Website Accessibility and Usability

You might think that the accessibility and usability of your site would have to do with how well it’s put together and organized, right? It would be nice if this was the case, being that there are so many websites out there that are anything but user-friendly.


However, website accessibility and usability refers to something entirely different.

How do these terms apply to you and your website project? In the United States, you are legally obligated to run a website that is both usable and accessible. In other words, you’re obligated to run a business site that the vast majority of people have the opportunity to view and get the full benefit of your site.

Mostly, accessibility refers to your site’s ability to operate well. To ensure that your site is universally accessible, use programming and design techniques that allow all customers to view your site effortlessly and easily. For example, images often include tags that render them invisible for visitors that run the internet with those tags switched off. Or JavaScript, for example, can present some challenges because most visitors search the internet with JavaScript turned off. When these visitors come to your site, it isn’t fully functional and they don’t have complete access to your site.


Audio files and flash player are two more common concerns around website accessibility.

Obviously, people who are hearing impaired won’t be able to enjoy audio files on your site. And flash player often has to be downloaded and installed before visitors can fully access your site. All these extra bells and whistles are great, but make sure that visitors can still get all the same information in a traditional, easy access way.

These days, accessibility has a new angle because of the rising popularity of using cell phones and other mobile devices to access the internet. To be considered fully accessible, your website should be fully functional even to someone viewing your sight using a mobile device.


Emphasis on accessibility is intended to benefit you, the business owner, as well as the customer.

If your website isn’t accessible, it probably isn’t ‘usable,’ which means you could be losing customers. Usability refers to the viewer’s ability to visit your sight and find the information they want in just a few clicks. Internet users have a very short attention span and if the information isn’t there, they will move on.

The usability of your site will correlate directly to your site’s conversion rates. If you have a low rate of converting visitors into actual paying customers, you probably have some usability issues that need to be addressed. If your site isn’t converting users into customers for you, then you aren’t getting the full benefit of a business website.

Website accessibility and usability ensures that your business website is working for you and your customers. Visitors can easily access your site and all of its functions and quickly find the information they’re looking for. You can relax and know that your website is helping you promote your business and attracting new and potential customers twenty four hours a day.

 

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