The cost of website development increases
More tools exist to build websites efficiently, improve security and simplify maintenance. However, businesses can expect website design costs to increase.
Until a few years ago, ADA website accessibility compliance standards was not a great concern because no one raised a red flag about it. In 2018, over 2,200 discrimination lawsuit filings in federal and lower courts is forcing companies to look at their website for content accessibility compliance .
Most content-management systems including WordPress, Drupal and Joomla gain functionality by the development of components from global developer communities. The developers outside of the United States do not have to adhere to ADA website accessibility standards. Therefore, to achieve website accessibility compliance an audit and remediation must take place after your base web design is done.
Consequently, additional time is needed to identify and fix issues. This includes fixing code-level structural and content issues that make websites non-compliant. If it takes 80 hours to create a website, achieving ADA compliance can take another 20-40 hours.
How can I minimize cost or make remediation manageable?
A web development company that has experience with achieving ADA Website Accessibility standards should use tools that simplify the process of achieving standards. “We have reviewed several options for auditing and remediation to achieve accessibility standards. I believe we have the tools that provide the best information to simplify the process and decrease remediation time”, says Go Gonzalez, Chief Technology Officer, Edward Concepcion.
A solid process for achieving ADA compliance decreases the time to identify and fix issues. In addition, you can feel confident that people that rely on accessibility standards can access content.
What to look for in a firm that offers ADA compliant web development?
Illustration 1. Go Gonzalez Website Accessibility Compliance Score, October 2019.
The company should be knowledgeable about website accessibility and have a program for auditing, remediation and maintenance. Here are other things to consider:
- A process that reduces the time to identify and remediate issues thereby minimizing costs
- Obtain verifiable examples of website compliance work
- If a company is offering website accessibility compliance services, then their website should be ADA Compliant. See Illustration 1. Go Gonzalez Website Accessibility Compliance Score
In the end, website content accessibility is about equal access for everyone. Addressing issues for consumers with disabilities will expand your audience. According to the Center for Disease Control and the U.S. Census Bureau, 20-25% of adults have some type of disability.
Achieving compliance may increase your budget for website development, but there is a good case for better marketing results. It can broaden your audience, improves access to content and can positively impact your share of voice.
When you are planning budgets and strategies to obtain the most exposure for your brand, capitalizing on organic traffic is important. Website accessibility compliance naturally improves search optimization for web pages, which can improve visibility on search engines. Most businesses want this, but the challenge is to obtain these benefits, while minimizing cost. The answer is to go with a credible company with a good process that helps minimize the work required to achieve compliance. From what we’ve seen, the benefits of SEO and improved access seem to pay-off over time.
For ADA Complaint Web Development… Go Gonzalez
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