Why Accessibility is Important in Web Design in 2024

why accessibility is Important in web design in 2024-25

In today’s online world, having a website is essential for businesses, organizations, and individuals to connect with their audience. However, web design for people with disabilities is important as using websites can be challenging for some people with physical, visual, auditory, or cognitive disabilities.

That’s why accessibility is important in 2024-25.

An accessible website reaches a wider audience and builds a positive brand image. It increases the user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities. This is why accessibility is important in web design — it ensures that your site is inclusive and can be used by all, regardless of their abilities.

Building an accessible website requires technical expertise to ensure that everyone can easily navigate and engage with it, regardless of ability.

I’ve built many fully accessible websites. If you want to make your website accessible but aren’t sure where to start, I can help.

In this blog, I’ll cover essential topics to help you build an accessible website while ensuring you meet legal requirements for web accessibility 2025, and I’m also available for further technical assistance.

What is Accessibility in Web Design?

Web Design for People with Disabilities refers to designing and developing websites that allow all users, including those with disabilities, to interact with and use them effectively. Disabilities can include impairments in vision, hearing, movement, or cognitive function.

For example: Think about how physical buildings are made with ramps and elevators to make them easier for everyone to use. In the same way, websites should have simple features that help people use them comfortably, based on what they need.

In 2025, the importance of Web Accessibility is expected to grow significantly, as digital inclusion becomes a priority for businesses and organizations worldwide.

This highlights why accessibility is important in web design — ensuring that your website can reach a wider audience and offer a positive user experience for all.

When a website is accessible, it ensures that all users can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the content. Whether someone is using a screen reader, needs larger fonts, or has difficulty using a mouse, an accessible website adapts to meet their needs.

Benefits of Accessible Web Design

Benefits of Accessible Web Design

Making your website accessible improves the user experience for your entire audience. Web Design for people with disabilities ensures that your website is inclusive, allowing everyone to interact with your platform seamlessly.

If you’re unsure about the benefits of adding accessibility to web design, I can share some key points with you.

Here are some of the key benefits of Accessible Web Design:

1. Increased Audience Reach: It is estimated that one billion people worldwide have some form of disability. By excluding accessibility, you could be missing out on reaching this significant audience. Accessibility on your website not only helps you reach a larger audience but also supports faster business growth.

2. Improved User Experience: When you design a website with accessibility in mind, it becomes cleaner and easier to use. Adding features like larger fonts, easy navigation, and simple layouts helps everyone, not just people with disabilities.

3. Better SEO: The SEO and Web Accessibility Connection is vital for enhancing both user experience and visibility on search engines. Improving accessibility can also increase your search engine ranking. For example, adding clear alt, title, text to images, mute and play buttons for videos benefits both people using screen readers and search engines. Focus on the ADA compliance checklist.

4. Positive Brand Image: If you have an accessible website shows that a company values inclusivity and social responsibility. It indicates that your brand cares about all users, which can create a positive image and build stronger customer loyalty.

5. Higher Conversions: When your website is accessible, it’s easier for everyone to use, whether it’s making a purchase or signing up. This helps increase conversion rates because visitors won’t face problems that stop them from taking action.

Assistive Technologies in Web Design

If you are focusing on Web Design for People with Disabilities, using assistive technologies in web design can help your users access and use websites easily. These technologies are essential for creating an inclusive web experience for people with disabilities.

Below, I have created a table of some assistive technologies that can help you build websites more effectively.

Assistive Technology Description
Screen Readers Software that reads text aloud for visually impaired users.
Keyboard Accessibility Tools Tools for navigating websites using a keyboard, helping users with mobility impairments.
Voice Recognition Software Programs that enable device control and website interaction via voice commands.
Alternative Input Devices Devices like trackballs and adaptive switches for users with limited mobility.
Text-to-Speech (TTS) Software Converts written text to speech for those with reading difficulties.
Closed Captioning and Transcripts Text alternatives for audio and video content for users with hearing impairments.
Color Contrast and Readability Tools for checking color contrast to ensure readability.
Browser Extensions Tools that improve accessibility with features like font adjustments and keyboard shortcuts.

What is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility refers to making sure that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them.

In this information age, Web accessibility is not just a good-to-have feature; it is a necessity for your user.

If you need help building a website that’s accessible to all users, I’m here for you!

I have years of experience in web development and have successfully created many accessible websites in the past.

I can assist you in creating a website design and development that reaches a wider audience.

Now it’s time to understand why accessibility is important in web design.

I am sharing with you a few Web Accessibility importance that will help you to understand better.

Inclusive Web Design Principles

Below are some Web Accessibility Importance 2025

1. Inclusivity and Equal Opportunity: The internet is a key source for accessing information, communicating with others, and offering services to users worldwide. If your website is inaccessible, people with disabilities may struggle to participate or engage with it. You must ensure that web accessibility allows all users to have equal access to the information and services you provide.

2. Legal Requirements for Web Accessibility 2025: Many countries now have laws that require businesses to make their websites accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. Inaccessible websites can lead to legal issues, like fines or penalties. It’s easier and more cost-effective to make your website accessible from the start than to deal with potential lawsuits later.

3. Improved User Experience for Everyone: User Engagement and Web Accessibility ensure that everyone can use and enjoy websites equally. It’s about making the web user-friendly for all, not just for people with disabilities. Features like easy navigation and text alternatives for images benefit everyone, including older adults, mobile users, and those with limited technical skills.

4. SEO and Performance: Making your website accessible can improve its search engine ranking. Accessibility features like clear headings, alt text, and organized content also follow SEO best practices, helping your site perform better and become more visible online.

As per the University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG), 21% of college students and 27% of adults in the U.S. have some form of disability. Making your website design more accessible helps it perform better on accessibility tests, which can lead to improved rankings on search engines like Google, Yahoo, and Bing.

Accessibility Best Practices for Websites

Below are some accessibility best practices for websites that you can keep in mind while building an accessible website. Why Accessibility is Important? It ensures that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use your platform without any barriers.

Improving User Experience through Accessibility not only makes your website more inclusive but also ensures a seamless experience for all users, regardless of their abilities.

So follow some key accessibility best practices for websites as mentioned below:

  • Adding Alt Text for Images: In images, you can add a description related to the content you are providing so screen readers can convey it to visually impaired users.
  • Enable Keyboard Navigation: All the features in a website like menus and forms are accessible while using a keyboard that helps users with mobility challenges.
  • Use simple Fonts and High Contrast: Your website font should be readable easily to users and you must maintain a good color contrast between the background and text to help your users who have low vision.
  • Easy Accessible Forms: Your website’s form fields should have clear labels, and any error messages should be easy to understand to your users. This helps users fill out the forms properly without any confusion or error.
  • Responsive Website Design: Your website works properly on all different screen sizes such as mobile, tablet, and desktop.

The 4 Key Inclusive Web Design Principles

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2025 focus on four main inclusive Web Design Principles, known as POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.

These Inclusive Web Design Principles ensure that websites are designed to be accessible and easy to use for everyone.

Here’s the below 4 Key Inclusive Web Design Principles to follow:

1. Perceivable: Information on a website should be presented in a way that everyone can understand, regardless of their abilities.

This means adding text descriptions for images, using captions for videos, and making sure content works well on various devices or for people using tools like screen readers. The key is to ensure no information is hidden from any user’s senses.

2. Operable: Your website should be easy to navigate using a keyboard or mouse. Add features like keyboard shortcuts and skip links to help users with mobility issues. Make sure the site is not too fast to follow.

3. Understandable: Your website content and interfaces must be easy to understand. This includes clear, simple language, easy navigation, and helpful error messages that help users through a process.

4. Robust: Your website should function smoothly across different devices, browsers, and tools, including assistive technologies.

In this way, it stays accessible and compatible with future web standards as technology continues to grow.

Semantic HTML for Accessibility

How To Check Your Site’s Web Accessibility

You need to check your website’s web accessibility to understand Why Accessibility is Important. When your website is fully web-accessible, it ensures that all users, regardless of their abilities, can navigate and use it effectively.

If you’re unsure how to check this, don’t worry—I can guide you through it. With my knowledge, I’ll walk you through a few key steps to assess your site’s web accessibility.

It is important to test your website for accessibility to ensure that it meets essential standards. Let’s take a look:

1. Use Automated Tools: You can use tools like WAVE, axe, or Lighthouse to scan your website automatically to find out website issues. With the help of these tools, you will get detailed reports like missing alt text, improper use of headings, or low contrast ratios. These tools also help you to identify a few areas that need improvement or changes.

You can also use the tool provided by Google itself, PageSpeed Insights, which will tell you whether your website is accessible or not.

2. Conduct Manual Testing: It’s essential to manually test your website, as no automated tools can detect every issue or error. You can manually review your site by navigating through it using only a keyboard to ensure everything functions properly without a mouse.

Additionally, using screen readers like NVDA or VoiceOver will give you a better understanding of how your site sounds to visually impaired users.

3. Check Against WCAG Standards: The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2025 are considered the gold standard for web accessibility. These guidelines offer a complete list of success criteria to help ensure your website is accessible to all users.

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2025 compliance is divided into three levels: A, AA, and AAA, with AAA representing the highest level of accessibility.

4. Test with Real Users: Just as tools and manual testing are important, feedback from real users is equally essential. Testing with users who have disabilities is the best way to assess your site’s accessibility. Their feedback provides valuable insights into areas where your site needs improvements and adjustments.

By improving user experience through accessibility, you not only make your website more inclusive but also ensure it is user-friendly for everyone, enhancing overall satisfaction and engagement.

Accessibility Testing Tools for Websites

I have created a table of popular Accessibility Testing Tools for Websites that can help you ensure your website is accessible. You can use these tools to make your website accessible. Let’s have a look below:

Tool/Resource Description
WAVE Web accessibility evaluation tool
axe Accessibility Checker A Chrome/Firefox browser extension that helps developers test accessibility.
WCAG The international standard for web accessibility.
Screen Readers Tools like JAWS or NVDA simulate how a website is experienced by visually impaired users.
Color Contrast Checker Is to check whether the text has sufficient contrast with its background.
Siteimprove It is a checking tool that scans for issues or errors.
Lighthouse It is a Chrome extension that evaluates accessibility, performance, and SEO.
Tenon Gives you automated web accessibility testing.
NVDA Screen Reader It is a Free screen reader software for Windows

If you’re building a website using semantic HTML for accessibility, ReactJS, or any CMS like WordPress, Shopify, Webflow, etc. it’s important to include Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) tags. ARIA helps make your website more accessible to everyone. There are six main types of ARIA roles:

1. Document Structure Roles
2. Widget Roles
3. Landmark Roles
4. Live Region Roles
5. Window Roles
6. Abstract Roles

To learn more about each of these roles in detail, you can explore further here.

Key Elements of Semantic HTML for Accessibility

Semantic Element Description
<header> This element represents the header of a page or section.
<nav> It is used to navigate the section containing links to other pages or any sections of the website.
<main> It shows the main content of the document.
<article> It shows a self-contained piece of content, such as a blog post or news article.
<section> It defines a thematic grouping of content, helping to organize the document into meaningful parts.
<footer> Shows the footer of a page or section.
<aside> It contains content that is related but not important to the main content.
<h1> to <h6> Helps to make it easier to navigate and understand the layout of the webpage.
<ul>, <ol>, <li> Define lists, providing a clear structure for related items that assistive technologies can convey effectively.
<figure> and <figcaption> Used to mark up images and their captions, improving context for users who rely on screen readers.

Accessibility Best Practices for Websites

You can improve the accessibility of your website by using all the above Semantic HTML for Accessibility, it helps your users to navigate and understand your website content easily.

Conclusion

Web Accessibility Importance 2025 has become an important aspect of website design development. By ensuring your website is inclusive and accessible, you not only improve the user experience but also increase your audience and comply with legal requirements.

Accessible websites also tend to rank higher on search engines, benefiting users and businesses.

This increases user engagement and web accessibility, as more people are able to interact with and enjoy your content.

Improving your website’s accessibility is not just a smart business decision—it’s also a socially responsible one. Why accessibility is important in web design becomes clear when we consider the impact it has on creating a more inclusive and equitable internet. By using the right tools and resources, achieving web accessibility is within every developer’s reach.

As mentioned above, I’ve shared several tools and resources to help you check your website’s accessibility. However, if you need assistance or an experienced professional to guide you, I am here to help.

At ControlF5, my team and I, led by myself, Anurag Pandey, specialize in creating accessible websites. We have helped clients address accessibility challenges, optimizing their websites across platforms like UpWork and Clutch. Our dedicated UI/UX team designs websites that are accessible to users with disabilities, ensuring a seamless and inclusive experience for all.

If you’re looking for web development or web design services to improve your project, feel free to reach out. Our team is ready to assist in creating a website based on your unique needs.

Picture of Anurag Pandey

Anurag Pandey

I’m Anurag Pandey, the Founder & CEO of ControlF5, with over 17+ years of hands-on experience in web development and AI-driven digital solutions. I specialize in web design, mobile app development, and modern frameworks like React JS, Angular JS, and AI-powered technologies. At ControlF5, I focus on creating innovative and impactful solutions across platforms such as Shopify, WordPress, Webflow, and Wix. My passion lies in blending AI technology with web and mobile development to deliver seamless user experiences, scalable applications, and tailored digital strategies that drive results.

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