Accessibility ensures that all users, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, can interact with websites seamlessly, which ultimately expands a businesses reach. From improving user experience to boosting SEO performance, investing in accessible web design is a powerful way to connect with a broader audience while enhancing your brands visibility and reputation.
Using Inclusive Design for a Broader Audience
The World Health Organisation estimates that 16% (or 1.3 billion) of the global population experience a significant disability today. For businesses, disregarding accessibility projects curates a risk of alienating a large section of a prospective audience. An easy way to combat this, is to implement accessible design benefits that can guarantee users with long term disabilities can use your website. For example, users’ interactions with your website may be impacted by momentary disabilities. For them, accessible features like voice navigation, font size adjustments or captions will be beneficial to implement.
Furthermore, businesses need to ensure the sites can be accessed from multiple platforms, as reports from September 2024 (by MobiLoud) have found that 63% of all website traffic is coming from mobile device users. Simple benefits can be implemented for mobile users, like browsing in places with limited bandwidth, or multitasking in settings with muted sound. These users are also served by basic features like transcripts for audio visual material, simple keyboard navigation, and optimised website loading. For businesses who want improved user experience across a range of demographics implementing these accessible features will do just that, whilst driving customer loyalty.
The Role of SEO in Web Design
Accessible websites can massively improve Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), and overall website performance, which provides a really inclusive experience for users.
Effective search engine crawling and indexing of your website is facilitated by the natural alignment of accessibility guidelines with SEO best practices.
Alt text for images gives context to search engines. Besides being necessary for screen readers, this is a powerful tool for image based queries. Well designed navigation also improves site comprehension for both visitors and search engines, ideally it should be designed by developers with logical headings, descriptive link text and clear structure.
Accessible websites frequently prioritise ease of use, clarity, and streamlined design, all of which contributes to quicker loading speeds, which are important for search engine ranking and user experience. Search engines are favoured by users and give major preference to websites that load quickly (as speed is a ranking criteria). By enhancing efficiency and accessibility through responsive design, minimising superfluous scripts and optimising multimedia components visitor engagement and length of stay can be increased.
Boosting Online Visibility through Accessibility
For companies who are looking to increase online visibility whilst reaching a larger audience, an accessible website is crucial for success. Content on websites that adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) is more easily accessible to consumers with cognitive, motor, visual or hearing impairments. Businesses who apply inclusive design concepts that follow legal criteria, will reap the benefit of reaching a larger untapped customer base.
Mobile users specifically benefit from easy accessibility enhancements like keyboard friendly navigation, clear readable text and alt text for images. Essentially, accessible websites give organisations their competitive edge through increased engagement, enhanced reputation and cultivated consumer loyalty.
The Latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Businesses looking to update their websites with the latest web accessibility guidelines, an easy implementation of WCAG 2.2 should do the trick. For example, WCAG 2.2 adds new success criteria like improved focus indicators, recommendations for accessible touch targets, and safeguards against unintentional actions.
The demands of users with vision, mobility and cognitive disabilities and those accessing websites on mobile devices are addressed by the new rules introduced by WCAG 2.2. Businesses that adopt these guidelines not only increase accessibility but also lower their chance of facing legal action for breaking laws like the European Accessibility Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act. Additionally, following WCAG 2.2 can improve performance and usability, which will benefit all users and increase SEO ranks. Ultimately, by showcasing a dedication to accessibility and inclusion, WCAG 2.2 compliance increases a website reach, encourages more interaction, and fortifies brand reputation.
Read our case study on how GAIN LINE has helped transform the flexibility and accessibility of websites for companies like Geovation here.
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