Website accessibility is sometimes seen as something that only matters if an organisation specifically supports people with disabilities. In reality, it is about making websites clearer, easier to navigate and simpler for more people to use.
We all benefit from accessible design probably without even realising it. Automatic doors, ramps, audiobooks and subtitles may be essential for some people, but they also make everyday life easier for many others.
These same principles apply online. Features that help someone use a screen reader, navigate without a mouse or read content with impaired vision can also help someone using their phone in bright sunlight, watching a video somewhere noisy or completing an important form while stressed.
Accessibility removes unnecessary barriers, and that creates a better website for everyone.
What makes a website accessible?
An accessible website recognises that people see, understand and interact with information in different ways.
Someone may:
- Navigate using a keyboard rather than a mouse
- Use a screen reader or voice-control software
- Enlarge text or zoom into a page
- Find certain colours difficult to distinguish
- Need captions or transcripts for video and audio
- Have dyslexia or another cognitive difference
- Experience reduced vision, hearing or dexterity
- Find complicated language and cluttered layouts difficult to process
Some disabilities are permanent, while others may be temporary or situational. Someone with a broken wrist, a migraine or a baby in one arm can also benefit from a website that is clear and flexible.
It needs to be understood that accessible design is about making the same experience work for more people, not creating a separate experience for one particular group.
How does accessibility improve a website?
Many accessibility improvements are also signs of good website design.
Clear headings and straightforward language make information easier to understand. Strong colour contrast makes content easier to read. Descriptive buttons help people know what will happen next. Logical navigation makes it easier to find the right page, while properly labelled forms help prevent mistakes and explain how to correct them.
These improvements can help your website:
- Reach more people
- Work better across different devices and situations
- Make important information easier to find
- Build confidence in your organisation
- Generate more enquiries, sales, applications or donations
- Support search engines in understanding your content
Accessibility and search engine optimisation are not the same, but they often share good practices. Clear page structures, meaningful headings, descriptive links and properly structured content benefit both website users and search engines.
Most importantly, people should not have to struggle to understand where to go or what to do next.
Accessibility affects more people than you may think
Approximately 16.1 million people in the UK have a disability. That’s around one-quarter of the population, according to UK government statistics. (opens in new tab)
Even if your organisation does not provide a disability-specific service, people with disabilities and access needs will still be among your customers, employees, supporters, donors and wider audience.
They are looking for the same products, information, services and opportunities as everybody else. An inaccessible website does not mean they do not need what you offer; it simply makes it harder or even impossible for them to access it.
Removing barriers can improve results
Every unnecessary barrier is an opportunity for someone to leave your website.
A form with unclear errors can lose an enquiry. Poor colour contrast can hide an important call to action. A checkout that cannot be used with a keyboard can prevent someone from completing a purchase.
The Click-Away Pound research (opens in new tab) found that 69% of internet users with disabilities and access needs would leave a website they found difficult to use. It estimated that inaccessible websites could be missing out on £17.1 billion in spending each year.
Most people will not report the difficulty. They will simply leave and look elsewhere, meaning an organisation may never realise that accessibility was the reason it lost an enquiry, sale or donation.
You may not need to replace your website
Improving accessibility does not always mean starting again.
An accessibility review can help you understand where barriers exist and which changes would make the greatest difference. Some issues may be resolved by improving content, colours, forms or page templates. Others may require changes to the underlying design or development.
The work can often be prioritised and completed in manageable stages. The important thing is to understand the current experience, address the most significant barriers and consider accessibility whenever the website changes.
Better for some, easier for everyone
Accessibility allows more people to access your information, use your services and complete important actions independently.
It can also make your website clearer, easier to navigate and more effective—strengthening trust and helping more visitors become customers, supporters or service users.
Accessible design is not an optional extra to consider once the rest of a website is finished. It is simply part of creating a good website.
If you are unsure how accessible your website currently is, Bramble can help you identify barriers, prioritise improvements and create a practical plan for making it work better for more people.