Why Everyone Benefits From Accessible Websites
Friday, 21 August 2015 | Posted in: Articles | 4min read
Friday, 21 August 2015 | Posted in: Articles | 4min read
An estimated 15% of the world’s population are living with some form of disability and for many it means they are unable to use websites built without accessibility features. As the general population ages this figure is expected to grow. The accessibility of your website refers to its degree of usability for people with a disability.
People who may struggle include but are not limited to:
As a business you may be thinking, why should we go to all the compliance effort of making our website more accessible? Below we have outlined just a few important reasons for consideration.
In Australia all Commonwealth, State and Territory Government websites were required to conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA by 31 December 2014. Access to information and communication technologies including the web are recognised as a basic human right by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
Countries around the world including the UK have started to pass laws requiring fair access for the blind and disabled to the internet and it is entirely plausible that Australia could introduce similar legal requirements in the not-so-distant future. If you are planning on building a new website it is worth considering as it is more cost-effective to build accessibility websites from the start – rather than upgrading later.
Although there is a community perception that blind and disabled people don’t use the internet, this is far from true. To the contrary, people with disabilities are big users of the internet, especially on accessible e-commerce sites which allow them to shop easily from the comfort of their own home. An accessible website offers you an opportunity for building a loyal customer base.
Many features of accessible websites can have a positive impact on your SEO efforts. Some common feature elements including:
By following best practice for accessibility you can indirectly boost your search engine rankings as search engine algorithms also consider and preference these elements.
Several studies have shown that making your website accessible correlates to a company’s bottom line.
A 2009 example is Mitsukoshi – Japan’s oldest and one of its most prestigious retail stores. The company recognised that given Japan’s aging population, there was value to be gained from implementing a new website that focused on meeting the accessibility requirements of their older and visually impaired customers.
The new website allowed users to change font sizes and background colours to suit their personal needs and preferences or have the text read to them by a voice synthesizer. These changes helped Mitsukoshi to reach the project goals of capitalising on the gift-giving seasons and doubling their internet sales of the previous year.
There are a number of things that you can implement on your website to improve its accessibility, without the need for building a new site. Many of these also contribute to improving your SEO efforts which benefits you as well as your users.
As a pre-qualified approved ICT service provider for Government in SA, VIC & NSW, The Digital Embassy has extensive experience in building and maintaining websites to meet accessibility standards, and can offer valuable guidance and services to clients in this area.