Accessible design, and why it’s good for SEO

Accessibility still gets treated like an afterthought. Something you’ll “circle back to” after launch, when the site’s live, the copy’s done, the coffee kicks in, and Mercury’s no longer in retrograde. And guess what? You won’t.

But you really should, Because accessible design isn’t just a warm and fuzzy gesture. It’s a sharp, strategic move. It’s better for your users, better for search engines, and better for your bottom line.

Google loves sites that don’t suck

Alt text. Semantic HTML. Proper heading structure. These aren’t just helpful for screen readers, they’re exactly what Google uses to figure out what your site’s about.
So yeah, the same stuff that helps humans also helps robots decide if you’re worth ranking. It’s like giving Google a cheat sheet – and you’d be daft not to.

Accessibility makes your site easier for everyone

This isn’t about designing for edge cases – it’s about designing for real life. Clear contrast, readable type, well-labelled buttons… these help every user, whether they have a disability, bad eyesight, or just haven’t had their coffee yet.

Because if your site only works for fully focused, fully abled, fully caffeinated users in ideal lighting? You’ve built something for 0.1% of the population.

It’s not all for screen readers and magnifiers

People hear “accessibility” and think fonts and alt tags. But what about users with ADHD trying to stay focused? Someone with dyslexia who’s trying to read what’s on the page? Or someone prone to motion sickness dealing with your jazzy parallax scroll?

Design for the real world: people in noisy cafés, with cracked phone screens and one thumb on the buggy. Accessibility isn’t niche – it’s necessary.

It forces you to write better

Want to make your site more accessible? Start by cutting the waffle. Break up your text. Use proper headings. Label links properly. Say what you mean.

We like Orwell’s six rules for writing as a starting point, and the bonus is that if you follow those general principles, you’ll write more clearly and more persuasively. Plus, they work for everyone.

Don’t treat it like extra work – treat it like better work

Designing accessibly from the start means better thinking, cleaner builds, and fewer headaches later. Trying to shoehorn it in after launch? That’s like trying to fix the plumbing after you’ve tiled the bathroom. Instead, if you build it right first time, everything else will fall into place.

It keeps you out of legal trouble (and moral hot water)

More countries are making accessibility a legal requirement. And if your site blocks out users? You could be in breach – whether you meant to or not. So it’s time to brush up on your WCAG 2.2 guidelines.

The bottom line

Accessible design isn’t a buzzword. It’s the foundation of a site that performs, converts, ranks, and actually gives a damn. It makes your content easier to consume, your brand easier to trust, and your site harder to leave. It’s not soft. It’s smart.

If you want a thoughtful, strategic website that doesn’t leave anyone behind, then give us a buzz.