The importance of accessibility

With 4.4 million Australians living with some form of disability, accessible websites open doors to meaningful online experiences for a significant portion of our community. This includes older Australians who might experience age-related vision or mobility changes, people in remote areas who rely heavily on digital services, and those who may face unique accessibility challenges. Many accessibility features benefit everyone – clear heading structures help all users navigate content more easily, good colour contrast helps those that may be impacted by certain forms of vision impariment, and keyboard navigation benefits those who may require alternatives to using a mouse.

Level A features provide essential accessibility that makes your website fundamentally more usable. This includes basic keyboard navigation, clear image descriptions, video captions, and simple heading structures that help users understand your content. Level AA builds on this foundation with features that significantly improve the user experience, such as better colour contrast, live video captions, multiple ways to find content, consistent navigation across pages, and text that can be resized without losing functionality. These features work together to create a more intuitive and enjoyable experience for everyone.

SEO and accessibility optimisation work together to enhance both user experience and search engine rankings. When you implement accessibility features like proper heading hierarchies, descriptive alt text for images, and semantic HTML structure, you’re simultaneously providing search engines with valuable signals about your content’s organisation and meaning. Accessibility requirements for clear navigation, descriptive link text, and well-structured content naturally align with SEO best practices, improving your site’s crawlability and indexing. Additionally, when you provide transcripts and captions for multimedia content, you’re creating extra indexable content that can improve your search visibility, while accessible code typically results in faster page load times and better Core Web Vitals scores.

Accessible websites often perform better across all devices and platforms. They typically load faster, are easier to navigate, and work well on mobile devices – crucial for Australians who primarily access the internet through smartphones. Clear structure and navigation help all users find what they’re looking for more quickly, whether they’re checking your website from a busy Sydney café or a remote station in the outback. Plus, accessible websites often rank better in search results, making them easier for everyone to find.

Creating an accessible website shows that you value all your visitors and care about providing a quality experience for everyone. This commitment to inclusivity can strengthen your relationships with customers and help build lasting connections within your community. A staged approach to implementing accessibility features, starting with Level A and progressing to Level AA, allows you to continuously improve the user experience while gathering feedback from your diverse audience. This engagement helps create a website that truly serves all Australians, fostering a more connected and inclusive digital community.