What is Website Accessibility?

Website accessibility refers to designing and developing websites so that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use them. This involves ensuring that websites are operable, perceivable, understandable, and robust for users with varying abilities.

Why Accessibility Matters for SMBs

Expanding Your Audience: Over 1 billion people globally live with some form of disability. By prioritizing accessibility, you’re opening your business to a huge, often overlooked market segment.
Improved SEO: Search engines favor websites with well-structured content. Features like alt text for images, clear navigation, and proper heading structure not only help disabled users but also improve your site's SEO performance.
Legal Compliance: In many countries, accessibility is a legal requirement. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. and similar laws elsewhere mean that inaccessible websites may face lawsuits or fines.
Enhanced User Experience (UX): Accessibility improvements often enhance the overall user experience for everyone, such as larger fonts, readable color contrasts, and straightforward navigation.

Practical Tips to Improve Website Accessibility

1. Use Descriptive Alt Text

Ensure that every image on your website has descriptive alt text. For example:

Instead of writing “Image1.jpg,” use “Happy customer using our product in a well-lit office.”

2. Improve Keyboard Navigation

Not all users navigate with a mouse. Ensure your website is fully operable via keyboard, with logical tab orders and focus indicators.

3. Test Color Contrast

Use tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to ensure sufficient contrast between text and background colors. For example, a light gray font on a white background may be invisible to some users.

4. Provide Transcripts and Captions for Multimedia

Videos should have captions, and audio content should have transcripts to make the content accessible to users with hearing impairments.

5. Use ARIA Roles When Necessary

Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) roles help screen readers interpret your website more effectively. For instance, use role="navigation" for menus.

Tools to Test Website Accessibility

Sitesfy Accessibility Checker: Identify accessibility gaps specific to your SMB website with actionable advice.
WAVE by WebAIM: Free tool for quick checks on accessibility issues.
Lighthouse by Google: A built-in Chrome tool that can evaluate accessibility metrics.

Real-World Example: Domino's Accessibility Case

In 2019, Domino’s Pizza faced a lawsuit for having a website that visually impaired users couldn’t navigate. The case highlighted the importance of making digital properties accessible to avoid legal issues.

Conclusion

Investing in website accessibility is not just a moral or legal obligation but also a smart business move. By improving accessibility, you can grow your audience, boost SEO, and create a positive brand image. Start today with tools like Sitesfy to evaluate your website’s accessibility and implement best practices.