Over 84 million internet users in the US alone experience some kind of significant disability. For these individuals, navigating the web can be challenging, being that a staggering majority of sites are not accessible.
But what does it mean for a website to be accessible to everyone? To some, the idea might sound like another burdensome regulation or a costly proposition that yields little return. But the truth of the matter is much more simple and significant: everyone should be able to fully engage with your website, irrespective of their physical abilities.
What is Website Accessibility, and Why Does it Matter?
Website accessibility means ensuring your website is built so that all visitors, including those with disabilities, can easily navigate and interact with your content. This means your website must be user-friendly to those who may have visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive impairments.
This is not merely a matter of principle or compliance with laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA); it directly correlates with your online visibility, user experience, and overall success. And, as you'll find, incorporating accessibility into your website design can have significant benefits for your law firm's SEO, making your content more discoverable and potentially increasing your ranking on search engines.
Understanding ADA Compliance for Websites
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal law that requires businesses to provide equal accessibility to people with disabilities, which includes their digital presence.
The ADA ties closely with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), which provides an international standard for web accessibility. To be ADA-compliant, your website should meet the WCAG's essential criteria:
- Perceivable: This involves providing information and user interface components in a form that users can perceive. It also includes providing alternatives for any non-text content and creating content that can be presented in different ways without losing information.
- Operable: UI components and navigation must be operable. This includes making sure all functionality is available from a keyboard and giving users enough time to read and use content.
- Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable. This means your web page should appear and operate in predictable ways and help users avoid and correct mistakes.
- Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.
To get a detailed understanding of the specific guidelines and requirements that need to be followed, refer to the full ADA Web Compliance Guidelines.
Debunking the Misconceptions Around Web Accessibility
Despite the numerous advantages of implementing web accessibility, several myths seem to cloud its actual value. Let's bust these myths:
Myth 1: Accessibility is Difficult to Implement
Many people have the misconception that making a website accessible is a complicated process. This is not entirely true. Simple changes often have the greatest impact.
For example, ensuring proper color contrast, adding descriptive text to images, or organizing your content clearly and logically can greatly improve accessibility. And, while accessibility does require ongoing attention, many improvements can be integrated into regular content maintenance and site improvement processes.
Myth 2: Accessibility is Expensive
Along the same lines, some believe that web accessibility is expensive and beyond the reach of small firms.
Yes, some structural changes to become fully accessible may require investment, especially if you're retrofitting an existing website. However, planning for accessibility from the start of a website design project can reduce these costs. Plus, the benefits, including a wider reach to potential clients and improved SEO, often outweigh the initial cost.
Myth 3: Accessibility Makes Websites Less Aesthetic
This belief stems from an outdated notion that an accessible website will be text-heavy and visually unappealing.
In reality, web accessibility and aesthetic design are not mutually exclusive. A thoughtfully planned website can be both stunning and fully accessible. Think of clean-lined designs, easy-to-read fonts, and clear navigation; all of these aesthetic choices also support accessibility.
How Accessibility Impacts SEO
Many law firms targeting digital outreach might not realize that there's a significant correlation between website accessibility and SEO rankings. While ADA compliance isn’t a direct Google ranking factor, many of the criteria for an accessible site mirror those for a highly SEO-optimized site.
This compatibility means that investing in website accessibility can directly uplift your SEO efforts. So how do these two seemingly different aspects interlace?
User Experience
First, both website accessibility and SEO center on delivering the best and most relevant user experience possible. If visitors can navigate your site effortlessly, they will likely stay longer and engage with your content. This reduced bounce rate and increased on-page time can significantly boost your SEO rankings.
Alt Text and Transcripts
Alt text for images is another common feature between accessibility and SEO. Descriptive alternative text provides a context for images for visually impaired users. Similarly, search engines, which can't 'see' images, rely on alt text to understand the content of pictures and, therefore, better index your site content.
Transcripts for video content also count. Providing transcripts not only increases accessibility for deaf or hard-of-hearing users, but it also offers Google extra readable content that can be crawled and indexed, improving SEO.
Heading Structure
Proper headings and content organization play a vital role, too. Correct use of H1, H2, and H3 tags makes content easier to comprehend for those using assistive technologies. Simultaneously, it also helps search engines crawl your website and understand the structure of your content better, improving your chances of ranking higher.
Mobile Responsivity
Page load times and mobile responsiveness are equally crucial. A website that loads quickly and looks good on various devices enhances accessibility for everyone. For SEO, page load time is a known ranking factor, and with the shift towards mobile-first indexing, having a mobile-responsive site is more important than ever.
Striving to improve website accessibility inadvertently means you're also working on improving your site's SEO. Thus, integrating web accessibility into your law firm's digital strategy is not a burdensome requirement; it's an opportunity to enhance user experience and rise above your competition in search results.
The Legal Importance of Accessibility
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) provides specific guidelines for web accessibility under its Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility. By adhering to these guidelines, you're not only ensuring ADA compliance but also adhering to the global gold standard for web accessibility.
Over the last few years, web accessibility lawsuits have been on the rise. Businesses, large and small, have faced legal challenges for not complying with the ADA.
Dominos, one of the world's largest pizza chains, was sued because its website was not accessible to people with disabilities, resulting in a significant legal and PR fallout. Cases like this one have far-reaching consequences and should serve as a reminder to everyone (especially legal professionals) of the importance of web accessibility.
Practical Steps to Improve Accessibility (and SEO)
Making your website more accessible doesn't require a complete overhaul. There are straightforward changes you can make today to start your journey toward an accessible web experience for everyone:
- Provide descriptive alternative (alt) text for images
- Ensure sufficient color contrast
- Use the correct heading structure
- Offer transcriptions for audio and video content
- Use clear and simple navigation
- Make sure your site is mobile-responsive
By including these points in your site’s routine SEO health check, you're making your law firm's website more inclusive and potentially achieving superior SEO results, ensuring a win-win situation for all.
Accessibility and your Visitors: Keeping Everyone in Mind
Accessibility is not just about removing barriers for a section of the population; it's about enhancing user experience for all. An accessible website caters to the needs of all visitors by offering a better browsing experience, easy navigability, readable text, and more.
The benefits of creating a web environment that is welcoming to all, coupled with the potential for improved SEO and audience reach, make an irrefutable case for incorporating accessibility into your website design.
If you’re interested in knowing more about how search engine optimization and a functional, aesthetically pleasing, and accessible website can help your law firm get results, contact Rankings.io. Our SEO experts are fully dedicated to helping you reach your target audience and your goals.
