This is why digital accessibility is important
Published on
February 22, 2023
Reading time
minutes
Digital accessibility means designing websites, software and applications so that people with physical disabilities can also use them. There is a uniform European standard for digital accessibility of websites and software. EN 301 549 is the European standard for digital accessibility. It specifies the requirements that people with disabilities must have access to information and communication technologies.
Reasons why digital accessibility is important for society include:
Reasons for an accessible website
Reason 1: Reach more customers:
Reason 2: Higher satisfaction:
Satisfied customers are key to the success of your online presence. An important prerequisite for satisfied customers is a high usability of your website or online store. If your content is difficult to access or unstructured and your users struggle to navigate your website or online store, this can quickly lead to dissatisfaction. For this reason, you should make sure that you have a consistently high usability that is accessible to all users. Keep in mind that an accessible website benefits not only some, but all of your users, and thus contributes to the satisfaction of your entire clientele.
Reason 3: Greater reach:
If your website or online store is not accessible, this can lead to you not getting enough reach. One way to increase your reach is to pay attention to accessibility and accessibility. Search engines like Google reward accessible websites and online stores with a higher ranking. This is because the criteria Google applies to assess the usability of your site or store include accessibility and accessibility aspects. If you meet these criteria, you will not only improve your position in the search results, but also your visibility on the Internet. In this way, you can reach more users and thus increase your reach.
Reason 4: Being a role model for others:
Reason 5: Contribution to digital participation:
Economic success and social commitment do not have to contradict each other. On the contrary, an accessible website offers both economic and social benefits. By creating an accessible website or online store, you reach not only people with disabilities, but also users without limitations. In this way, you contribute to the promotion of digital participation. At the same time, a larger target group opens up new opportunities for you to market your products or services and thus also be economically successful.
Digitization - don't forget digital accessibility
The website should be barrier-free? These features are important
Some features of accessible websites:
- easy-to-understand, labeled graphics/illustrations
- simple language and sentence structure
- no foreign words
- accessible form
- sufficient contrast in design
- code and website content optimized for screen readers
- images with alt text
- videos with subtitles
- good usability of the website on desktop and mobile devices
Test website accessibility with WAVE, EqualWeb Accessibility Checker, Lighthouse, Access Assistant
Such websites can be used to identify possible usage limitations, which makes it easier for users to evaluate the website content. The test is free and provides results within seconds. However, you should not rely solely on technical tool evaluations when checking your website. In addition to technical testing, manual testing is always necessary. For example, if an image has an alternate description, this does not necessarily mean that it is helpful to those concerned. If an image is described as "Image 1," the viewer still doesn't know what's on the graphic or image.
