Why Should I Make My Website Accessible?

 When you think about your website, what’s the first thing that comes to mind?

Maybe it’s the design, the colors, the speed, or how well it sells your products or shares your ideas.

But here’s a question that many website owners overlook:
Can everyone use your website?

Website accessibility means making sure your site works for everyone — including people with disabilities — without unnecessary barriers. And there’s more than one reason why this matters. It’s not just about “being nice” or “checking a legal box.” Accessibility is about expanding your audience, improving your website’s performance, protecting your business legally, and building a brand that people trust.

Let’s explore the reasons why making your website accessible is one of the smartest and most compassionate moves you can make.

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1. Legal Compliance: Staying on the Right Side of the Law

In many countries, accessibility isn’t just a recommendation — it’s a legal requirement.

• United States — The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires businesses and organizations to make their services accessible, including online services. Courts have increasingly ruled that websites are covered under the ADA, especially for companies that serve the public.

• United Kingdom — The Equality Act 2010 protects people from discrimination in services, which includes digital services like websites.

• European Union — The EU Web Accessibility Directive requires public sector websites and apps to meet specific accessibility standards.

• Canada — The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) sets rules for federal services, including digital platforms.

• Australia — The Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) applies to websites, and failing to comply can lead to lawsuits.

Real-World Example

In 2019, a major pizza chain in the U.S. faced a lawsuit because a blind customer couldn’t order food through their website using his screen reader. The company lost, and it became a high-profile reminder: ignoring accessibility can cost you — in court fees, in fines, and in reputation.

By making your website accessible, you not only protect yourself from legal trouble, but you also show you’re a responsible and professional business owner who takes regulations seriously.

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2. A Larger Audience: Reaching Over 1 Billion People

Globally, more than 1 billion people live with some form of disability. That’s roughly 15% of the world’s population. In the U.S. alone, it’s around 61 million people.

If your website isn’t accessible, you’re essentially closing the door on a massive group of potential customers, readers, clients, or supporters.

Disabilities That Affect Website Use Include:

• Visual impairments — blindness, low vision, or color blindness

• Hearing impairments — deafness or partial hearing loss

• Motor disabilities — difficulty with fine motor control, making mouse use challenging

• Cognitive or learning disabilities — dyslexia, memory issues, ADHD, and more

Think About It This Way

If you run an online store and your checkout process doesn’t work without a mouse, you’re losing customers who navigate only by keyboard. If your videos don’t have captions, you’re losing viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Accessibility doesn’t just help people with disabilities — it invites them in. The result? A bigger audience, more engagement, and more conversions.

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3. Better SEO: Search Engines Love Accessible Websites

Here’s a little secret: many accessibility features also boost your search engine optimization (SEO).

Why? Because search engines — like Google, Bing, and Yahoo — work a lot like assistive technologies. They rely on structured, well-labeled content to understand your pages.

How Accessibility Helps SEO

• Alt text for images — Helps both screen readers and Google understand what your images are about.

• Clear heading structure (H1, H2, H3) — Helps both users and search engines know the order and importance of your content.

• Readable text — Search engines favor content that’s easy to read and understand.

• Transcripts for audio and video — Google can index the text, making your content searchable.

• Fast load times — Accessible sites often avoid overly complex scripts, which also improves speed (another SEO factor).

The result? Your site ranks better, draws more organic traffic, and serves more people — without extra marketing spend.

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4. Good Ethics & Brand Image: Showing You Care

In today’s world, people want to support brands and businesses that stand for something positive. Accessibility sends a clear message:

“We believe everyone deserves equal access.”

When visitors — disabled or not — see that your site has captions, readable text, clear navigation, and other accessibility features, they notice. It creates an impression of care, professionalism, and trustworthiness.

Why This Matters for Your Brand

• Word of Mouth — People talk about good experiences. If your website makes life easier for someone, they’re likely to recommend you.

• Customer Loyalty — Inclusivity builds emotional connections. Customers are more likely to stick with brands they feel respect them.

• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) — Many companies now report on their social responsibility efforts, and accessibility is a strong CSR point.

An accessible website isn’t just functional — it’s a statement about your values.

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5. Accessibility Improves Usability for Everyone

Here’s a hidden bonus: accessibility features often make websites easier for everyone to use, not just people with disabilities.

Examples:

• Captions help people watching videos in noisy places.

• Large, clear fonts help tired eyes late at night.

• Keyboard navigation is faster for power users.

• High-contrast design helps when using a phone in bright sunlight.

This is called the curb-cut effect — when something designed for a specific group ends up benefiting the entire population. (Think about how curb ramps in sidewalks help parents with strollers, travelers with suitcases, and delivery workers — not just wheelchair users.)

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6. Accessibility Can Increase Conversions and Sales

If your website is more usable, more people will complete the actions you want them to — whether that’s buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, booking a service, or making a donation.

A smoother, more inclusive user experience often leads to:

• Lower bounce rates (fewer people leaving your site right away)

• Higher engagement (more time spent exploring your content)

• Increased trust (people feel safe and respected)

For e-commerce websites, this can translate directly into more sales. For service-based businesses, it can mean more inquiries and bookings.

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7. It’s Easier (and Cheaper) to Do Now Than Later

Adding accessibility during the initial design or development stage is far easier and cheaper than trying to retrofit it later.

If you wait until after your site is live — or worse, until you get a legal complaint — you’ll spend much more time and money fixing issues.

By thinking about accessibility from the start, you’ll save:

• Development costs

• Time spent redoing work

• The stress of dealing with unhappy users or legal actions

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Practical Steps to Get Started

You don’t have to become a coding expert to make your site more accessible. Here are simple ways to begin:

1. Add Alt Text to Images — Describe what’s in each image.

2. Use Descriptive Links — “Learn more about our services” is better than “Click here.”

3. Ensure Color Contrast — Make sure text stands out clearly from the background.

4. Use Proper Headings — Organize your content with H1, H2, H3, etc.

5. Caption Your Videos — Use captions or subtitles for all video content.

6. Test Your Site with a Keyboard — Can you navigate without a mouse?

7. Run an Accessibility Audit — Use free tools like WAVE or Lighthouse.

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Final Thoughts

Making your website accessible isn’t just the right thing to do — it’s the smart thing to do. You’ll:

• Stay legally compliant

• Welcome a larger audience

• Improve your SEO

• Boost your brand image

• Make your site easier for everyone to use

• Potentially increase conversions and sales

The internet was meant to connect people, not exclude them. By investing in accessibility, you’re building a bridge that invites everyone across — no matter their abilities.

In the end, website accessibility is about more than technology. It’s about respect, empathy, and fairness. And when you put those values at the heart of your website, the benefits will ripple outward — to your audience, your brand, and your bottom line.