Although it may seem like the internet is easily accessible to people of all ages and abilities, that could not be further from the truth. Many Americans struggle with surfing the web because websites are not created to be accessible for all. 

 

Lack of accessibility is not only wrong, but it impacts all user experience as well. Here are our top three reasons you should make your website accessible.

 

 

1. It’s The Right Thing To Do

 

The ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) applies to websites and requires that all websites be accessible for all. But aside from being legally required, making your website accessible is just the right thing to do. 

 

For example, buildings must have handicap ramps and bathrooms, so websites should be held to the same standards. People with visual, auditory, or physical impairments can sometimes struggle with websites that primarily use video or audio to tell their story. With this in mind, website designers need to create alternatives so that people of all backgrounds can have the same website experience. 

 

2. Better User Experience

 

A website that has a little something for everyone is undoubtedly going to give a better user experience for all visitors. Whether it be through images, video, or text, consider looking at your website design from all angles. Does your website mainly communicate through video? This might be difficult for hard of hearing people if the videos do not have captions. Does your website have lots of colors? This might be difficult for color deficient individuals. 

 

Looking at your website from all angles is a great way to better the user experience for potential and existing customers to make everyone feel welcome on your website.

 

3. Increase Audience Size

 

Creating a website that is accessible to everyone means more traffic to your website, which is a great thing. Not only will accessibility increase your audience size by allowing everyone to experience the same things, but it will also help with SEO. 

 

Search engines love to crawl text, so the more text, the better. With this said, if your website uses lots of video and images, consider making them accessible by turning them into text versions. This will make them accessible to people who may not be able to hear or watch the video, and it will also give search engines more text to crawl, increasing the website SERP score.

 

Our team at Disability Associates builds genuine relationships with every one of our clients to ensure that they are always comfortable.

 

We value honesty, good communication, and compassion and implement these values with every client we have. If you would like to learn more about how Disability Associates can help you, please contact us today. 

 

Visit our website, or give us a call at 410-686-2227. Also, be sure to keep up with our latest news by following us on Facebook and LinkedIn.