Accessibility Overview

The Benefits of Accessibility and Your Brand

Your brand image on the internet is vital to your success. A strong brand stands out in a crowded marketplace. A good brand image gives your customers something authentic to stand behind and is a valuable business tool to be used towards your long-term business success. People fall in love and trust brands that they believe in, so why wouldn't you work to build up yours?

What is a Brand?
Brands help consumers navigate the marketplace and helps reassure them about their choices. Your companies mission, customer needs, and sales pitch are all intertwined; you want people to have positive feelings about your company.

Digital Accessibility and Your Brand
It's a common misconception that people with disabilities don't use the web. According to a recent report from the CDC, 25% of US adults have some form of disability. That's one in four. And if your website isn't accessible to 25% of the population, you're willingly leaving a huge opportunity on the table.

Brand Advocates
Every company wants to encourage their customers to advocate their positive experience – especially in such a connected and digital marketplace. Creating authentic relationships with your current and future customers makes them more enthusiastic and engaging. When people have a positive experience with your business, they are more likely to recommend that product to their friends, family, and social-media circle. Brand advocates are your brand's secret superpower.

SEO
If you want people to find your brand online, your website's SEO needs to be taken seriously. Having your site have a presence on the first page of search results is good business and can put you ahead of your competition. Web accessibility standards and SEO best practices overlap, which means having an accessible website should be a no-brainer.

Positivity
People have so many options to choose from, so why choose you? A positive brand image is an essential tool for your business. When someone sees your company logo, you want them to trust you and the products or services you have to offer. Leveraging feelings surrounding inclusivity and community will help build up a positive image surrounding your brand.

Social Responsibility
Consumers vote with their wallets and will support companies that demonstrate concern for critical social issues. Web accessibility is a concern for community development and human rights, which impact a large part of the population. These values are meaningful, and if you've committed to web accessibility, it's important to let people know.

Getting Started with Digital Inclusion
If you're interested in incorporating web accessibility into your company's brand, you'll need to start somewhere. We recommend you begin with an accessibility statement.

As long as you're being courteous and respectful, you should be loud and proud about the stance your company takes on an inclusive web. Present your company's commitment and goals, and the steps you're currently taking to meet those goals. Accessibility statements are becoming increasingly mainstream, so talk to us to learn more about what an accessibility statement means to your business. Or, if you’d prefer, get started with a complimentary and confidential web accessibility scan.