The Hidden Costs of Ignoring Accessibility Standards

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Many businesses still treat website accessibility as an optional extra, something to consider only if time and budget allow. In reality, meeting recognised accessibility standards is a fundamental requirement for any organisation with an online presence. Failing to meet these standards can lead to significant hidden costs, from lost customers and reduced market share to legal risks, reputational damage, and higher development expenses.

In this article, we’ll explore the real consequences of inaccessible websites and show why businesses can no longer afford to overlook accessibility and need to ensure compliance.

1. Lost Revenue Opportunities

An inaccessible website can alienate a significant portion of potential customers. The World Health Organisation states that more than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a disability, many of whom rely on assistive technologies such as screen readers, voice navigation, and keyboard-only input to access online services.

When a website is inaccessible, these users cannot complete essential actions, leading them to abandon the site in favour of more inclusive competitors. The result is lost revenue and a narrower market reach.

Example: E-Commerce Impact

Imagine an online store where the checkout process is not keyboard-navigable or screen-reader friendly. Customers who rely on these assistive tools will abandon their purchase, leading to lost sales. Research suggests that businesses lose billions of pounds annually due to inaccessible websites that create barriers for disabled users.

2. Legal Risks and Fines

Website accessibility is not only an ethical responsibility; it is also a legal requirement in many regions. Regulations such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States, the Equality Act 2010 in the United Kingdom, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) across the EU require organisations to ensure their digital services comply with established accessibility standards.

Legal Consequences:

  • Companies can face expensive lawsuits if their websites fail to comply with accessibility laws.

  • Some countries impose hefty fines on businesses that do not meet website accessibility legal requirements.

  • Legal battles not only drain financial resources but also damage brand reputation.

Failing to comply with accessibility standards places businesses at risk of legal action, financial penalties, and lasting reputational harm. For many organisations, the cost of non-compliance far outweighs the investment needed to build accessible digital services from the start.

3. Reputation Damage

Word spreads fast in today’s digital age. An inaccessible website can lead to negative publicity, especially if a business is called out by customers or advocacy groups. Many consumers value inclusivity and may choose competitors who prioritise accessibility.

How Does Poor Accessibility Affect Brand Reputation?

Poor accessibility signals neglect, and customers notice. A reputation for being inaccessible can erode trust, reduce loyalty, and drive customers toward competitors who prioritise inclusive experiences.

Case Study: PR Fallout

A well-known retailer faced a lawsuit due to an inaccessible website, leading to backlash on social media and negative press coverage. Customers, both disabled and non-disabled, boycotted the brand, resulting in long-term damage to its reputation.

To avoid outcomes like the one above, explore our Stay Accessible services to build governance, embed inclusive practices, and protect your brand’s reputation over time.

4. Poor SEO Performance

Search engines reward websites that deliver a positive user experience. Many common website accessibility issues overlap directly with SEO best practices, meaning that fixing these issues not only improves accessibility but also strengthens search rankings. Websites that ignore accessibility often suffer from weaker visibility in search results, reduced organic traffic, and fewer conversions.

How Accessibility Boosts SEO:

  • Alt text improves image indexing.

  • Semantic HTML helps search engines understand content structure.

  • Transcripts for videos make content more discoverable.

Optimising for accessibility not only removes barriers for users but also creates the kind of structured, high-quality content that search engines reward. Explore why accessible design matters to SEO in our article on How Accessibility Impacts SEO and Why Google Might Rank You Lower.

5. Increased Development and Maintenance Costs

Overlooking accessibility during the design and development phase often creates expensive problems later. Retrofitting an inaccessible website requires significantly more time and resources than building accessibility in from the outset. The longer accessibility is delayed, the more complex and costly the fixes become.

The Cost of Remediation:

  • Rewriting inaccessible code requires additional developer hours.

  • Redesigning inaccessible User Interface (UI) elements disrupts the user experience.

  • Frequent fixes and legal compliance updates drain resources.

Investing in accessibility from the start reduces development costs, avoids disruption, and ensures a more sustainable and scalable digital presence. Using our Remediation Consulting approach helps identify issues sooner, apply fixes in a more efficient way, and avoid repeated rework over time.

Conclusion

An inaccessible website does more than exclude disabled users. It creates hidden costs in the form of lost revenue, legal risks, reputational harm, weaker SEO, and higher development expenses. Addressing accessibility is not a secondary task; it is a core requirement for building a resilient and future-ready digital presence.

Businesses that take accessibility seriously gain a clear competitive edge. They reach wider audiences, strengthen brand reputation, and build customer loyalty by showing commitment to inclusion. The real question is not whether you can afford to invest in accessibility, but whether your business can afford the risks of ignoring it.

To learn more about the strategic value of accessibility for organisations operating in the EU, read our article Why Accessibility in the EU is a Strategic Investment.

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FAQs

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. When websites are inaccessible, individuals encounter barriers that limit their ability to shop, work, learn, and access essential services online. Businesses that do not address accessibility miss out on a large and valuable audience.

In many regions the answer is yes. Laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States, the Equality Act 2010 in the UK, and the European Accessibility Act (EAA) in the EU require digital services to meet accessibility requirements. Non-compliance can result in lawsuits, financial penalties, and compulsory remediation.

For more on how regulations, procurement rules and compliance obligations interact, see our Procurement & Compliance guidance.

Failure to comply with the ADA can lead to lawsuits, settlements, and reputational harm. Businesses may be required to invest heavily in urgent website fixes as well as cover legal costs. Many high-profile cases have shown that ignoring accessibility is far more expensive than proactive compliance.

Yes. Designing with accessibility in mind from the beginning is more cost-effective than retrofitting later. Early planning reduces development time, avoids disruptive redesigns, and ensures long-term compliance with accessibility requirements. For examples of scalable design systems that are built for inclusivity from the ground up, our Design System Assessments work provides a good framework.

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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