Are your online forms as easy to use as you think? Learn how missing out on web accessibility may be hurting your business.
Web accessibility is vital to your website success. Everything might look fine on the surface, but you could have a major problem lurking beneath. If you're not trying to make your website more accessible, you could be alienating customers and losing sales.
If this is totally new to you, you've come to the right place. We'll be talking about why web accessibility is important and how you can improve your site.
What is web accessibility?
Web accessibility is the practice of making your website and web tools more accessible so that people with disabilities can use them. Adapting your site to make it more accessible ensures that anyone can use your site, regardless of their circumstances. That way no one is at a disadvantage.
“The power of the Web is in its universality. Access by everyone regardless of disability is an essential aspect.” - Tim Berners-Lee, W3C Director and inventor of the World Wide Web.
The famous quote above shows that the web was designed to work for everyone. We're here to help you make that happen.
Web accessibility tears down the barriers to communication that many people have faced online.
It can refer to elements like:
- Auditory
- Cognitive
- Neurological
- Physical
- Speech
- Visual
It doesn’t just refer to those with permanent disabilities though. This can affect:
- Older people, with changes in their abilities over time
- People with temporary disabilities such as a broken arm
- Those with situational limitations, for example they're in places where they can’t listen to audio
- People accessing your content via smaller screens e.g. phones or tablets
- People with slower internet connections
Lack of good web accessibility aka A11Y is a common enough problem. That's why we have Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA standards). However, even with all that in place, many websites simply aren't doing enough to make their websites more accessible.
>> Read more: What are the Best ADA Compatible WCAG Forms?
Why is web accessibility important?
61 million Americans are thought to have a disability of some kind. That's 1 in 4 adults with mobility, cognition, hearing impairments and visual impairments.
Would you be happy if a quarter of your website visitors struggled to use your website or forms? This is worrying stuff if you've never adapted your website with this in mind.
Web accessibility is simply the right thing to do first of all. However, it's also in your best interest as a business to do something about it.
Simply put, the more people who can use your website, the more likely you’ll have higher conversions. If people turn up to your website or download your app and have trouble using it, they’re not going to come back. Your app will quickly be uninstalled by disabled users or those with other difficulties.
Can you afford to miss out on this business?
With the stats above you could be losing out on a huge 25% of conversions due to inaccessible websites and online tools that you are providing. If you've got a great product or service to offer, those potential users could be missing out on the best of your business also.
So, it makes complete business sense to invest time in accessibility. It will benefit everyone involved.
How Formidable Forms can help with web accessible forms
Form accessibility is something we take very seriously because we want your forms to be used by anyone who needs them.
That's why we've made it really simple to make your forms fully accessible. All Formidable forms are built with website content accessibility guidelines (WCAG) in mind.
You won't need to download any additional add-ons, plugins or other assistive technologies to meet current standards. Everything is built right into Formidable Forms.
Our forms are easy for screen readers to read. We use text alternatives for non-text content so your users won't miss out on any important information.
Every part of your form is linked to a label, description and error message to allow screen readers to tell how the form is organized. They can then pass that information on to those who need it.
Our forms also work well with speech input compatibility so you're covered on all bases if you use the best form builder plugin.
At the end of the day, it's your responsibility as a business owner to ensure your website is for everyone, not just those without limitations. But luckily, this is really simple and hassle-free to set up with a plugin like Formidable Forms. You can rest assured that your online forms are accessible and easy for everyone to use.
Are you interested in web accessible forms but haven't yet signed up with us? WCAG accessibility is just one of our many fantastic and intuitive features that make Formidable Forms the best WordPress form builder around.
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