Accessibility can be a huge headache for people who are thinking about having a website, and an even bigger one for people who are just finding out their website is inaccessible. To get to grips with accessibility the first step is to understand exactly what it means from a business perspective.

The Statistics (Source IWDP)

• 14% of the UK population are registered as disabled (8.3 million people).
• 9% of the UK population have some form of colour blindness (5.4 million people).
• 4% of the UK population have a sight problem (2 million people)
• 21% of the UK population are 60 or over (12 million people)

The statistics show that a surprisingly high percentage of people may have trouble using a websites that fails to meet the accessibility guidelines. No business can really afford to alienate this many potential customers.

In addition to the increased potential target market there are many more benefits that an accessible website will bring to your business.

• Avoid incurring legal fees:
There is legislation in place (Disability Discrimination Act) stating that all websites must be accessible to users who are visually or physically impaired. If your website does not meet the accessibility guidelines set out by the W3C you could potentially be sued.

• Your website will be future-proof and will be compatible with emerging technologies:
This includes new browsers, PDAs, mobile phones and web tv. These technologies are becoming more common methods of accessing the Internet

• Increased search engine performance:
An accessible website has cleaner code that is easier for search engines to understand. This will help to optimise your search engine position. In fact, many of the methods used to increase accessibility overlap with those used by Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) companies.

• The usability of your site will be improved:
There are significant similarities and overlap between usability and accessibility. Providing user with a clear navigation and page structure will give the user a positive experience which will increase the likelihood of them making a purchase and returning to the site.

• Positive PR:
Demonstrating your business as one of the few that cares about accessibility will enhance the positive corporate image of your company, and help to differentiate you from your competition.

As a business model an accessible website makes perfect sense.  By building accessibility features into your website you will be increasing your potential market, improving search engine performance, enhancing the usability of your website, whilst boosting the corporate image of your company.

With these inarguable facts and statistics, the question must be asked “Can anyone afford not to have an accessible website?”

For more information on how your business can benefit from having an accessible website visit http://www.dreamscapedesign.co.uk or call 0800 019 7034.