You may have heard about ADA compliance for web design. You may have even encountered it on a website. But, what you may not know is why it is so important.
A study by SEMRUSH and BuiltWith identified 847 sites using accessibility remediation solutions and tracked their traffic before and after implementing these services. On average, all the sites surveyed experienced a 12% increase in traffic after implementing accessibility solutions. This is no small change, and one that deserves serious consideration for businesses interested in online growth.
ADA compliance takes many forms. But, for websites, it means offering the capability for anyone to scroll through a site unimpeded. For current web standards, user experience is everything. And, that is why the importance of ADA compliance on your web design can’t be stated enough. Currently, 1 out of every 4 people in the U.S. lives with a disability. This is a significant section of the market that your business could cater toward. Providing this audience with what they need adds incredible opportunities for growth of your business.
What exactly is ADA compliance?
The acronym ADA stands for the American Disabilities Act that was enacted back in 1990. The law defends accessibility and civil rights for people with disabilities. Through this, appropriate accommodations must be made within certain areas of public locations and services. And, that includes web accessibility. However, the distinction between physical locations and websites is obvious. So, naturally, the requirements for websites are a little different.
What about websites?
Obviously, when ADA compliance was originally discussed in the 90s, the internet wasn’t where it finds itself today. Because of the wide-reaching influence it has on our daily lives now, ADA compliance needed to extend to websites as well. So, courts now apply ADA compliance to websites, web-based applications, email or mobiles apps, and more.
In 2022, a report from JD Supra found that ADA-related lawsuit filings had reached an all time high, with a 320% increase over eight years. As commerce transitions from the physical to the digital, these numbers continue to see an increase. Whether your business is smaller or larger, ADA compliance is something to be taken seriously. And, according to Accessibe, 82% of users would spend more time on websites if they were more accessible. Accessibility not only helps those around us, but also protects your business from lawsuits.
Are there specific web standards?
The unfortunate reality is that standards for web design and ADA compliance don’t exist yet. So, no hard guidelines exist for how to make your website accessible for others. However, if your site follows WCAG 2.1, then the odds of your site being sued for lack of accessibility are significantly decreased. These guidelines provide almost everything your site needs for guaranteed accessibility. Simply go through the checklist of items these guidelines provide, and your site will follow the guidelines as best as possible.
Websites that don’t follow these guidelines always have a chance of being flagged for the inaccessibility. According to Accessibe, more than 100,000 business owners received demand letters in 2022 for having inaccessible websites. Rather than become a part of the statistic, your site can become a solution to the problem of inaccessibility online.
Compliance made easy
Although you can go through a checklist of items for compliance, some easier options exist as well. Web design already ends up being a time consuming process, so having a tool that provides easy accessibility to every visitor is priceless.
The team at Creative Marketing Group take advantage of Accessibe’s online widget for sites. By first scanning your site, we help customers find where their sites may lack accessibility options. Then, by working with our team, we help you set up a widget on your site that provides your visitors with all the options they might need for accessibility accommodations. This not only gives users a better browsing experience with your site, but also protects your business from any potential lawsuits because of a lack of functionality for those with disabilities.
By having accessibility options on your site, you also encourage individuals who can use its functions to come back to your site because it provides them what they need for easier browsing. Many are still in the process of getting accessibility on their site. So, our team works with customers through utilization of software that allows us to get their websites ahead of the curve.
ADA compliance for web design shouldn’t be a difficult process. Through software addition, site configuration, and more, your site is protected and works to serve your customers better. Contact Creative Marketing Group today to add this functionality and more to your website!
