Here’s why you need to prioritize accessibility in your business marketing
Making changes to support accessibility in your business isn’t something that only applies when you have a physical location for your business.
Accessibility is just as important in online environments. (Full disclosure, I’m nowhere near where I want to be in my business when it comes to accessibility.)
Getting started with accessibility takes time and commitment. It's not the easiest or most convenient pursuit.
But if it means that someone who needs your services is able to access the information you have, it can be a great way to show that you are inclusive in how you communicate and work with customers.
What is web accessibility?
Similar to the way in which wheelchair ramps, larger entrances or aisles, audio signaling at crosswalks, or Braille signage support people with disabilities who are trying to navigate physical spaces, online accessibility helps those with disabilities or different needs to interact with the digital world.
This encompasses all disabilities that might impact how a user navigates online environments, including visual, auditory, speech, cognitive, neurological, and physical.
Here are a few examples of changes that might support your users across each of these areas:
The history of web accessibility
Discussions around web and app accessibility exploded after Robles v. Domino’s Pizza LLC. The plaintiff in the case, who was blind, brought a suit against Domino’s in 2016, arguing that the company’s online presence was incompatible with screen-reading software, rendering him unable to make an online order.
While the lower court in the case had agreed with Domino’s defense that the Department of Justice did not provide specific enough accessibility standards or recommendations, in 2019 the Ninth Circuit Court reversed the decision.
Their argument for the reversal was that, “the lack of specific regulations, not yet promulgated by the Department of Justice, did not eliminate Domino’s statutory duty.”
Since the case, regulation standards for accessibility online in both Canada and the United States have continued to expand, offering clear guidelines for website developers and business owners.
Reasons to invest more time, energy and resources into online accessibility
I’ve written extensively about the limited resources business owners have. So I know that you don’t necessarily want something else added to your to-do list.
I also recognize that if you aren’t directly impacted by a disability yourself, accessibility standards and guidelines (or lack thereof) might not be front-of-mind.
But there are a lot of reasons that investing more time, energy, and resources into your online accessibility should be more of a priority.
You have a moral responsibility to do so
First and foremost, making your business’ online presence accessible is simply the right thing to do.
As business owners we have a moral responsibility to be as inclusive as possible – in our marketing and the content we create, the sources we use, in our hiring practices, and in how we show up online.
When web content is inaccessible, it means that people with disabilities are denied equal access to information.
And since approximately 26% of U.S. adults have some type of disability (many of which impact their ability to interact with digital content), these inadequacies are widespread.
It can help boost your brand image
When businesses make an effort to make their website accessible to everyone, it’s a tangible signal that they care about their customers, and that there is a focus on diversity and inclusion in the company.
This may enhance an organization’s brand image, perception, and reputation.
More tangibly, this will also directly expand the number of potential customers the business has, along with their potential revenue.
Companies that fail to prioritize digital accessibility risk losing a significant portion of their customer base as people with disabilities may be unable to access or navigate their website.
Accessibility can help improve SEO
When you prioritize accessibility, you’re also helping to improve your site’s search engine optimization (SEO).
Google and other search engines are crawling your website for information to help them understand your content and what you offer.
When you make your site accessible by adding alternative text for images, or making your website more user friendly, there’s a good chance you’ll simultaneously boost your searchability and brand visibility.
It minimizes legal risk
Since accessibility regulations and laws have increased in recent years, so have accessibility lawsuits, with courts often ruling in favor of digital accessibility.
To avoid any potential legal costs and/or damage to your reputation, it’s best to focus on making your business as accessible as you can, as early on as you can.
Why is web accessibility so important?
Continuous advances in technology, the movement of daily living services online (for example voting information, public transit fare information, or health and safety resources), and increases in the amount of time people spend online (studies show that approximately 30% of American adults say they are online “almost constantly,” and over 85% of Americans say they go online on a daily basis), mean that online accessibility is becoming more and more important.
Because while so much of the population desires or needs to be online, these opportunities are significantly more limited for those who identify as having a disability.
To illustrate these inadequacies, WebAIM has conducted accessibility evaluations of the home pages of the top 1 million websites for the past five years.
These studies provide an overview into the state of the web for individuals with disabilities. The 2023 report shows that a staggering 96.3% of home pages had detected WCAG 2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2) failures.
Common errors included low contrast text, missing alternative text for images, empty links, and missing form input labels.
Ways to make your company website more accessible
Let’s review those top four site errors, as well as a few other fixes you can make to your website to ensure it’s more accessible.
Low contrast text
If there isn’t enough contrast between the text and background colours used on your website, it can make readability extremely difficult, especially for those with visual impairments like limited vision or colour blindness.
Here’s an example of high contrast text compared to low contrast text so you can see what would be compliant and what wouldn’t be when it comes to digital accessibility.
Alternative text
Alternative text (or alt text) is a text-based substitute for non-text content in web pages. It primarily refers to images (pictures, illustrations, charts, etc.), but the same principles also apply to any form of multimedia.
Even if you don’t have a visual impairment, you may have noticed this descriptive text pop-up on web pages underneath site images, when you hover over an image, or when an image isn’t loading.
This alternative text is meant to provide a description of the content and its meaning, to support users who are visually impaired and are using screen readers, or who might not have access to strong enough wifi to load the media.
While screen readers and algorithms are getting more advanced at recognizing what an image depicts, they cannot provide the interpretation of what the image means within the context of the page which is why your commentary is necessary.
For multimedia, alternative text forms might mean providing closed captioning and/or transcripts for videos. These text forms of communication can also support those who are hard of hearing, when audio is involved.
Empty links
Empty hyperlinks are those that don’t have associated content.
For example, they don’t have text that explains what will happen if the user selects the link, or they are an image-based link that doesn’t have alternative text. Both of these scenarios can cause issues for keyboard-only users.
“Many people use their keyboards alone (with no mouse) to navigate the internet. This is particularly true for people who use screen readers (software that converts text to audio or braille) and other assistive technologies.
Hyperlinks are important content, so they receive keyboard focus. When a user moves their keyboard focus to an empty link, their focus indicator may disappear. The user may not know where they are on the page.
Screen readers may announce the presence of the hyperlink, but without link text, the user won’t understand what will happen if they activate the link. That can be frustrating — and it’s a clear indication that the website doesn’t prioritize accessibility.”
– Bureau of Internet Accessibility
Missing form input labels
Labels are needed on forms to describe the purpose of the form and the information required from the users. These are then read out by screen readers, so users can effectively fill out website forms.
“In general, placing labels above the form fields helps reduce horizontal scrolling for people with low vision and mobile device users. However, the usefulness of this approach depends on other design aspects, such as the proximity of other nearby form fields and content, and needs to be assessed individually.
The aim should be to maintain a close and distinct visual relationship between the label and the form control.”
– W3.Org
People with disabilities may not be able to fill out or understand forms without these clear labels, instructions, and error indicators (for example, telling the user a form field is missing or incorrect).
Headings
When trying to find information on a lengthy web page, most screen-reader users tend to utilize the headings on the page.
If headings are missing altogether, aren't appropriately descriptive, and/or aren’t utilized properly (tags are structured in a specific, hierarchical way. H1 tags are meant to share what the overall post is about, H2 tags are sections to break-up content, and H3 tags are subcategories to further break up content), it makes the content difficult to scan and read.
Overwhelming visual and audio cues
Auto-play videos or audios, moving objects on the page, or bright flashing design elements can be extremely overwhelming, triggering, or distracting for those with disabilities.
In general, avoid auto-playing audio or video. At the very minimum, ensure users have the ability to mute, pause, or stop any media that’s playing or moving around the screen.
User experience
Ease of navigation, and intuitive, responsive design can improve user experience on your website – for all users, regardless of ability level.
Keep website layouts simple, utilizing appropriately sized text, adequate white space, and consistent user flow, to ensure that users are able to consume content easily and efficiently.
How to get started
Ensuring all elements of your online presence are accessible and optimized will take time. But some up-front investment of resources will greatly support your business and customers in the long-run.
Get started with a quick website audit, looking at which elements of accessible website design you’re doing well, and where you need to make changes.
While this blog post is a good overview, it’s also important for you to review the specific web accessibility standards and guidelines in your area (check here for the U.S and here for Canada) to ensure that you’re in compliance.
I’m assuming you have goals of growing your business, am I right? So why risk eliminating a huge number of potential customers and revenue because of a lack of disregard for those with disabilities?
Yes, implementing these changes will take time and varying monetary investments. But they will also genuinely change lives by transforming the online experience of those with disabilities.