Around 1 in 5 people in the UK have a disability that affects how they use the internet. Website accessibility isn’t just ethically important — it has legal implications and directly affects your Google rankings.
What Is Web Accessibility?
Accessible websites can be used by everyone, including people with visual, hearing, motor or cognitive disabilities. This means: sufficient colour contrast for those with visual impairments, alt text on all images for screen readers, keyboard navigation support, captions on videos for those with hearing difficulties and clear, simple language.
Legal Requirements
Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses have a legal duty to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ to ensure disabled people can access their services. This includes websites. While enforcement is still developing, legal challenges against businesses with inaccessible websites are increasing.
Accessibility Improves SEO
Many accessibility best practices directly benefit SEO: alt text helps Google understand images, clear heading structure helps Google understand page hierarchy, descriptive link text helps users and crawlers, and fast load times benefit all users.
Simple Improvements to Make Today
- Add alt text to all images
- Ensure sufficient colour contrast (minimum 4.5:1 ratio)
- Use clear, descriptive link text (not ‘click here’)
- Structure content with proper H1, H2, H3 headings
- Ensure the site works with keyboard navigation only
All WebDevLab websites are built with accessibility in mind from the start. Ask us about accessibility.