In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was established to ensure that people with disabilities get every opportunity just like everyone else. Therefore, companies must ensure that they accommodate people with different types of disabilities. Today, ADA compliance also includes mobile apps and websites. In other words, if you have a website, it must also be accessible to these special people. Below are some reasons why your site should be ADA compliant.
1) Increase your target audience
If you have a non-ADA compliant blog or website, know that you are missing out on tons of visitors. According to statistics, there are more than 50 million people who have different types of disabilities in the United States. And many of them may have a genuine interest in your products or services. They won’t be able to access your stuff if your website isn’t ADA compliant.
For example, if a video on your site shows the benefits of a product you sell, deaf people may not be able to benefit from it unless you offer captions or subtitles. So, you have to keep that in mind.
2) Boost your SEO efforts
Today, search engines like Google crawl web pages similar to how humans do. The main element of the WCAG refers to accessibility for those readers who scan your website as well as search engines. So if your website follows the guidelines, it’s likely to be more attractive to search engines and screen readers. As a result, you will improve your search engine optimization efforts. Therefore, you may want to consider video transcripts, alt image text, and meta tagging.
3) You can improve your reputation
Since your website will be accessible to people with disabilities, these people will speak highly of your website. As a result, the reputation of your website will increase. This will help you stay ahead of your competition. Therefore, you better make your website ADA compliant if you want to get the word out about your business.
4) Better website usability
If your website is more navigable, it will improve the usability of your website. As a result, visitors will be able to get the information they need when visiting your website. They can access the relevant information with just a few clicks. Those visitors will be able to view your products or services and place their orders, helping you generate more leads.
5) Helps you avoid penalties
Recently, many brands faced lawsuits just because their sites weren’t ADA compliant. So if you want to be on the safe side, we suggest you also make your website accessible to people with disabilities. Your website must be grade A compliant at least.
In short, if your website is not ADA compliant, we suggest you update your site as soon as possible. Doing so will give you a huge advantage over your competitors.
