Have you ever considered that if your agency isn’t creating apps or websites that follow the WCAG accessibility guidelines, millions of people worldwide won’t be able to use them?
Your clients are potentially missing out on thousands of new customers who will likely end up shopping on an easier to use, WCAG compliant, competitor site instead. A sobering thought and only one of the many reasons why digital accessibility should be top of mind for your agency.
Why accessibility is important
In this article, we will be discussing five key reasons why it’s in your agency’s best interests to make accessibility a core consideration when providing clients with digital solutions:
- Increase e-commerce sales
- Create better products
- Avoid lawsuits for clients
- Connect with a wider customer base
- Future-proof your agency
Increase e-commerce sales
A study done by Click-Away Pound found that 69% of people living with disabilities will abandon a site with access barriers, resulting in yearly losses of a whopping £17.1 billion in the UK alone. And with over 14 million disabled people in the UK, you can’t afford not to build WCAG compliant sites. If the platforms you build are easy to use for everyone, customers will have a better experience, resulting in increased sales and happy clients.
Create better products
Besides creating an inclusive product, following accessibility best practices improves SEO, bounce rates and digital quality overall. Features like intuitive navigation, clean design, clear structure and video transcripts, not only enhance web accessibility but also improve UX and SEO, resulting in higher rankings on Google search.
Avoid lawsuits for clients
Web Accessibility isn’t just a nice to have, it’s a legal requirement. Covered in the UK by the Equality Act of 2010, having a website that’s not WCAG compliant puts your client at risk of hefty fines and legal penalties. This is clearly a very important reason to have the conversation with your client about digital accessibility and why they need it.
Connect with a wider customer base
Thanks to the pandemic and lockdowns, more people are shopping online than ever before.
Couple this with one in five people in the UK living with a disability, the average human lifespan consistently increasing and the fact that there is a more diverse group of people shopping online, the digital landscape is going to be tougher than ever before.
Building sites that are accessible for everyone will maximise this ever-growing customer base and maximise customer loyalty.
Future-proof your agency
Web Accessibility is not a fleeting trend. More clients are going to start demanding it as they realise how it benefits their website and brand image, and as they notice the increasing number of Accessibility lawsuits.
Developing expertise in Accessibility and building it into your products will allow you to get ahead by meeting the needs of these customers when they start knocking on your door. In fact, many clients are already asking agencies to make Accessibility part of their offering, so it would be wise to prepare for an imminent surge in demand.
Conclusion
Web Accessibility is not going anywhere, and as an agency, it is your responsibility to ensure you provide your client with the best possible advice regarding accessibility requirements.
At Little Forest, we understand the challenges agencies face when tackling accessibility on a large scale. We have created an agency accessibility experience that allows for an easily repeatable process and strategic insights on how to make the biggest impact on your clients’ compliance in the shortest time.
We also provide whitelisting solutions to give your clients a seamless experience with your brand. Our platform gives you instant reports on how your pages perform against all major standards. We are continuously upgrading our systems to be in line with the latest legal requirements.
Is your agency considering how to help your clients meet Web Accessibility guidelines? Get in touch, and let us start your journey to web accessibility success today!
