Accessibility is the practice of making websites more easily usable by people with disabilities. This includes individuals with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments, as well as those with temporary or permanent disabilities.

Implementing accessibility on a business website is important for a number of reasons. Firstly, it ensures that all customers, including those with disabilities, can access and use the website. This can help to improve the user experience for all customers, and can make it more likely that they will return to the website in the future.

Secondly, accessibility can improve a business’s search engine rankings. Many search engines, including Google, now take accessibility into account when ranking websites. This means that websites that are more accessible are more likely to appear at the top of search results, driving more traffic to the website.

Thirdly, implementing accessibility can help a business to comply with legal requirements. In many countries, businesses are required by law to make their websites and other digital products accessible to people with disabilities. Failing to do so can result in legal penalties and fines.

Overall, accessibility is an important consideration for any business with a website. By making their website accessible, businesses can improve the user experience for all customers, improve their search engine rankings, and ensure compliance with legal requirements.

How is website accessibility put into practice?

There are several examples of how accessibility can be implemented on a business website. Here are a few examples:

• Providing text alternatives for non-text content, such as images, videos, and audio files. This allows screen reader software to access the content and enables people with visual impairments to access the information.
• Using clear and descriptive headings and subheadings to organise the content on a website. This makes it easier for people with cognitive impairments or who use assistive technologies to navigate the website and find the information they need.
• Using colour contrast to ensure that the text and other elements on a website are easily readable. This is important for people with visual impairments, and who may have difficulty reading text that is not sufficiently contrasted against the background.
• Using clear and concise language to communicate information on the website. This makes it easier for people with cognitive impairments or who are not fluent in the language to understand the content.

How hard is website accessibility to implement?

We won’t deny that implementing accessibility on a business website can be a time-consuming process. It involves conducting an accessibility audit to identify areas of the website that may not be accessible, and then implementing changes and improvements to address those problems.

The amount of time required to put this accessibility in place will vary depending on the size and complexity of the website, as well as the extent of the accessibility issues. For smaller websites with only a few accessibility issues, the process may be relatively quick and straightforward. However, for larger or more complex websites, it may take longer to identify and address all of the accessibility issues.

In addition, implementing accessibility is an ongoing process. As the website is updated and new content is added, it is important to continue to monitor the website for accessibility issues and to make any necessary improvements.

Overall, while implementing accessibility on a business website can be time-consuming, it is an important investment that can improve the user experience for all customers and help to ensure compliance with legal requirements.

The benefits of making your website accessible

In a nutshell, accessibility is all about making your website usable by people with disabilities. This is important for a number of reasons, including making sure all your customers can access and use your website, boosting your search engine rankings, and avoiding any legal headaches. Implementing accessibility can seem a daunting task, but the benefits are definitely worth it in the end. Plus, it’s the right thing to do!

At 4D Digital we can use our experience and knowledge to improve your website’s accessibility, just get in touch with us if you would like to talk further about how we can help.