ADA Compliance & SEO: How Accessibility Improves Rankings & User Experience
In the digital realm, ensuring everyone can access your website is a legal requirement, and yet it can also be a best practice for SEO and user experience. The ADA requires websites to be accessible to those with disabilities, and failing to comply with this can result in legal repercussions. However, ADA compliance can also improve your search engine optimization by getting you more traffic and enhancing engagement. The pros from Saba SEO, a premier provider of high-quality San Diego SEO services, explain how website ADA compliance and SEO are mutually beneficial.
Steps to Make Your Website ADA Compliant
The first thing you should do is ensure accessible keyboard navigation so people with disabilities don’t need mice to use your website. Second, alternative text for images should be provided so screen readers can help visually impaired users. Also, utilize proper heading structures with a logical order so screen readers can interpret your page layout. This has the additional benefit of helping search engines efficiently index content.
All multimedia should have captions and transcripts. Forms should have clear labels, instructions, and error messages, and links should have descriptive anchor text that helps with both SEO and accessibility. Sufficient color contrast makes words and letters easily distinguishable from the background.
Make sure your digital content is responsive to users with disabilities and mobile devices. Accessibility testing assesses and improves website performance across many key metrics.
Why This Matters for SEO
ADA compliance matters for SEO for several reasons:
- Better UX – User-friendly sites lure visitors into staying longer, signaling valuable content to search engines and decreasing bounce rates.
- Improved ranking – Numerous ADA-compliant practices align with best practices in SEO. Everything from alt text to proper headings boosts organic search rankings.
- More traffic – An accessible website expands its reach and gets more visitors.
- Reduced risk – Compliance with regulations can prevent reputational damage, fines, and lawsuits.
- Mobile friendliness – Many accessibility features also optimize for mobile devices, a crucial SEO ranking factor.
Dual Benefits
When you change your website to be ADA compliant, it provides a more inclusive experience for everyone and strengthens your SEO strategy. Emphasize accessibility to benefit your search engine performance and your audience experience.
If you’re looking for a reliable San Diego SEO agency that also specializes in cutting-edge website development, choose Saba SEO, an industry-leading company with 20 years of experience in digital marketing. We have designed effective and budget-friendly SEO strategies for a wide variety of businesses all around the globe. Our experts can analyze your business and use a variety of tactics to increase your online ranking and boost your conversion rates. To talk to one of our SEO experts, call us today.