Accessibility, in the context of web design and development, refers to the practice of creating websites, applications, and content that can be accessed and used by all people, including those with disabilities. This includes users who may have visual impairments, hearing loss, limited motor skills, or cognitive disabilities. The goal of accessibility is to ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can interact with digital content in a meaningful and functional way. However, accessibility extends far beyond compliance checkboxes, it's about creating digital experiences that work for everyone regardless of their abilities or circumstances.
Accessibility is becoming a major focus in 2025, not just as a best practice but as a competitive advantage. If you want to stay ahead, ensuring your website is accessible will improve user experience, boost SEO, and expand your audience reach.
You might be wondering which disabilities you should focus on when it comes to web accessibility, and what they really mean for your site. Here’s a rundown of some of the most common disabilities that all websites should aim to accommodate.
These disabilities are a key focus in web accessibility, as addressing these barriers improves the user experience for a broader audience, making websites more inclusive.
Accessibility isn't just a compliance checkbox, it’s a competitive advantage. An accessible site isn’t just easier for people with disabilities, it’s faster, more user-friendly, and ranks better on Google. Studies show that businesses with accessible websites see lower bounce rates, higher conversions, and even increased revenue. Google’s algorithms favour clean, structured, and well-labelled content, the same principles that make a site accessible. So, if you’re not thinking about accessibility, you’re not just excluding users, you’re leaving traffic and sales opportunities on the table.
"Many organisations are waking up to the fact that embracing accessibility leads to multiple benefits – reducing legal risks, strengthening brand presence, improving customer experience and colleague productivity." Paul Smyth, Head of Digital Accessibility, Barclays
Still not convinced? Let's look into the data.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 16% of the global population lives with a significant disability. Collectively, this group holds over $13 trillion in disposable income, making accessibility a major economic opportunity. Major corporations are responding to this market reality, with Microsoft's 2024 Accessibility Research showing that 92% of Fortune 100 companies now feature dedicated accessibility officers or programs, compared to just 71% in 2022. The business impact of accessibility is also measurable. Google's 2024 Web Equity Study found that companies implementing comprehensive accessibility improvements saw an average 27% increase in overall user engagement and a 31% reduction in bounce rates across all users, not just those with disabilities.
Now that we understand accessibility and its importance, how does it impact conversions and revenue? Simply put, if a site isn’t accessible, users won’t bother navigating it, and search engines won’t favour it either. According to WebAIM, 95.9% of homepages fail to meet WCAG 2 standards. This means the vast majority of websites are still falling short in accessibility. Pair that with the fact that 70% of users with disabilities will immediately leave an inaccessible site, and the need for accessibility becomes impossible to ignore. The impact on conversions and revenue is clear, an inaccessible site means lost potential customers, as users with disabilities will leave rather than struggle to navigate it. On top of that, search engines like Google prioritise accessible websites, meaning a lack of accessibility can hurt rankings, reduce organic traffic, and ultimately limit business growth. In short, ignoring accessibility doesn’t just exclude users, it directly affects visibility, engagement, and revenue.
Accessibility takes many forms, often in ways that are invisible or easily overlooked. What many businesses fail to realise is that key decision-makers, including those with purchasing power, may have disabilities themselves. A recent EY study found that 7% of C-suite executives have lived experience with a disability, yet four in five have chosen not to disclose it. This means accessibility isn’t just about compliance or ethics, it’s about ensuring a seamless experience for influential individuals who could be deciding whether to invest in your business. Ignoring accessibility doesn’t just alienate general users; it could also mean missing out on valuable business opportunities at the highest levels.
Many businesses assume implementing website accessibility is either not worth the effort or expensive. However, this perception is often false. According to the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), when accessibility is integrated during the initial design phase, it typically adds less than 3% to the overall project budget. In contrast, retrofitting accessibility features into existing websites can cost up to ten times more. This cost disparity highlights the value of taking a proactive approach! Organisations implementing accessibility from the beginning spent on average 62% less than those forced to remediate inaccessible systems after development, according to UK Government Digital Service research. These figures debunk the myth that accessibility requires substantial financial investment, in reality, it's pondering on accessibility the expense. Early investment prevents costly corrections later, making accessibility not just an ethical choice but a financially secure one!
According to Google’s Search Advocate, John Mueller, website accessibility doesn’t directly influence search rankings, nor are there plans to make it an official ranking factor. However, he pointed out that accessibility affects user experience, if a site is difficult to navigate, visitors are more likely to leave quickly. This increased bounce rate and lower engagement can indirectly impact search performance, making accessibility an important consideration for overall site success.
As I dive into the most impactful accessibility categories you should focus on, you’re probably wondering how to determine if your site is currently fulfilling those categories. So, I’ll also walk you through how to test your website for compliance and identify areas for improvement!
Semantic HTML refers to using the correct HTML elements to convey meaning and structure, such as <header>, <nav>, <article>, and <section>. Proper heading structure means using <h1> for the main title, followed by <h2>, <h3>, etc, in a logical order to outline content hierarchy. With the ever-growing use of drag-and-drop builders, it’s easy to get heading hierarchy mixed up. But being aware of it is the first step in ensuring your site remains structured, accessible, and search-engine friendly!
Search engines rely on proper heading structures to understand page content and rank it accordingly. A well-structured page helps Google determine relevance and improves your chances of appearing in featured snippets and quick answers. Poorly structured headings can confuse search engines, leading to lower rankings.
Screen readers use headings to help visually impaired users navigate content efficiently. If headings are missing, out of order, or misused (e.g. using <h3> before an <h2>), users relying on assistive technology may struggle to understand page structure, making navigation frustrating.
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes are a set of HTML enhancements designed to improve web accessibility, particularly for users who rely on assistive technologies like screen readers. These attributes help convey important information about the structure, roles, and interactions of web elements that may not be inherently accessible. Their primary purpose is to bridge gaps in native HTML by providing additional context for dynamic content, interactive elements, and complex components like modals, dropdowns, and custom buttons. Without proper ARIA implementation, many users with disabilities may struggle to navigate and interact with a website effectively. Despite their importance, ARIA attributes are often misused or overlooked entirely. Understanding and correctly applying ARIA attributes is crucial to ensuring a more inclusive and compliant website experience.
Keyboard navigation refers to the ability to move through a website using only a keyboard, without relying on a mouse. Focus management ensures that interactive elements (such as links, buttons, and forms) receive focus in a logical order and are visibly highlighted when navigated via the keyboard.
While Google doesn’t explicitly rank sites based on keyboard accessibility, poor navigation can lead to high bounce rates and low engagement, both of which negatively impact rankings. Additionally, Google rewards user-friendly experiences, and accessibility plays a big role in that.
Many users, including those with motor disabilities, rely on keyboard navigation or assistive devices like screen readers. If your site doesn’t support tab navigation properly or lacks focus indicators, users may struggle to interact with essential elements, leading to frustration and abandonment.
Colour contrast refers to the difference in brightness between text and its background, ensuring readability for all users, including those with visual impairments. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set clear standards for minimum contrast ratios to make digital content accessible. In the updated WCAG 2.2, contrast requirements largely remain the same as in WCAG 2.1, with a few added criteria for visual accessibility, including focus indicators. Under WCAG 2.1 and 2.2, contrast requirements are divided into two levels:
These guidelines ensure that users with low vision, colour blindness, or other visual impairments can read text without strain.
While Google doesn’t directly penalise poor contrast, it does reward user-friendly experiences. Low-contrast text can lead to high bounce rates and low engagement, negatively impacting search rankings. Additionally, sites that meet WCAG guidelines are more likely to pass Google's Core Web Vitals, improving overall performance.
Poor contrast makes text difficult or impossible to read, particularly for users with colour blindness, low vision, or screen glare. If content isn’t readable, it becomes inaccessible, preventing users from fully engaging with your site.
In summary, while the fundamental colour contrast ratios for text remain unchanged in WCAG 2.2, the guidelines have been expanded to include other visual accessibility elements, like focus indicators. These updates further ensure your site is accessible to users who navigate via keyboard or rely on assistive technology.
Text alternatives (or "alt text") refer to the practice of providing descriptive text for non-text content, such as images, videos, and other media. This allows users who cannot see or access visual content, like those using screen readers, to understand the information being conveyed. Under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), all non-text content must have an appropriate text alternative (alt text), except in certain circumstances (e.g. decorative images).
Alt text is not only important for accessibility, but it also helps with search engine optimisation (SEO). Search engines like Google can’t “see” images, but they can read alt text. Well-written alt text provides search engines with context about the image, contributing to better indexing and, ultimately, higher rankings. Missing or inadequate alt text can negatively impact your site’s visibility in search results.
Without proper text alternatives, users with visual impairments, who rely on screen readers, are unable to understand images, infographics, and other media. This prevents them from fully engaging with the content and navigating the site effectively. Additionally, failing to provide adequate alt text means you’re not offering an inclusive experience for a significant portion of your audience.
In summary, ensuring all non-text content has appropriate text alternatives is crucial for both accessibility and SEO. Proper alt text allows users with visual impairments to interact with your content and helps search engines understand and index your site more effectively.