The European Accessibility Act (EAA) legislates the accessibility of websites across the European Union, including those of businesses who sell to the EU. It aims to improve accessibility for those with disabilities, so that everyone has equal access to important services and products.
The aims of the EAA aren’t new: such regulations have been around for public sector websites for a while. But the EAA brings these regulations into the private sector.
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Which Businesses Are Affected by the EAA?
The EAA is only directly relevant to businesses within the European Union, or those who sell certain products or services within the EU. The Act has identified and covers products and services that are likely to be most important to people with disabilities, including:
- Computers and operating systems
- ATMs, ticketing and check-in machines
- Smartphones
- TV equipment related to digital television services
- Telephone services and related equipment
- Audio-visual media services such as television broadcast and related consumer equipment
- Services related to passenger transport
- Banking
- E-books
- E-commerce
Currently, “microenterprises” aren’t legally required to abide by the act. To qualify as a microenterprise in this instance, businesses must employ fewer than 10 people and have an annual turnover of less than 2 million euros.
Considering these requirements, and the fact that this is EU legislation, there’s a good chance that your UK-based business is exempt. However, even if you are, it’s worth considering the benefits of following the requirements laid out in the EAA.
Complying With the EAA: SEO and Business Benefits
Just because you’re exempt from a law doesn’t mean that you should forget about it. In fact, all the requirements from the EAA outline good practice from both an SEO and a business perspective. So, even if you’re not legally obliged, it’s worth considering the benefits to your business of complying.
Access To More Customers
It’s estimated that 24% of Europeans have a disability, whether that’s physical, neurological, cognitive, or linguistic. In the UK specifically, this figure is similar, amounting to 16.1 million people with a disability. If your website isn’t accessible, that’s a lot of potential customers and clients that you could be losing out on.
SEO Benefits
Google and other search engines are very clear that website accessibility is an important consideration when deciding rankings. Those websites that follow accessibility best-practices are much more likely to rank better on search engine results pages. In fact, you’ll find that my beginner’s guide to SEO – which includes the very basic SEO practices you should be following – includes plenty of accessibility recommendations.
Reputational Benefits
Ensuring your website doesn’t isolate nearly a quarter of the population is clearly the right thing to do. And, as more people make purchase decisions based on company ethos, the reputational benefits can create a drastic upturn in sales. If your user experience is frustrating, and potentially impossible for some people to navigate, the resulting negative reviews and reputational damage could become problematic.
Futureproofing
In all likelihood, the same legislation will eventually roll out to smaller businesses trading in and with the EU, so acting now could save you a rush job in the future. It also paves the way for expansion if your business looks abroad in the future.
Though there’s no indication that such requirements will become legally binding within the UK any time soon, it’s always a possibility. Again preparing now will make sure you’re ahead of the curve, giving you both a business and an SEO advantage.
How To Make Your Website More Accessible
Complying with the European Accessibility Act is also beneficial to a website from an SEO perspective. Accessibility practices are not only good for people, they’re good for search engines, too. Here’s what you should be doing:
Sequential Headers
Sequential headings help structure a page so that it’s well laid-out, is logically ordered, and can clearly identify the most important information. All pages should have a clear Header 1, which is the title of the page and summarises the information on the page. Content can then be broken down with Header 2s and Header 3s, which should be used in a sequential order.
Descriptive Links
The text you add a link to is important for accessibility. If it simply says “Click here”, there’s no clear indication of what content the link will take you too. Instead, think carefully about the text you use: it should provide context by briefly describing where the link will lead.
Image Alt Descriptions
Screen readers can’t understand images without a text description, so adding an alt description helps interpret context and relevance to the page. This is particularly important when an image is vital to the understanding of a webpage. Alt descriptions aren’t usually visible on the page (unless an image doesn’t load correctly), but can be picked up by both screen readers and search engines.
Colour Contrast
Some people can’t clearly see colour contrast, so carefully selecting your text and background colour is important. Consider colour blindness as well as other disabilities that could reduce visibility. Accessible web has a free tool to help you identify appropriate colour contrasts.
Keyboard Navigation
Can the interactive elements of your site be navigated using only the keyboard? A quick way to test is to open your website and hit the shift key. Is a menu time or a link highlighted, and can you navigate to it by clicking enter? If not, then those who are unable to use a mouse will struggle to get around your website.
Font Choice
Some fonts can be difficult for some people to read, so consider using fonts such as Verdana and Calibri that are clear and easy to read. You should also think about font size (a minimum of 12 is recommended), alignment (left is best), and whether it can be easily resized via a zoom function.
Closed Captions and Transcripts
If you use a lot of video, closed captions and/or transcripts can help those who are hard of hearing to follow media more easily. Video platforms like YouTube and Facebook can automate captions, but it’s always worthwhile sensechecking these, as they’re not always accurate. There is other software out there to help you create better captions and transcripts.
Images Instead of Text
Some websites insert text onto their website as an image, which means it is completely inaccessible to screen readers and those using them. In 99% of cases, it is unnecessary to insert text as an image onto your site, so should be avoided.
Conclusion
Although the European Accessibility Act will not directly affect most UK businesses, it is worthwhile noting its aims and following its legislation. By doing so, your website becomes more accessible, opening your business up to more customers and better SEO results.