{"id":80218,"date":"2022-03-22T18:24:09","date_gmt":"2022-03-22T18:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/rockcontent.com\/?p=80218"},"modified":"2025-09-19T02:18:49","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T05:18:49","slug":"digital-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pingback.com\/en\/resources\/digital-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"Digital Accessibility: Why You (And Your Brand) Should Start Thinking About It Today!"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Have you imagined yourself trying to access important information online but having trouble finding it because of a disability? This is what happens frequently with more than one billion people<\/strong> around the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

15% of the world\u2019s population experience some type of disability and although in the last few years accessibility has been a priority for many companies, when it comes to digital accessibility, brands still have a long path ahead.<\/p>\n

A survey by the English company Click-Away Pound<\/a> showed that 69% of respondents have already abandoned websites due to lack of accessibility. In addition, 86% said that if online stores were affordable, they would spend more.<\/p>\n

So, if your platform is not accessible, you are not just impeding people from having free access to information and services on the internet, you are also losing money!<\/p>\n

Are you still wondering if it is important to start thinking about digital accessibility right now? Check out why this so important!<\/p>\n

What is digital accessibility?<\/h2>\n

Digital accessibility means breaking down barriers on the internet for people with disabilities<\/em>. It is about making websites, apps or any other online tools accessible for everyone.<\/p>\n

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines<\/a> (WCAG) is the world\u2019s standard reference for most website accessibility-related legislation and has established four principles that should serve as a guide for web content production.<\/p>\n

Perceivable<\/h3>\n

Elements and information must be perceived by one\u2019s senses and nothing can be undetectable or invisible.<\/p>\n

Operable<\/h3>\n

Interactive elements \u2014 buttons, controls, etc \u2014 must be physically operated (clicking, swiping, scrolling). Voice commands or other assistive devices<\/a> must be available.<\/p>\n

Understandable<\/h3>\n

Information must be presented clearly and consistently so that the end user fully understands the content.<\/p>\n

Robust<\/h3>\n

The content must be compatible with various \u200ctechnologies,\u200c including\u200c \u200cassistive \u200cdevices.<\/p>\n

If a page or site does not follow these four principles, it will not be accessible to all users.<\/p>\n

Why is it important to think about (and practice) digital accessibility?<\/h2>\n

The data we’ve seen shows that it’s not just the audience of people with disabilities that wins when brands invest in digital accessibility. It is, moreover, a way to differentiate your brand from most competitors, taking your message, products and services to everyone.<\/p>\n

Sometimes people don\u2019t realize just how much is at stake here. It\u2019s not just checkboxes and compliance documents\u2014it\u2019s someone being able to sign up for a class, pay their bills, or reach out to support when they\u2019re genuinely stuck. Imagine never knowing if the next site you need will suddenly throw up a wall, just because some alt text or keyboard navigation was overlooked. It\u2019s one of those things you can almost forget exists, unless you\u2019ve been on the other side, frustrated and locked out for no good reason.<\/p>\n

If you talk to folks working in accessibility, a recurring theme is that most fixes aren\u2019t actually hard\u2014just overlooked. Adding descriptive labels to buttons or transcripts for videos, for example, takes minutes but opens a digital door for so many people. You don\u2019t have to overhaul everything at once to make progress. Some brands make the mistake of waiting for \u201cthe perfect time\u201d to address accessibility, not realizing that small steps are still steps forward.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s really telling is that accessibility improvements often end up benefiting everyone, not just people with disabilities. Closed captions, for instance, aren\u2019t just for those who are deaf; they\u2019re handy in noisy environments, or when you\u2019re sneaking a video at work (no judgment). The more we design for different needs, the more flexible and enjoyable digital spaces get across the board. It\u2019s not charity\u2014it\u2019s smart, thoughtful design.<\/p>\n

And even if your current audience doesn\u2019t complain, that doesn’t mean barriers aren’t there. Plenty of users simply give up or never bother coming back\u2014and honestly, why would they? With so many digital options out there in 2025, ignoring accessibility is just inviting people to take their attention (and money) elsewhere. Some brands will only realize the importance after negative press or\u2014worse\u2014legal trouble crops up. Being proactive here says a lot about the kind of reputation your business wants, not just in legal terms but in real, lasting goodwill.<\/p>\n

In addition to reaching a huge range of potential customers, the company will be seen even more as a promoter of diversity, inclusion and accessibility, being recognized as a more humanized brand. And we know that fortunately this has been a highly valued topic by consumers.<\/p>\n

Digital accessibility still has an impact on your site’s performance when it comes to SEO. You know that Core Web Vitals algorithms from Google are all about user experience<\/a>, right? It means you have to provide a great navigation for all.<\/p>\n

For users without disabilities, it means a better experience on your site. So the removal of barriers, added to the improvement of the user experience and a greater reach of your content will certainly contribute to your pages ranking better.<\/p>\n

In the US, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)<\/a> establishes digital accessibility requirements for several industries. There are already lawsuits with allegations of violation of this law in which companies have been ordered to pay large settlements.<\/p>\n

So above all, following WCAG guidelines will help your company stay ADA compliant and avoid legal fees.<\/p>\n

And how do you start?<\/h2>\n

WCAG has a list of practices<\/a> to apply to web content, but to start, there are some simple improvements that you must implement and put as a standard from now on.<\/p>\n