You Sell Products, Not Websites. But Your Website Still Needs to Be Accessible. | A11yscan

Here's what many companies tell themselves: These perspectives are common, but they may not align with current legal and business expectations around website accessibility.

Your website isn't incidental. It's often essential to how customers interact with your business. Your website is not incidental. It's often the primary interaction point between you and your customers. Not only did you lose a potential customer—you also created an accessibility barrier. Your website went from "incidental" to "barrier to business."

Website accessibility has become an increasingly important consideration for businesses of all sizes and industries. General accessibility expectations: Websites that serve as public accommodations are generally expected to be accessible to people with disabilities. This expectation applies broadly across industries and business types. Size considerations: While some may assume small businesses have different requirements, accessibility expectations often apply regardless of organization size. Industry considerations: A manufacturing company's website faces similar accessibility expectations as a web development agency's website. Revenue considerations: Both nonprofits and for-profit corporations typically face the same basic accessibility expectations. Complexity considerations: A simple landing page and a complex SaaS application both need to meet accessibility standards. The landscape is evolving, and organizations across sectors are increasingly prioritizing website accessibility.

Organizations across many sectors have faced accessibility challenges related to their websites. While specific details vary, some common patterns have emerged: Online retailers have faced challenges when customers with disabilities couldn't effectively browse products or complete purchases. Issues have included inaccessible product images, unlabeled form fields, and checkout processes that don't work with assistive technology. Restaurant and food service websites have encountered issues when customers couldn't access menus, make reservations, or order online using assistive technology. Problems have included video content without captions and inaccessible online ordering systems. Nonprofits have learned that limited resources don't exempt them from accessibility considerations. Challenges have included inaccessible event registration and donation systems. Service providers have faced accessibility challenges related to customer intake forms, document upload interfaces, and appointment scheduling systems that don't work with assistive technology. These patterns illustrate that accessibility is a cross-industry concern, not limited to technology companies.

Accessibility challenges often arise from basic, fixable issues: None of these are highly complex. None require expensive engineering. All of them are fixable. And all of them represent barriers to users with disabilities. If you haven't addressed these issues, your website may present accessibility challenges to potential customers.

Proactive accessibility investment is generally more cost-effective than reactive responses. Additionally, accessible websites often provide business benefits: they convert better, rank better in search engines, and are easier to maintain. Accessibility improvements benefit all users, not just those with disabilities.

Organizations are generally responsible for: You can work with agencies, consultants, or freelancers to address accessibility (many organizations do), but the responsibility for maintaining an accessible website typically remains with the website owner.

Your website may be more central to your business than you realize. Many customers interact with your business primarily through your website. Find out what accessibility issues exist. You can't fix what you don't measure. A comprehensive audit will show you exactly what barriers exist, where they are, and how much effort it takes to address them. Prioritize high-impact issues (missing alt text, unlabeled forms, broken keyboard navigation). Address them systematically. Document your progress. Accessibility isn't just a technical issue—it's a process issue. Your team needs to understand why it matters and how to implement it. Before publishing new content or features, check for accessibility. After you address accessibility issues, stay vigilant. Test regularly. After platform updates, design changes, or new features—verify accessibility. Keep records of your accessibility efforts. Documentation of good-faith accessibility work can be valuable.

You're not a web company. That's true. But your website is part of how you do business. And accessibility standards generally apply to websites that serve as public accommodations. Think of it like this: You're a restaurant. You're not a construction company. But your building still needs to meet building codes. You're not an architect, but you still need accessible entrances, restrooms, and pathways. You don't get to say "we're not a construction company, so we don't need to follow building codes." Similarly with web accessibility: You're not a web company. But your website still needs to be accessible. That's increasingly the expectation. The question is whether you address it proactively (more manageable and cost-effective) or wait until you face a challenge (typically more expensive and disruptive).

Get an audit. Find out what accessibility barriers exist. Get a clear remediation plan. Address issues proactively.