If you think the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) only applies to physical accommodations, you better think again. Today, millions of customers, including people with disabilities shop online. Also, given all the changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, more users are turning to the internet to shop and handle business transactions. If you’re not using an ADA compliant website, you’re taking a huge risk and giving your competition an edge. Wondering why? Read on.
Non-Compliance Attracts Penalties
Business websites are seen as “places of public accommodation.” As such, access barriers can easily be interpreted to be discriminatory against people with disabilities- a direct violation of Title III of the ADA. And since the act is a liability law, there is little room for defenses or excuses.
Several businesses have been hit with lawsuits, and the number is growing. ADA web accessibility lawsuits increased by over 180% from 2017 to 2018. Some of the most affected industries include:
- Retail
- Food Service
- Hospitality
- Banking
- Entertainment
So if you want to avoid hefty fines and legal costs, make your website ADA compliant as soon as possible. But that’s not all, ADA compliance can…
Boost Your Target Audience
The U.S Census Bureau estimates that 1 in 5 people have a disability. Therefore, if your website is non-compliant to ADA, you’re not tapping into 50 million potential customers. Some of them may be interested in your products, but cannot navigate on your website when they land. As a result, they turn to your competition and may never look back.
Apart from boosting your customer base, an ADA compliant website can also…
Improve Your Reputation
Customers are loyal to businesses that value them. And making your website ADA compliant is a great way to demonstrate you value them. By taking time to build an all-inclusive and accessible site, you also attract clients who have been disappointed elsewhere.
In the long run, happy customers will inform their friends about your business, and your brand will grow tremendously. Building a solid reputation means you will have more conversions as users trust your website. And finally…
ADA Compliance Boosts SEO Strategies
Search engines are changing at breakneck speeds. Today, they’re more likely to crawl on user-friendly pages. Google, for instance, encourages users to make sites more readable by everybody, including persons with disabilities. So if you want to improve your SEO ranking, don’t ignore ADA compliance.
Although ADA website compliance may seem subjective, it is wise to have a site that accommodates everyone. That way, you stay ahead of the regulatory curve, avoid lawsuits, boost your customer base, improve your reputation, boost your SEO ranking and increase your revenue. Want to learn more? Contact Smart Link Solutions for an ADA compliant website.