Web accessibility and search engine optimization work hand in hand with one another, and by focusing on one, you will most probably have a positive effect on the other. They are in a way one of the most important parts of a website and in order for your website to have a wide and varied audience it is essential that you seek the help of an SEO company to optimize your website. Web accessibility ensures that all visitors, irrespective of ability, have a smooth browsing experience. Unfortunately, many websites do not adhere to best practices and guidelines for web accessibility, which makes it challenging for individuals with impairments to navigate the web.
Search engine optimization, or SEO, is a set of strategies aimed at enhancing the visibility and placement of web pages in organic search results. As organic search is the most popular method for users to find and access online content, having a strong SEO strategy is crucial for increasing both the quality and quantity of visitors to your website. When your website is visible and optimized, the website’s ranking on search engine result pages (SERPs) also goes up. If you own a website and it is not driving traffic as it should then you should probably visit a local SEO agency to sort it out and design a strategy to boost your audience.
Web accessibility is not only a moral and ethical obligation for website owners but also a legal one. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) have set standards that website owners must adhere to, ensuring that their websites are accessible to people with disabilities, and IT services must ensure that these compliances are followed. Also, as companies become more aware of the financial advantages of building an accessible website, web accessibility has grown in importance for them. And naturally when a website’s ability to generate more audience increases so does its ability to generate more income.
Benefits of Web Accessibility
- Improved user experience
- Increased Reach
- Compliance with Regulation
- Improved Reputation
Benefits of SEO Optimisation
- Cost-Effective
- More Website Traffic
- Improved User Engagement
- Competitive Advantage
Although web accessibility and SEO are integral parts of a website, they are often overlooked. Accessibility features, such as alt tags, descriptive captions, and proper headings, can improve a website’s SEO performance. Alt tags are a strategy used by SEO companies to improve the website’s visibility. They are descriptions of the images on the website through which search engines can better index and rank the pages of a website. These descriptions also help search engines deliver content more accurately. A suitable heading also increases a website’s accessibility along with its ranking. With an informative heading, search engines can understand the content and deliver it to the right audience. Also, it is using the headings of an article that search engines determine the hierarchy of information on a website and that is why forming a well-worded heading must be a priority in content writing.
Website speed is another crucial factor for SEO when it comes to web accessibility. The importance of website speed in affecting a website’s search engine ranking cannot be overstated. A website’s user experience may suffer if it takes too long to load, which may reduce traffic and revenue. Website speed is also an important accessibility factor as people with impairments may be depending on assistive devices that can reduce the website speed further. Choosing a company like Jachoos, the best cloud hosting provider, could come in handy here.
To increase speed and accessibility, website owners can do various things like optimizing images, reducing the number of plugins and scripts, and using a reliable content delivery network. Optimized images are small in size and so are easier to load even with a slower internet connection. Limiting the number of plugins and scripts make it easier to load as well as avoid any compatibility issue. With a strong CDN, you can deliver data quickly and without any loss. This also reduces the pressure on the servers and thereby ensuring faster loading times.
To conclude, web accessibility and SEO are two of the most important as well as mutually complementing elements of a website and must never be overlooked. You must ensure that your websites are optimized by an experienced SEO company like Jachoos in order for you to deliver the best user experience to your customers.