Lost Billions: Why The Web Accessibility Initiative Is So Important For Businesses

Neglect the disabled market at your peril. Businesses are losing billions by ignoring the guidelines outlined in the Web Accessibility Initiative and failing to make their websites accessible.

Why is it important to create accessible online content?

First and foremost, it shows that a business or service provider cares for its audience.

Failing to accommodate disabled users means about 1 billion people around the world are not given the same treatment as the rest of the site's visitors.

Whether it's a company website, blog, or a post on a video-sharing platform, disregarding accessibility can have a considerable impact on views, session times, and bounce rates —some of the key indicators for the amount of time people spend on the site.

How is disability defined?

Disability comes in many shapes and forms. 

It may be a temporary injury like a broken wrist hindering your ability to type, whereas severe issues such as permanent cognitive and visual impairments are classified as long-term disabilities. 

It is also worth noting that the chances of having disabling conditions become greater as we get older: almost half of over 60s experience some sort of moderate to severe disability. 

How is neglecting disabled internet users costing businesses?

Around 70% of disabled internet users will simply leave a website if they find it inaccessible. 

According to the Click-Away Pound Survey, poor web accessibility cost UK companies 17.1 billion GBP in 2019. 

The study also shows that many major retailers are unaware that standards for supporting disabled people online even exist. 

The figure above should leave business owners and online service vendors alarmed, considering around 15% of the world's population has some form of disability. 

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