{"id":15552,"date":"2021-06-22T08:54:42","date_gmt":"2021-06-22T15:54:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sfwpexperts.com\/?p=15552"},"modified":"2021-06-22T09:13:01","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T16:13:01","slug":"ecommerce-website-accessibility-7-proven-tips-to-follow-in-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.sfwpexperts.com\/ecommerce-website-accessibility-7-proven-tips-to-follow-in-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"Ecommerce Website Accessibility: 7 Proven Tips To Follow In 2021"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every online retail business or ecommerce website today looks to reach the maximum number of users with a goal to showcase their products and convert them into paying customers. While website responsiveness, product presentation, and aesthetics are some of the important factors that help ecommerce websites to grab more user\u2019s attention. But if you wish to convert them into paying customers, online retail businesses should look to improve their website accessibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason why today most retail businesses looking to hire an <\/span>experienced website design company<\/span><\/a> for their business is because they are aware of the fact that experienced hands always keep accessibility, responsibility, and aesthetics as their first priority while creating an ecommerce website design for the business. Mainly after the introduction of <\/span>ADA compliance<\/span><\/a>, it has become essential for every public and private website to make their web design accessible to every user regardless of the impairment they have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are scrolling to the internet to look into how you can improve your ecommerce website accessibility then you have landed on the right article where we are going to highlight some of the important reasons why businesses should make their ecommerce website design accessible. Not only that but we will also be offering a detailed idea about why you need to focus on improving your ecommerce website accessibility for better traffic and conversion. So make sure you stick to the end of this article.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking to enhance your ecommerce website design sales then make sure to check our blog on <\/span>E-commerce Website Design Tips For Better Sales (10 Proven Tips To Consider In 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

An overview of ecommerce website accessibility<\/b><\/h2>\n

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Website accessibility is one of the most important but least talked about aspects of web design. Your business might be offering products that can help users in different ways. But to convince buyers to become your paying customer you need to ensure that they are able to get every small detail about the product and your business. It can be only achieved when you plan to create and offer an ecommerce website design with optimized accessibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Today almost every shopper prefers to make their purchase online whether it’s buying groceries, appliances, clothes, furniture and more everything is done online. But have you ever wondered whether all the shoppers landing on your ecommerce website are the same or not? If you haven\u2019t then it’s the right time to do it because people have different kinds of disabilities, among them visual and hearing impairment is something found very common in most people.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you look at the statistics, a report by <\/span>WHO<\/span><\/a> states that 1 billion people live with some or other type of disabilities.\u00a0 Not only that but <\/span>26 percent<\/span><\/a> (one in four) of people in the US have some kind of disability. Among them, 5.9 percent of the people are either deaf or have some serious hearing problem. And nearly 4.6% of the users suffer from visual impairment or have visual disabilities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the number might shock you, you need to accept that even after having these kinds of disabilities their need is very much similar to other users. That means they might be looking for the products you are offering on your ecommerce website. By enhancing your ecommerce website accessibility you ensure that every user landing on your website is easily able to access the web design and the product page regardless of the impairment they have.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The reason why today most businesses look to hire an <\/span>experienced website design company<\/span><\/a> is that they are aware of the fact that experienced professionals can help them to create a highly responsive ecommerce website with better usability and accessibility.\u00a0 Today every shopper\u2019s landing on your website will have different ways or we can process to view and engage with your website and product.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

They might be using different devices and tools to engage with your ecommerce website and the product page. By making your ecommerce website accessible you ensure that they are able to use these devices and tools effectively or we can say your website delivers proper response when users try to access your website using different devices and tools. If you haven’t planned to improve your ecommerce website accessibility then it\u2019s the right time to do it. But the question comes down to how?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t worry we have got you covered. In the coming paragraphs, we are going to highlight every small tip and technique that can help you to enhance your ecommerce website accessibility. But before that let\u2019s take a look at why businesses should improve ecommerce website accessibility?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking to know the best ecommerce web design practices to improve your existing ecommerce website then make sure to check our blog on <\/span>Ecommerce Website Design Best Practices: 8 Tips Every Online Store Owner Should Consider In 2021<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

Why should businesses improve ecommerce website accessibility?<\/b><\/h2>\n

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The ecommerce website accessibility is directly related to the user experience of your website. If users landing on your website are failing to access the web design or the products page then it will directly impact your ecommerce website reputation. There are a number of reasons that can tell you to quickly get your <\/span>ecommerce website redesigned<\/span><\/a> by an experienced <\/span>website design company<\/span><\/a> for better accessibility and responsiveness. One among them is the accessibility guideline offered by the web standard organization.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your business is operating in the US then you can ignore <\/span>ADA compliance<\/span><\/a> as many leading websites including Amazon got into legal trouble due to poor ecommerce website accessibility. The WCAG 2.0 guideline clearly indicates that every website should make its design and the elements inside it accessible to every user landing on the website. A poor ecommerce website accessibility not only impacts website conversion but also the business reputation which can directly impact your future goals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Your site visitor might be using different tools and devices like the screen reader and other equivalent tools to access your website. Not only that but users who can not use conventional point-to-interact devices like a mouse are totally dependent on the keyboard to access your ecommerce website design and the elements inside it. If your website is failing to respond to these tools and devices then the user will leave your website without having any second thought.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If that is the case then it will not only increase your website bounce rate but also lower your ranking on the search engine result page. Apart from that, there are high chances that users might start writing negative reviews about your website and business which can directly impact your business\u2019s online reputation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you see this from a business point of view then every user landing on your website matters as they can buy your product and become a paying customer. Today every user has a number of options in their hands. If your website is failing to engage them or convince them to buy your product then they will switch to your competitor\u2019s website without having any thoughts. There are other reasons why businesses should improve ecommerce website accessibility. Let\u2019s take a look at some of them:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Allows you to offre enhanced user experience (UX)<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

One of the primary reasons why businesses should look to improve ecommerce website accessibility is because it helps in enhancing the overall website user experience. When it comes to ecommerce business then everything depends on the user experience you create when users land on your website and when they leave your website. While creating <\/span>user-centric website design<\/span><\/a> should be the primary goal, incorporating accessibility allows the website to take its design to the next level.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By making your website design accessible you are ensuring that every disabled user is able to get the same experience as another user landing on your website. But for that you need to ensure that your website is making use of different features like keyboard-based navigation, performing searches by voice, allowing screen readers to deliver the purpose of the web page, and many more.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are other factors like video transcript and more which we will be highlighting when we start discussing how businesses can improve ecommerce website accessibility. So if you wonder why you need to improve ecommerce website accessibility then remember it helps in enhancing website user experience.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from accessibility, the user interfaces you create and offer also decides the effectiveness of your ecommerce website design. If you are looking to improve your ecommerce website UI then make sure to check our blog on <\/span>Ecommerce UI Design Guide: How to improve e-commerce Website UI Design For User?<\/span><\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Enhances business and ecommerce website\u00a0 reputation<\/b><\/h3>\n

By improving your website accessibility you are not only improving your website user experience but also delivering a positive message that leads to a better market reputation. In today’s competitive marketplace the reputation you create will play a major role in deciding the traffic and conversion you get on your website. Every user today is willing to purchase the product from the brand and website whom they can trust.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Undoubtedly the user experience plays a major role in creating a sense of trust but your business and website reputation will also decide whether users will trust your brand and business or not. If your website is getting too many negative reviews and comments then even though your website product and design is effective, users will not show interest in buying products from your brand and ecommerce website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These types of negative reviews websites start getting when the users fail to access the product and design they are offering. You can imagine if a user who desperately needs your product lands on your website but fails to access the design and elements inside it. Even If they don’t want to, their frustration will encourage them to write negative reviews that they experienced in your website design.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On the other hand, if a user with visual or hearing impairment lands on your website and they are easily able to access your website design, then it will encourage them to explore more about your website and perform the desired action. Not only that but there are high chances that they might share their experience with others, and recommend your website to their closed ones. All these will result in improving your business as well as your ecommerce website reputation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So if you wonder why you need to improve your ecommerce web accessibility then remember it helps in creating a positive brand image that leads to a better reputation among your audience. If you are looking to create an ecommerce website design that is related to your site visitors expectation and encourages them to perform the desired action then it’s always recommended to get your website design by an <\/span>experienced website design company<\/span><\/a> who can bring their years of experience in creating a highly attractive and conversion-centric ecommerce web design for your business.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Get better visibility on the search engine result page (SERP)\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

When you plan to make your website accessible then you need to look into optimizing and adding multiple things like adding alt text, using video transcript, and more. These components are essential when it comes to making your ecommerce website accessible because it helps the user with visual or hearing impairment to understand the purpose of the video and image. The search engine bot landing on your website for indexing purposes can’t see what you are offering or can\u2019t hear what your video is trying to convey.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By adding the transcript and alt text you are not only helping disabled users but also allowing search engine bot to understand the purpose of the elements. The more clearly the search engine bot understands your website and web page purpose the higher chances will be to get a higher ranking on the search engine result page. It’s true that there are a number of factors that decide the ranking of a web page but the accessibility of the website also plays a crucial role in enhancing ecommerce website ranking.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

When designing a website business needs to add semantics in the website codes so that it allows the search engines to understand the purpose of each component. If you are getting your website design by an <\/span>experienced ecommerce website design company<\/span><\/a> then you don’t have to worry about the semantics. An experienced hand ensures that your website design is optimized for every small aspect for better ranking and conversion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Sometimes high bounce rate also becomes the primary reason behind low visibility in the search engine result page. On the other hand, if your website is able to hold your site visitors then it might help you to gain a better ranking but for that, you need to ensure that your ecommerce website is accessible by anyone and everyone landing on your website design. So if you wonder why you need to improve your ecommerce website accessibility then remember it helps in improving visibility in the search engine result page (SERP).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are facing difficulties in getting your website and web pages ranked on the top in the search engine result page then we recommend you consult with an <\/span>experienced SEO company<\/span><\/a> for your ecommerce website and business.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Helps in improving site usability\u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

As we have mentioned earlier, by improving ecommerce website accessibility you are not only improving your website and business reputation. But also ensuring that every user landing on the website is getting access to online stores optimized for usability. The usability and accessibility of a website go hand in hand. If your ecommerce website is not optimized for accessibility then it will directly impact your website usability which will result in lower traffic and conversion.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In today’s competitive market place it has become essential for every website to create a design optimized for better usability. Or we can say the usability of your website decides whether the user landing on your website will perform the desired action or not. By enhancing your ecommerce usability you will be able to offer a positive experience which can result in encouraging users to share their experience with their closed ounces.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So if you wonder why you need to improve your ecommerce website accessibility then remember it can result in better traffic and conversion on your website. But for that, you need to ensure that you are getting your ecommerce website designed by an experienced <\/span>website design company<\/span><\/a> that can help you to create a user-centric ecommerce website that drives more engagement and conversion on the website.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Save your ecommerce website and business from legal hurdles\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

By now you must have read how accessibility can help you to improve your website user experience, search engine ranking, reputation, and usability. These reasons might convince you to make a strategy to improve your ecommerce web accessibility but there is another point that you need to take into consideration. By improving your ecommerce website accessibility you are helping your business to save a lot of time and cost the most of the top websites like Amazon, Netflix, and more have spent in getting out form legal hurdles.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If your ecommerce website and business are operating in the US then you need to ensure that your website meets the American with disability act (ADA).\u00a0 The ADA act ensures that very public and private websites operating in the US must ensure that users with disabilities are able to access the website design easily and effectively. If you are failing to offer a website design optimized for better accessibility then it can land your website and business in some serious legal trouble.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Once your business and ecommerce website get into legal trouble then you might have to spend money on various expenses like settlement fees, legal fees, public ratio, and many more. Costing and time are among the main reasons due to which no business wants themselves to land in legal trouble. Instead of that, you can hire an experienced website design professional that can help you to optimize your ecommerce website design so that it meets ADA guidelines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

7. Accessibility allows user to access the website from a wider range audience\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

By enhancing your ecommerce website accessibility you ensure that your prospects are able to access your website design from different devices and browsers. Most of the time devices and browsers become the primary reason behind poor web accessibility. If elements like the CTA, images and more are failing to support the devices or the browser then users landing on your website might face difficulties while accessing the elements in your web design which can lead to lower engagement and conversion.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Apart from that if a visually impaired user is making use of any devices embedded with a screen reader then they might face difficulties while accessing your website. By ensuring that your website is accessible by all the browsers and devices you are enabling users to easily access the elements in your ecommerce website design without any issues. Mainly with the increase in the use of the smartwatch you need to ensure that the element in your website needs to be accessible on all devices and browsers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The accessibility guidelines clearing indicates the compatibility with the new devices for better results. As mentioned earlier, by improving accessibility you are not only helping shoppers to have the best experience but also allowing your ecommerce website and business to grow in the competitive market palace. If you are looking to create a highly responsive and accessible website design for better traffic and conversion then it’s always recommended to hire an <\/span>experienced website design company<\/span><\/a> for your website and business.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By now you must be having a clear understanding of why e-commerce websites should focus on improving their website accessibility. Next, we are going to highlight some of the important tips that you can look into when planning to improve your ecommerce website accessibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Best practices to improve ecommerce website accessibility\u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n

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When a business plans to build an ecommerce website then they mostly focus on the look and feel of their ecommerce website design with the help of vibrant color, beautiful fonts, and attractive visuals. Undoubtedly these are some of the important aspects that help online stores to grab their site visitor\u2019s attention and keep them engaged on the website. By making your online store attractive you might be able to separate your website and business but might face a lot of difficulties when it comes to driving sales online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

If you are looking to create an ecommerce website that allows you to drive more traffic and sales online then it’s recommended to keep accessibility and responsiveness as the first priority. Users landing on your website should be able to easily access your storefront regardless of the impairment they have. Below we are going to highlight some of the proven best practices that you can consider when planning to improve your ecommerce website accessibility.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Place yourself in your prospects shoes<\/b>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n

When you plan to improve your ecommerce website accessibility then the first thing we recommend you to do is start seeing your website from your prospect\u2019s point of view. In the coming paragraphs, we will be highlighting various tips that can help you to improve your ecommerce website accessibility. But before that, you need to be in a position to analyze what problem your site visits might be facing after landing on your website? Which and all elements are becoming barriers that are stopping users from becoming yoru paying customers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The shopper landing on your website might be visually impaired or have a problem like color blindness or hearing impairment. These types of disabilities should not stop them from engaging with your website design and performing the desired action. That is the reason why it’s essential for websites and businesses to look at their ecommerce website from a user point of view. It will help in getting a detailed idea about where you need to make improvements.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a lot of elements and design problems that can hamper website accessibility. Below we will be highlighting some of them but once you place yourself in your prospect\u2019s shoes then you will be able to get a better understanding of where you need to make improvements in your ecommerce website design. To do that\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n