not being truthful. We tested one site supposedly "fixed" by a popular widget and found that it had 2 Class A violations, 5 Class AA violations, and 1 Class AAA violation. So much for their magic wand! More like, "Where're my lawyers? I'm gonna need them."
It takes a talented IT team to properly adjust a site's code to gain compliance. We can help identify the areas that need work on your site and, after you have addressed those non-compliant issues, adding our ADA/WCAG widget will assist your customers with special needs. Tap into the extra 16 billion worldwide users requiring help navigating a site. AND, no other widget lets them see and hear the site In Their Language.
How Do I Know if My Website is Compliant or Not?
There's an article we wrote for the Zen Cart Docs that talks about tools and concerns when it comes to Accessibility.
