In the world of digital marketing, it’s easy for people to get consumed with metrics like engagement and conversion rates. But at what cost? While developing websites that remove barriers for people with disabilities have become more common in recent years, marketers still seem marginalize these audiences simply because it doesn’t fall under their normal marketing procedures. At this point, you may be asking yourself if your marketing team knows about web accessibility. Here are some reasons why they should.
Based on the most recent census data collected during 2010, an astonishing 56.7 million people in the United States have a disability. That accounts for nearly 19% of the total population and could represent a large chunk of your target audience that you aren’t reaching effectively. Even more important, research has also shown that nearly 71% of shoppers with a disability will abandon a purchase and attempt to use a competitor if the website is hard for them to use.
As you can see, focusing on web accessibility is incredibly important if you want to reach new audiences online. Unfortunately, there can also be steep costs if your website isn’t created for web accessibility. Almost 5,000 separate lawsuits were filed in 2018 because websites weren’t accessible, and that number is only expected to grow depending on where your business operates out of and changing laws. If the United States follows the lead of the EU Web Accessibility Directive, your website could be the next one penalized if it doesn’t comply with modern guidelines.
Is your marketing team doing enough to account for the growing need for web accessibility or will you be the next victim of a lawsuit? If you are unsure whether or not your website has been created with web accessibility in mind, it’s likely a good time to have a talk with your developers to see what has been done. With this knowledge, you can work with your marketing team to ensure that everything you do online as business works to help people with disabilities instead of hindering them. With the right focus and dedication, you can start achieving the most success online possible without limiting or marginalizing your target audiences.