Top 3 Reasons Why You NEED Website Accessibility
With millions of internet users around the world that have some form of disability that impacts how they go online, it’s more important than ever to start thinking seriously about your website and accessibility compliance. With the latest advances in website accessibility, it can take as little as a few lines of code to make your website compliant with the latest standards, such as WCAG 2.1 and Section 508.
There are tons of reasons why your business needs a website that everyone can access. From increasing revenues to becoming a leader within your market, website accessibility sets your business apart from the competition. In today’s competitive digital landscape, establishing your website a fully accessible site can give your business a competitive edge.
Whether you’re a fully established business or just starting out, here are the top three reasons why you need website accessibility.
Reach More Customers
As we mentioned, there are millions of disabled internet users around the world that can’t access websites that aren’t compatible with the latest website accessibility software. Visual and motor impairments are two very common disabilities that significantly impact how users get online. It’s often a very straightforward process to update your website to accommodate even advanced website accessibility software.
Magnification software, color contrast software, and text-to-speech software are just a few of the many assistive technologies that are unlocking website access for disabled internet users. If your website is set up to work with advanced software, you’ll be able to reach many more customers, which in turn will grow your revenues and brand recognition.
Establish Your Business as an Industry Leader
Not only will updating your website to be fully compliant with the latest accessibility standards grow your business and your bottom line, but it’s also just the right thing to do. Even though web accessibility is an extremely important topic, there are still plenty of businesses that haven’t updated their websites, meaning there is a lot of opportunity for improvement.
When you upgrade your website and work with a leading accessibility service, you’re establishing your business as an industry leader. Other businesses in your industry may follow your example and make their own websites fully accessible.
Customers often look for more than just the cheapest price when shopping around. Many modern consumers choose businesses that care about their customers, and ensuring your website is accessible is the perfect way to show that you care about your customers and their experience on your website.
Reduce Business Risk
Finally, website accessibility will help you reduce your business risk. There’s an ever-increasing number of lawsuits against businesses that haven’t made their websites fully accessible. If you’re a small business, all it takes is one lawsuit to make a major impact on your business’ finances and stability. There are law firms that are targeting vulnerable businesses by filing lawsuits on behalf of plaintiffs, and in recent years the number of cases has skyrocketed.
These are just a few of the many reasons why you should ensure that your site is compliant with updated website accessibility guidelines. But putting all that aside, it’s simply a nice thing to do.
