Beyond Compliance: Surprise Benefits to an Accessible Website

In our recent overview of web compliance and its increased importance, we touched on the additional value it brings to websites. At Jennergy, we work to design compliance-friendly websites, not just because of potential legal implications under the American Disability Act (ADA), but in part due to the better SEO and increased usability. Accessibility and usability are closely related to creating a web that works for everyone. 

Boost your SEO with compliance.

Search engines, such as Google, use a variety of factors to rank websites, including user experience. Websites that are easy to use and navigate are far more likely to rank higher in search results. In addition, search engines favor websites that are accessible to all users, especially those with disabilities. Providing a good user experience (UX) is a large factor in determining a website’s SEO placement, as it impacts user engagement and the amount of time spent on a website. By making your website accessible, you create an intuitive experience for all users, regardless of their disabilities. Thus improving the overall user experience and site usability, leading to a lower bounce rate and increased customer retention. 

Many SEO requirements overlap with compliance guidelines, including some technical aspects of a website like alt text, title tags, header structure, etc. These exist not just for proper keyboard or screen reader accessibility, but to tell search engines that your site is built well, therefore boosting it in rankings. These technical aspects are always a part of how we build websites, and they always end up on our recommendations for improvement in our web audits of existing websites.

A well-designed user experience is an accessible one.

Website usability is often determined by two things—how easy a website is to navigate and how intuitive it is to use. The efficiency of the content and design also impacts the user’s experience. A clearly laid out navigation is not only key for accessibility, but it’s beneficial for all users to find information quickly. Simple adjustments like allowing autofill on form fields, will make using a screen reader easier and improves the user experience for all who interact with your website. We take these and many more UX considerations into account when our team designs a website (or a design system). 

There are a lot of great reasons to make your website compliant, and with any website we design, we are sure to keep WCAG guidelines top of mind. An existing website can be made compliant. Our web audit assesses what is needed to not just meet WCAG guidelines, but other important usability improvements. Whether your website needs a new website that meets WCAG guidelines, or you need your existing site to become compliant, our expertise will help build a functional, accessible, and beautifully designed website for an ideal user experience. Reach out to us at contactus@jennergy.com to learn more.