When shopping for items at a store, the longer you take looking for an item, the higher the chance you’ll not purchase it. This is exactly what happens in E-commerce when shoppers cannot find what they need because they cannot access your website due to their disabilities. It is the last thing you want for your brand, which is why this guide outlines what you should know about improving the accessibility of your website.
Benefits of Providing Accessibility for E-Commerce Websites
There is an entire market worth millions that often goes overlooked by brands, which is people with disabilities. You want to tap into this ready market for the following reasons.
Wider Audience
There is a huge population of people living with disabilities who form a large part of the market. You want your business to reach them and convert them into a loyal client base.
Legal Compliance
It is now a legal requirement for brands to promote inclusivity on their websites. If you cannot prove that everybody and anybody can access your site and transact, you risk hefty fines and expensive lawsuits.
Ethical Responsibility
The public is keen on working with brands with a reputation for social justice. You want to show you care about the community and you don’t exclude other customers due to their physical challenges.
Improved Search Engine Rankings
Did you know that search engines are quick to reward websites that offer excellent user experience? The more people find your site useful, the better it ranks, which means more traffic.
Increased Traffic
If you can show your site invites all users, you easily gain more traffic as more people keep coming back. This is welcome news when it comes to making more conversions and sales.
Improved User Experience
Making your website more accessible means it will be easy to access by everyone, including people with disabilities. It will be easier to navigate it, the pages will load quicker, and the overall user experience will improve.
Revenue Growth
If you are able to reach a market your competitors can’t, you get the upper hand in matters of revenue growth. There is an entire market of people waiting to buy your products if only your website were more accessible and easier to interact with.
How to Design Accessible E-Commerce Websites
Now that you know what is in store for you when you tap into the market you want to make sure your website is easy to access, no matter the user’s physical disability. But how do you do that? Below is a checklist to help improve the accessibility of your E-commerce store.
Provide Responsive Design
Some customers use their smartphones while others rely on huge monitors when surfing the web, so you want to check that your application has a responsive design that can adapt to various screen types and sizes. For optimal results, consider hiring a professional web agency with expertise in responsive design and comprehensive knowledge of web accessibility rules and regulations.
Ensure Keyboard-Friendly Navigation
Catering to users who rely on their keyboards to navigate your e-commerce page, the best way to create a seamless user experience is to make it keyboard-friendly. Develop a design with an indicator showing where the focus is on the screen so users can easily scroll solely using their keyboards.
Use Descriptive Anchor Text
Clarity and accuracy are key when making your website more accessible, which is why you should consider switching texts like “Click here” into more descriptive instructions like “Shop skincare,” which tells the customer exactly what the click does.
Provide Alt Texts for Non-Text Elements
To accommodate customers with visual impairments, you should consider adding descriptions even to images. If they use assistive technology, they will be able to understand what is on the screen.
Ensure Text Resizing Option
The last thing you want is for customers to try and expand images only for them to cover the entire page or disappear. To avoid this, allow zoom features on your e-commerce website, which allows people with visual challenges to navigate the site.
Sure Text Is Easy to Read
The goal is to avoid jargon and keep the language simple so that anyone can easily understand the message. They won’t have to keep looking up the meanings of words or contacting representatives for help.
Use Perceivable Colors
To make texts easy to read, use high-contrast colors on light backgrounds so that people with sight impairment can read.
Provide Well-Structured and Labeled Forms
If your site requires customers to fill out form fields, check that all segments are accurately described and that the labels are user-friendly, which will guide the customers on how to fill them.
Avoid CAPTCHAs
Instead of CAPTCHAs, where users find it hard to identify images in tiny photos, you can use more accessible alternatives like reCAPTCHA or Text CAPTCHA.
Choose Legible Font Sizes
When designing your website, the best way to improve the user experience is to make the fonts larger and clearer, with enough space between each character, and allow the user to adjust the text sizes.
Avoid Empty Headings
The content should be properly organized with a clear outline. The reader should be able to follow the structure of the content, which should include texts under each heading.
Provide Captions or Transcripts for Multimedia Content
As for shoppers with hearing difficulties, consider providing captions in videos and other multimedia content so they can decipher the message through text.
Avoid Auto-Playing Media
Instead of using auto-play media, which can make the page very confusing and overwhelming, it is best to allow the customer to manage the page independently, playing media when needed.
Do Not Miss Focus Indicators
Unless there is a focus indicator, it can be tricky for the site visitor to tell which part of the page they are focusing on, especially when they are using a keyboard. You need to use a clear indicator that will offer proper guidance for anyone scrolling the page.
Famous E-Commerce Platforms
There are a number of e-commerce stores offering the right tools to get you started on building your brand. Here are some you can consider exploring:
- Shopify: This is a top choice for small and large businesses, known for how easy it is to use and its excellent functionalities. There are so many templates to try out, and it allows for various payment methods. Merchants looking to elevate their store design while keeping accessibility in mind often explore some of the best Shopify themes from Brickspace Lab, which are tailored to combine premium design with practical usability.
- WooCommerce: As for this platform, it is a favorite for WordPress ADA compliance and the best part is that it offers various customizable features for businesses.
- Magento: If you have a mature brand, then this platform is the right one for you thanks to how it allows for scalability and offers improved SEO capabilities..
Webflow: This platform stands out from the rest because it offers all-inclusive solutions for clients, whereby it helps host your business as well as build your website.
