The most obvious advantage of digital accessibility is that it allows people with disabilities to access information, goods, and services on a website. However, the benefits of digital accessibility extend beyond assisting those with disabilities. Some of these advantages might surprise you.
Understanding the benefits of digital accessibility for your organization, workers, and customers will assist your business while also teaching you more about the world and how you can change it. If you want assistance with your material, please get in touch with the QualityLogic team.
They believe that accessibility is a human right and want to guarantee that all businesses adhere to such standards in the future. When you work with them, they will examine your website to determine what is missing and then work with you to establish a game plan. Their team will collaborate with yours to properly advise and train you all.
As you read, you’ll discover a slew of compelling reasons why you should seek their counsel, even if you wish to only begin with their starter package. That simple tool can change your accessibility a lot more than you could realize.
Avoiding Potential Issues and Discrimination
As the internet and other digital technologies become more common in everyday life, it’s easy to argue that people with disabilities should be allowed to use them. According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, people with disabilities should have equal access to public services and “places of public accommodation,” such as restaurants, movie theaters, and schools (ADA).
Despite the fact that the ADA does not expressly address digital accessibility, the Act is vague enough that it is frequently assumed to apply to the digital world. The US Department of Justice has concluded that specific court procedures that made use of difficult-to-use websites may have violated the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Businesses should apply Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and other digital accessibility standards to prevent discrimination claims and lawsuits (WCAG). They may also receive a letter informing them that their website was reviewed and that reasonable changes were made to make it accessible to people with disabilities.
The Brand of Your Company Becomes Known
Disabilities include impaired hearing, vision, movement, and thinking, to name a few. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one out of every four American adults is disabled.
Improving your website’s usability is a wise business move. Although establishing a website for everyone is tough, a few simple changes may make it much easier for people with disabilities to access your site. Transcripts and closed captions, mobile device compatibility, and a simple, clean design will help all users, not just those with disabilities.
People’s Perceptions of Your Company Can Improve
People with disabilities, those who support them, and those who care about them all benefit from digital accessibility. Advocating for digital accessibility may benefit the reputation of your organization. People with disabilities are more likely to tell their family, friends, and social media contacts about a pleasant experience they had with your company.
Developing an accessibility statement is an excellent way to bring attention to your website. This document indicates your dedication to digital accessibility and the actions you’ve taken to ensure that individuals with impairments can use your website, such as adhering to WCAG standards.
SEO Is Improving
An accessible website is easier for clients to use and enhances SEO, making it easier to find. SEO increases traffic to your website by increasing its ranking in search engines such as Google. Despite the fact that Google’s ranking algorithm is never publicly disclosed, almost all digital marketers agree on the principles of SEO.
Most of the time, SEO objectives and digital accessibility objectives are in sync. Websites with simplified interfaces can assist visually impaired people while also lowering the number of visitors who quit the site.
Consider how both SEO and digital accessibility require closed captions and transcripts for your content. Text versions of the video and audio recordings must be made accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities, according to digital guidelines like WCAG.
Since Google and other search engines are primarily interested in text, they will not be able to detect a voice in your video or audio recordings. Closed captions and transcripts benefit SEO by incorporating language that Google and other search engines can understand and index. This makes it easier to find relevant content on your website.
Things Have Been Simplified
Usabilities and digital access, like SEO and digital access, are closely intertwined. Making things, places, and services more accessible to people with disabilities is what accessibility is all about. As a result, accessibility is linked to or overlaps with the concept of usability, which focuses on making a product or service more user-friendly and helpful.
Websites, for example, must adhere to digital accessibility standards such as WCAG in order to be usable and navigable. More people will visit your website if it is simple to use with a keyboard. If this criterion is met, your website’s navigational components are organized so all users can easily find what they’re looking for.
Additional digital accessibility ideas might improve the general usability of your website. Alternative text for photos and other website components allows those with slow Internet connections to access material before it is wholly loaded. A dictionary of acronyms, rare words, and technical terms may help anybody, especially those with cognitive difficulties or who use English as a second language.
Improves Code Reliability
Better coding will benefit your website in several ways, including enhanced user experience, fewer problems, and faster site loading. This will also help your SEO ranking. Investing in accessibility is thus an investment in the future of your company and code base.
This might be the most frightening component, particularly if your IT department is small or if you are the IT department. In this case, it is critical to contact a digital accessibility team, such as QualityLogic. We can assist you in continuing or beginning your journey toward full accessibility. Whatever you require, we are here to assist you.
Conclusion
One of the most common misconceptions about digital accessibility is that it is only advantageous to the disabled. As we discussed in this piece, digital accessibility may help you get more customers, improve how people perceive your company, climb search engine rankings, and make your website easier to use. All of these are significant commercial advantages that also aid in website discovery.
Many of the measures you may take to improve the accessibility of your website benefit individuals who aren’t blind. You must be familiar with digital technology. Each of these tools and more are available from QualityLogic. Click here to learn more about their digital accessibility approach, which will increase your trust in them. Maintain an eye on the evolution of your brand and clientele.