Why your business needs a website accessibility audit

Written on May 15, 2024. Posted in Accessibility.

Ecommerce websites need to be fully accessible. The end.

But remember that a website accessibility audit is also important for increasing your reach, safeguarding against potential legal issues, and improving your brand’s reputation.

We’ve been working on making sites accessible for quite a while now, so we can guide you through both the auditing and remediation process to ensure your site meets all necessary accessibility standards.

What is a website accessibility audit?

A website accessibility audit is essentially a thorough check-up of your website to ensure it’s usable by people with a variety of disabilities.

This could include visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments. During an audit, various aspects of your website are tested against recognized standards, primarily the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) but also other standards applied in different countries.

Why is this necessary? First and foremost, it ensures that your website provides a good user experience for all visitors. This inclusivity can significantly widen your potential customer base.

Customer trust and satisfaction are improved when users see that a business takes steps to accommodate all needs.

Legally speaking, many regions have laws requiring digital accessibility, and performing an audit can help protect your business from costly lawsuits.

As experts in the field, we can offer you high-quality auditing services that help identify non-compliance issues and provide actionable feedback for remediation.

👉 How ecommerce accessibility influences web performance?

How accessibility positively affects your business

Incorporating accessibility into your ecommerce strategy is a good business decision – the best one you can make. A website accessibility audit is the first step in unlocking a segment of the market that is too often overlooked but has substantial spending power, and here’s why.

1. By making your site accessible, you open up your products to millions of people who might not have been able to use the site before the audit (and remediation).

2. Search engines favor websites that are accessible to a broad audience, which can improve your site’s search engine ranking.

3. Companies that prioritize accessibility are viewed favorably, which can strengthen customer loyalty and lead to positive word of mouth.

Common accessibility barriers easily fixed

A website accessibility audit will help you identify barriers that might be affecting your website’s accessibility. Some common issues include:

Images without alt text which are inaccessible to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers.
Non-compliant color contrasts that make text hard to read for those with visual impairments.
Complex menus and navigation features can be difficult for users with motor impairments to operate.

How to get a website accessibility audit

Conducting a website accessibility audit might sound daunting, but with the right team, it can be straightforward and simple. Here’s how we can help:

1. We start by understanding your needs and challenges.

2. Using tools and manual blind user testing, we assess your website against WCAG and all necessary guidelines.

3. We provide a detailed report of our findings and practical recommendations for addressing any issues.

⭐ Get your website checked here.

Continuous improvement and maintenance

A website accessibility audit is not a one-time task but part of an ongoing commitment to inclusivity because websites (even guidelines) change often. Maintaining accessibility should be an important part, and here’s some advice to follow:

Regular reviews are essential, especially as you update and expand your website.
Make sure that everyone involved in web content management understands accessibility principles.
Gather feedback from users about their accessibility experience and make improvements based on real user data.

Summary

A website accessibility audit offers so many benefits that go beyond compliance. It can expand your market reach, enhance user experience, and boost your SEO efforts.

We’re here to help you not only conduct an initial audit but also to improve your website accessibility. Reach out here and let’s expand the potential of your business – together!