Why Agencies are Scrambling for Web Accessibility

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are increasingly a priority for businesses. It’s no wonder then that web accessibility has become a staple offering among agencies of all sizes. 

The internet is an indispensable resource integral to every facet of our lives. 

It’s used for everything from reading the news, to shopping, to communication, to work and more. 

Yet, for people with disabilities, huge swaths of the internet are inaccessible. This gateway to immeasurable opportunity is practically closed to an estimated 1 in 4 people.   

Fortunately, agencies of all stripes are now offering their clients web accessibility. 

While it is foremost an ethical and inclusive issue mandated by law, it is also simply good business practice. Here’s why:

It creates new revenue streams for you and your client

By making your clients’ websites accessible, you’re expanding their offering to potentially 25% more of the market – an eager demographic that is unfortunately rarely catered to. 

In terms of purchasing power, this market has been estimated to be worth $490 billion in the US alone. On a global scale, the size of this market is gargantuan. 

While your clients enjoy access to a largely untapped market, your agency generates a new revenue stream of its own. Thanks to the advances of technology, incorporating web accessibility into your service offering is easy and affordable. 

As it’s a foundational part of building any website, web accessibility can be charged for in addition to development and design – generating more revenue from each and every website you create. 

It improves user experience and SEO

Not only does making your clients’ websites accessible expand their audience reach, but it also improves their sites’ visibility on search engine results. 

That’s because web accessibility measures and SEO practices generally overlap. User experience is dramatically improved when people can customize the website’s overlay to their preferences and needs. 

A cleaner and more navigable user interface result in a longer time spent on the website and greater conversion rates. 

This means lower bounce rates (visitors leaving the site after only one page visit), better SEO rankings, and more business. 

Your clients expect compliant and accessible sites

With businesses more than ever expected to be socially responsible, web accessibility has become a staple offering by agencies. 

The importance of a socially responsible business reputation is well known. 

According to an Accenture Strategy survey, 48% of consumers will complain about a company’s social deficiencies, and 42% will leave a business out of resentment. A whopping 21% will never return to that firm for business. 

While web accessibility shores up a good reputation of inclusivity for both client and agency, it’s also expected by businesses at a time of rising web accessibility lawsuits. From 2016 to 2019, web accessibility-related lawsuits increased by nearly 1,000% in the US alone.

As web accessibility lawsuits become more common, clients will increasingly turn to agencies offering web accessibility.

Not sure where to start? Find out how compliant and accessible your agency’s websites are within seconds with accessiBe’s free testing tool.

It’s affordable 

The days of web accessibility being an expensive, time-consuming business, requiring an ad hoc web development team and compliance experts are long gone. 

Thanks to AI-powered solutions, like accessiBe’s accessWidget, agencies are able to add web accessibility to their service offering at a very affordable rate. 

As an automated product, it offers companies a scalable web accessibility solution that’s economically unsurpassed. More importantly, a superb level of compliance can be achieved in under 48 hours.

And easy to set up

Thanks to advancements in technology, web accessibility is more attainable than ever. 

Agencies can make their clients’ websites compliant and accessible through a simple installation process that only takes 2 minutes. 

Once the AI-powered solution is up and running, it’ll automatically scan the site every 24 hours, remediating any changes made to your site if necessary.

A win-win-win

Web accessibility is truly great for all involved. 

It provides your agency with additional revenue streams and boosts its reputation. At the same time, your clients get access to untapped markets and better-performing, compliant websites. 

Most importantly, it enables people with disabilities to enjoy all the wonders of the internet. 

Does it really get better than that?

Start your accessibility journey now with accessiBe’s partnership program for agencies. Book a free demo with an expert and enjoy a free web accessibility license for your agency.