Digital Experience and Accessibility: Key Benefits for Your Business

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Accessible digital experiences are good for users and even better for business.

When most organisations start thinking about digital accessibility, it’s usually because of a looming compliance deadline or legal pressure. However, if you stop at compliance, you miss the real opportunity.

Accessibility isn’t just about meeting standards; it’s about building better products, tapping into new markets, and future-proofing your digital strategy. In other words: it’s not just the right thing to do. It’s also a smart business move.

Continue reading our guide to find out the key business benefits of accessibility, from improving customer experience to protecting your brand.

What are the business benefits of accessibility?

The value of becoming an accessible business goes way beyond compliance. Integrating online accessibility into your products and services helps organisations deliver better digital experiences for every customer while driving measurable impact for your business.

Let’s take a look at each of the key accessibility benefits in more detail…

Wooden figure standing at the centre of a yellow and black target, surrounded by arrows pointing outward and other wooden figures on a yellow background.

1. Reach more customers

GOV.UK states that 1 in 5 people in the UK live with a disability. Globally, that’s over 1 billion individuals. Add to that ageing populations, temporary impairments (like a broken arm), and situational limitations (like using your phone in bright sunlight), and it becomes clear: designing for accessibility means designing for everyone.

Accessible sites and apps simply work better for more people, on more devices, in more contexts.

  • Tap into an underserved market

  • Improve usability for all customers

  • Boost conversion rates on mobile and desktop

    2. Improve your customer experience

    Accessibility and user experience go hand-in-hand. Features that benefit disabled users, like clear headings, intuitive navigation, and keyboard-friendly forms, also reduce friction for every user.

    And better UX = better business metrics, such as:

    • Higher task completion rates

    • Lower bounce rates

    • Greater customer satisfaction

    Inclusive design sends a powerful message: you matter. That builds trust, loyalty, long-term advocacy, and turning a better digital experience into stronger business outcomes.

    3. Protect your brand and reduce legal risk

    Accessibility lawsuits are on the rise, especially in sectors like retail, finance, education, and travel. Whether you operate in the UK, EU, US, or globally, accessibility regulations are tightening. The cost of non-compliance can include:

    • Legal fees and settlements

    • Reputational damage

    • Lost contracts or procurement opportunities

    • Product removal from market (e.g. under the European Accessibility Act)

    Getting ahead of compliance isn’t just about avoiding fines; it’s about taking control of your roadmap. When you remediate issues proactively, you avoid last-minute fire drills and expensive rework.

    Explore real-world cases in our blog on The First European Digital Accessibility Lawsuits to see why proactive accessibility matters.

    4. Boost your SEO performance and organic reach

    It may come as a surprise, but search engines and users want the same thing; scannable, clear, and well-structured content. That’s why many accessibility best practices overlap with SEO fundamentals. When you optimise for online accessibility, you are also making it easier for search engines like Google to understand and rank your site.

    Some of the most beneficial practices include:

    • Proper use of semantic HTML

    • Descriptive alt text for images

    • Clear link labels and headings

    • Captioned videos and transcripts

    By improving the way screen readers interpret your site, you’re also improving the way search engines crawl it. That means more visibility, better rankings, and a stronger digital presence.

    Learn more about how accessibility truly impacts SEO in our handy guide.

    5. Drive innovation

    Many of today’s most popular digital features, from voice assistants to dark mode, were originally designed as accessibility solutions. Accessibility doesn’t just improve usability; it sparks creativity and drives the development of new digital experiences.

    When you design inclusively, you unlock new ways of thinking and create better, more adaptive products for everyone.

    It also helps to:

    • Build features that scale across multiple use cases

    • Inspire creative problem-solving

    • Stay ahead of user expectations

    6. Create a more inclusive workplace

    Accessibility isn’t just for your customers; it’s also essential for your teams.

    When internal tools, platforms, and processes are accessible, every employee can contribute fully, regardless of ability or working style. Companies that champion inclusion not only empower their existing teams but also attract diverse talent with fresh perspectives and skills.

    The result is stronger collaboration, better decision-making, and an inclusive culture that reflects the values of your brand.

    Accessibility in the workplace helps you:

    • Improve employee productivity

    • Support flexible and remote work

    • Embed inclusive values across your culture

    7. Save money in the long run

    Retrofitting inaccessible systems is expensive. Fixing issues at the source is cheaper, faster, and less disruptive.

    Embedding accessibility into your development lifecycle helps you:

    • Reduce support tickets and complaints

    • Avoid costly redevelopment

    • Accelerate time-to-market

    At Arc Inclusion, we’ve seen clients dramatically cut remediation costs simply by training staff and providing the right tools embedded in their workflow, building it in from the start instead of tacking it on at the end.

    Learn how our Accessibility Remediation Consulting services deliver proactive and cost-effective solutions.

    Final Thoughts

    If your organisation is still treating accessibility as a compliance checkbox, it’s time to change perspective. Accessibility isn’t a barrier to innovation; it’s a catalyst for innovation and growth.

    Far from being a sunk cost, accessibility is an investment in growth, customer loyalty, and long-term resilience, some of the most impactful business benefits of accessibility.

    And with legislation like the European Accessibility Act already in place, setting the standard for inclusive services, the organisations that act now won’t just avoid fines; they’ll lead the way.

    Let arc inclusion help you go beyond compliance and build truly accessible digital experiences.

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    Discover how we’ve helped organisations overcome accessibility challenges and achieve success.

    FAQs

    Being accessibility compliant creates tangible business value by expanding your customer base, improving user experience, and strengthening your brand reputation. It also supports SEO performance, reduces legal risks, and improves market reach.

     

    In Europe, compliance with regulations isn’t just about avoiding fines; it can determine whether your organisation is eligible to bid for contracts and participate in procurement opportunities. A lack of compliance can put your business at risk of ineligibility, closing off valuable markets.

    Accessibility ensures your digital experiences are usable by everyone, including those with disabilities, older users, and those with temporary situational barriers. It not only improves inclusivity but also increases customer loyalty, reduces churn, and strengthens brand reputation.

     

    Most importantly, accessibility can have a significant influence over consumer behaviour, with 56% of users stating it as their reason for choosing one online store over another.

    Yes, in most regions businesses are legally required to make their digital experiences accessible. Regulations such as the UK Equality Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the European Accessibility Act 2025 all set clear expectations for accessible websites, apps, and digital services.

     

    Failure to comply can result in lawsuits, hefty fines, reputational damage, and even exclusion from bidding on contracts. Beyond legal obligations, accessibility is increasingly viewed as a baseline standard, which customers and partners expect businesses to deliver.

    Accessibility influences much more than just compliance or customer acquisition. It shapes how efficiently your organisation operates, how innovative your products and services become, and how resilient your brand is over time.

     

    Embedding accessibility into design and development from the outset reduces support tickets, lowers remediation costs, and speeds up delivery. Teams spend less time fixing issues after launch and more time focusing on innovation and growth.

    See more FAQs

    Website accessibility monitoring is the fundamental process of scanning your website to detect any issues that could prevent users with disabilities from using it. Automated web accessibility monitoring tools continuously check for accessibility issues across your site, providing instant alerts for new and updated content, as well as your overall site health.

     

    They track compliance with standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and show you how accessible your site is, where it should be, and what improvements should be made to deliver a better experience for all users.

     

    In addition to measuring your compliance, they also provide a clear picture of your progress over time, so you can track the impact of your improvements and maintain ongoing accessibility.

    The two main types are automated and manual monitoring. Together, they provide you with a comprehensive view of how accessible your site is and where improvements are needed.

     

    • Automated monitoring uses specialised web accessibility monitoring tools to scan your website for non-compliant features and common issues, such as missing alt text, poor colour contrast, or keyword navigability issues. These tools can also provide instant alerts for when site elements present accessibility risks and site health reports so you can prioritise any issues.

    • Manual monitoring is where accessibility experts and testers come in to review your site as a real user would, often using assistive technologies like screen readers. They will usually check how easy it is to navigate through pages, interact with content, and understand messages or instructions. The aim is to identify any areas which may present barriers for individuals with disabilities.

    Accessibility monitoring is crucial for ensuring that everyone can use and experience your site in the same way, regardless of ability. It is also essential for staying compliant with standards like WCAG and with laws like The European Accessibility Act 2025.

     

    Without regular monitoring, accessibility issues can easily appear when new pages are added, content is updated, or designs are changed.

     

    Continuous website accessibility monitoring gives you a framework to:

    • Stay compliant

    • Improve user experience

    • Respond to issues quickly

    • Track progress over time

    Accessibility monitoring should be integrated into your process rather than a one-time check. Websites can change frequently, with new pages, designs, and content changes, but each update can introduce accessibility issues.

     

    Continuous monitoring, both manual and through an automated website monitor, is recommended to catch any issues as soon as they appear, particularly after any big changes, such as adding interactive elements, redesigns, and when legal or accessibility guidelines are updated.

     

    Even without significant changes, monitoring should be a consistent part of your organisations website maintenance.

     

    The more you test the better, but for those looking for an exact amount, ideally once a month is a good starting point to catch any emerging issues.

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