Why Accessibility Matters for Your Website (and Your Business)

15 Jul

Imagine clicking on the URL for an exciting new small business you've just come across, one that offers a product or service you've been looking high and low for, only to be unable to navigate the pages, use the contact form or read any of the content at all. Not good, right!?

Unfortunately, with 1 in 5 people having a long-term illness, impairment or disability (gov.uk), this is the case for so many people. It may be the case for you.

I'm not talking about poor design here (though that's definitely part of the issue), but rather how accessibility is a huge afterthought for so many small businesses online. Clients or customers who face barriers accessing your website are, quite rightly, going to feel frustrated and disengage with you. Where there is no accessibility, there is no trust!

Your business and your customers or clients need to be able to access your website in order to work with you. It's just that simple.

What web accessibility means

Making your website accessible means making it usable for as many people as possible, including those with differences in their vision, motor or cognitive abilities. Impaired and disabled users use a number of different tools, features and adaptive technologies when surfing the web, from software and applications that alter the visual aspects of a website to hardware that helps them physically navigate pages.

Here are a few examples:

Text-to-voice software to read the copy from a page out loud
Alternative keyboards with large print, braille or raised areas
Alt-text on images to describe or 'read' an image
Altering webpage contrast to distinguish between button backgrounds and text
Code or markup that defines the structure and presentation of information

Why accessibility matters for your biz

Before we get into the benefits of accessibility for your business and customers/clients, there is one overarching reason why you should care about this as a small business owner: it's the kind thing to do!

It's worth reminding you that, regardless of your target or ideal customer, your audience is much more diverse than you think. They may live differently, love differently and navigate the world differently from your experience, making it necessary to look outside of yourself to ensure you're as inclusive as possible.

Of course, we can all speak to inclusivity with fancy buzzwords and promises, but being inclusive is a practice - words need to be backed up with clear action, otherwise they're just words. Creating an accessible website speaks to your principles as a business owner, showing that you accept, value and encourage diversity at the heart of your business.

After all, immediately alienating potential customers or clients just isn't a good look, is it!?

If you're a public sector body or business, it is also a legal requirement for your website to be accessible. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (known as WCAG) are a set of recommendations for improving web accessibility that are internationally recognised. Find out more here.

What an accessible website feels like

An accessible website is easy to read, with clear copy that's of a readable font, size and contrast to the background.

The links to find out more information are obvious, whether with buttons, contrasting colours or something else distinctive.

Videos have captions that are easily readable and all images have descriptive alt-text.

The content & headings are set up to navigate using a screen reader or other adaptive software.

An accessible website feels calm, clear and easy to navigate for people who are used to encountering difficulties in a world that often isn't built for them. A refreshing and welcome change.

All of these factors come together to make for an effortless user experience, one that flows easily and feels better to use. For potential customers or clients, a truly accessible website gives the kind of experience that they won't forget - one that builds a relationship of trust from the get-go, nudging them down the path to work with you or recommend you to others.

Tools you can use to check if your site is accessible

Improving the accessibility of your website doesn't have to be complicated. Your branding may need to be adjusted, especially when it comes to font styles and colour pairings, but otherwise, it's relatively simple to add to your website to improve its function for all.

If your website is with a web builder such as Squarespace or WIX, check out their guides to ensure the way you're editing your website keeps accessibility at the forefront - especially if the template you're using allows for significant alteration.

Here are few tools you can use for improvement:

WIX Accessibility Wizard - This tool will scan your template, guiding you through actions you can take to enhance the usability of your website based on the guidelines set out by WCAG. It is only available for WIX websites.
Colour Contrast Checker - By popping in your background and text colours, this tool will show you if your colour combo has enough contrast to be seen by people with visual impairments.
Screen Reader - This tool reads out all of the text and images on your website for visually impaired people. This is why it's important that headers are set at the correct heading style and images have alt text so they are able to 'see' everything on the page. There are a few screen reader apps depending on which device you're using, find a few options here.

Over to you - time to make your website accessible

Making your website more accessible might seem really intimidating at first, but many of the core needs are quite simple! The sooner you center it in your brand and web design, the better, for both your customers or clients and yourself.

If you're looking for something more bespoke, I'd be more than happy to audit the accessibility of your website during a Happy Hour. This way you can get specific, actionable advice in real time with me, alongside a list of issues to improve after the call.

This post may contain affiliate links which mean I may receive a commission for purchases made through these links (at no cost to you, of course!)

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