The author's views are entirely his or her own (excluding the unlikely event of hypnosis) and may not always reflect the views of Moz.
If you’re currently working to make your website accessible to all users, you’ve probably already heard about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)[1]. This piece of US federal legislation was passed to prevent discrimination against disabled individuals, either by government agencies or private companies.
Even though the ADA was created before most organizations had an online presence, recent legal precedent shows that the act applies to the accessibility of websites[2] and mobile apps just as much as it does to physical locations, such as stores, restaurants, and movie theaters.
The ADA itself doesn’t set out any specific criteria for web and mobile accessibility. Instead, many web developers and legal professionals turn to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)[3], widely accepted as the benchmark for digital accessibility today.
In this blog, we’ll take a closer look at WCAG, and outline the steps you can take to meet its standards. We’ll also briefly explain why accessible websites typically rank higher in search engines — making accessibility the right choice all around!
What’s the link between SEO and accessibility?
Ensuring that your website is accessible to all users already brings huge benefits to your company — if more people visit your website, you’re likely to see an uptick in business. It’s that simple.
Considering the fact that one in four Americans are living with a disability[4], and that globally, the disposable income of people with disabilities is $1.2 trillion[5], making your website and mobile applications accessible to everyone opens up your products and services to a new consumer base, and can also lead