Web Design Tips: What Is Web Accessibility & Why Is It Important? | Tech Tips

Web accessibility is important because it ensures everyone, including those with disabilities, can use websites, and the internet as a resource, effectively. It’s essential as services move online, offering equal access while benefiting businesses through better SEO, improved reputation, and compliance with laws like the ADA. Prioritizing accessibility helps companies reach more people and foster inclusivity. 

What is Web Accessibility & Why is it Important?

Web accessibility ensures websites are usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. This practice considers a wide range of needs, including those related to hearing, sight, physical ability, speech, and cognitive function.  

Accessibility online is so important because, with so many essential services—like health resources, transportation schedules, and online shopping—now available primarily online, creating accessible websites has become critical for providing equal access to information and tools.  

As the internet continues to evolve, the risk of excluding individuals grows, underscoring the need to design a digital world that is inclusive from the outset.

For businesses, web accessibility offers several key benefits.  

• First, it ensures that all users, regardless of ability, can engage with your website, enhancing your reputation as inclusive and respectful of diverse needs.  
• Second, accessible websites are typically more SEO-friendly, featuring elements like alt text, intuitive navigation, and structured content that improve search engine rankings and expand audience reach.  
• Finally, accessibility is often a legal requirement. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), businesses open to the public—such as stores, banks, and entertainment venues—must ensure their websites do not discriminate against individuals with disabilities.  

Failing to comply can result in fines, lawsuits, and damage to your brand's reputation, making accessibility not just a moral obligation but a business imperative.

Examples of Web Accessibility

Web accessibility examples show how design choices can include or exclude users with disabilities.  

For example, some ways websites integrate accessibility features are:

Avoiding insufficient color contrast or relying solely on color to convey information can make content unreadable for people with visual impairments or color blindness.  

Using descriptive alt text to help people using screen readers understand the contents of images. Similarly, including captions in all of your videos helps those with hearing impairments understand the content.  

Forms without proper labels, clear instructions, or accessible error indicators can be challenging for users with disabilities to complete accurately.

Websites must also support keyboard navigation for those unable to use a mouse or trackpad.

Principles of Web Accessibility & Best Practices

To make your site accessible, many businesses follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), organized under the acronym POUR: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.  

Here's a breakdown:

• Perceivable: UI components must be perceivable to users, meaning nothing should be invisible to everyone. This includes alt text, adaptable media, and distinguishable colors.
• Operable: All site components and navigation must be usable, with no interactions a user can’t perform. Examples include keyboard navigation, flexible time limits, and supporting different input methods.
• Understandable: Content and UI must be easy to understand, with readable text, predictable site behavior, and input assistance to help users avoid or fix errors.
• Robust: Content should be compatible with a variety of current and future assistive technologies, ensuring broad accessibility.

11 Web Accessibility Best Practices

1. Incorporate alt text on images
2. Make sure your videos have captions and provide transcripts
3. Make your written content easier to consume using color contrast
4. Ensure your entire site is navigable by keyboard
5. Provide enough time to engage with your content  
6. Avoid blinking or flashing content
7. Use predictable navigation
8. Make content easily readable
9. Structure pages logically
10. Use error pages to provide help
11. Write clean HTML code that can be transferred

Design Better, More Accessible Websites

If you’re building a new website or looking to upgrade your old one to become more optimized and accessible, it’s best to get help from professionals who know everything in this blog and more right off the top of their heads.

At Impact, our dedicated development team can immediately help you determine weak points on your site, or what needs to be done to build a new site that can help you accomplish all your goals.

Learn more about web development with Impact.