In today’s competitive digital landscape, creating an inclusive digital accessible environment is not only a legal and moral obligation but a strategic business advantage as well. According to the World Health Organization, 16% of the global population has some type of disability; this translates further into an ROI impact, with a reported 70% of disabled users exiting a site they find challenging to navigate. When interviewed, 40% of users who experienced issues when interacting with a company’s digital experience indicated that they would visit a competitor’s site if it had better accessibility support. That last statistic targets email campaigns opened on mobile devices, but we can extrapolate a correlation with the overall user experience.
Increasing Key Metric Conversions
Accessibility is crucial in driving key metric conversions, offering substantial and measurable business benefits beyond compliance. By creating an accessible digital environment, companies can enhance user engagement, reduce bounce rates, and foster customer loyalty, contributing to higher conversion rates.
Higher Conversion Rates: Accessible websites are more user-friendly, which can lead to higher conversion rates. Higher conversion rates are the measure of the success of any digital experience; they are the pinnacle action of how a brand wants to onboard customers. Vanity metrics, such as number of visitors, page views, etc. is great and provide value, but the key conversion translates indirectly into business value. According to a study by PayPal, sites with clear and accessible primary conversion engagement reduce friction for users. Resulting in more completed transactions.
Reduced Bounce Rates: Similar to higher conversion rates, an accessible site retains visitors longer. Users who can navigate a site quickly and find the information they need without barriers are less likely to leave immediately. Longer time on site translates to lower bounce rates and contributes to better overall site performance and user satisfaction.
Increased Customer Retention: The cost of retaining a customer is lower than the cost of new customer acquisition. Accessibility fosters long-term customer relationships. Users are more likely to return when they can rely on a site to meet their needs. This loyalty translates into repeat business and sustained revenue growth. Companies that prioritize accessibility often see higher customer retention rates.
The Business Value of Digital Accessibility
An ongoing accessibility plan for the digital experience provides benefits beyond just the maintained digital platform. It impacts the overall brand perception both in the digital and non-digital spaces. In short, a strong accessibility plan can influence and strengthen the customer’s perception of the brand overall.
Expanded Market Reach: By implementing accessibility practices, businesses can tap into an underserved market segment. Referring to the statistics at the start of this article, the brand must be the competitor capturing potential business leaving non-accessible sites.
Boosted Brand Reputation: Adopting accessibility practices not only demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity but also has the potential to enhance a brand’s reputation significantly. Companies known for their inclusive practices often enjoy greater customer loyalty and positive word-of-mouth. Brands like Apple and Microsoft are celebrated for their accessibility efforts, contributing to their robust and loyal customer bases. Imagine the growth and success your brand could achieve by following in their footsteps.
Enhanced User Experience: Accessibility improvements not only cater to users with disabilities but also enhance usability for everyone. Features such as scalable fonts, straightforward navigation, and voice commands can significantly improve the overall user experience. For instance, video captions benefit those in noisy environments and those learning a new language. Visualize the increased customer satisfaction and loyalty your business could gain by making these simple yet impactful changes.
Improved SEO and Increased Traffic: Accessibility features can also improve search engine optimization (SEO). While search engines do not expressly state that accessibility is a ranking factor, they do take into account engagement rates. Digital experiences that are more accessible tend to have higher user engagement, such as time on site and lowered bounce rates.
Reduced Maintenance Costs: Accessible digital experiences generally have well-written code and markup. This facilitates upgrade paths and lowers ongoing developmental maintenance costs.
Practical Steps for Implementing Digital Accessibility
Accessibility is like any other digital marketing type of engagement in that it is an ongoing cycle of review, improvement, measurement, and repeat. The lower ongoing development costs discussed previously should be reinvested into maintaining a robust accessibility engagement. Develop actionable strategies for conducting accessibility audits, integrating accessibility into the development process, and supporting continuous improvement to ensure a brand’s digital platforms remain inclusive and user-friendly.
Conducting Accessibility Audits: The first step in improving accessibility is understanding the current state of your digital platform. Conducting an accessibility audit using tools like Monsido and Google Lighthouse can help identify areas that need improvement and provide a roadmap for making necessary changes.
Integrating Accessibility into the Development Process: Accessibility should be considered from the beginning of any development, not an after-thought. Including designing with accessibility in mind and ensuring all new content meets accessibility standards.Additionally, integration of accessibility practices should include anyone on staff creating and writing content. An accessible approved style guide should be developed and enforced.
Continuous Improvement and Monitoring: Accessibility is not a one-time project but an ongoing commitment. Regular updates and user feedback are essential for maintaining high accessibility standards. A strong partner in growth, such as Perficient, can help implement a brand’s ongoing accessibility strategy.
Investing in accessibility is a strategic move that goes beyond legal compliance. It enhances user experience, expands market reach, improves SEO, and builds brand loyalty, increasing profitability and ROI. Business managers and marketers should prioritize accessibility to maximize their digital platforms’ potential and ensure long-term success. A targeted approach to ongoing accessibility. Leveraging Digital Agencies’ expertise, such as Perficient, can help build a roadmap that provides strong ROI for the value invested.
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