8. Accessibility is not just a box to tick

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Fiachra Ó'Marcaigh, Director, AMAS

Hard-pressed website owners may be tempted to view accessibility as just another regulatory burden. That would be a mistake.

Of course, accessibility is a matter of fairness, of good practice and increasingly of law. However, making an online channel usable by the widest range of people possible, regardless of any disability they may suffer, is good business too.

Here are ten reasons why:
1. Maximise your audience
You’re using the Web to communicate, don’t reduce the reach of your message through inaccessibility
2. Don’t reject revenue
If people can’t use your site they can’t buy from it. Avoid barriers to business
3. Stand out in search
What’s good accessibility is good for Google. Search engines will bring about 80% of your new traffic, so help them
4. Cut costs, not corners
Accessibility need not add to the costs of a site if planned from the outset
5. Sell to the public sector
In many countries, this valuable market is insisting on accessibility by suppliers
6. Protect your brand
An inaccessible, low-usability site does not improve the reputation of the brand it promotes
7. Demand quality
Ability and enthusiasm for standards-based, accessible websites is a positive sign in a web development company
8. Improve customer experience
Accessibility features can make your site more usable and more pleasant for all visitors
9. Emulate market leaders
Many of the world’s biggest companies insist on accessibility
10. Future-proof your site
Accessible, standards-based websites can save money over time by being easier to maintain

Back to contents of State of the Net issue 5