Website accessibility isn’t just about doing the right thing anymore – though that’s certainly important. In 2025, it’s become a legal requirement, a competitive advantage, and frankly, good business sense. Yet many UK businesses still treat accessibility as an afterthought, missing out on reaching millions of potential customers while potentially exposing themselves to legal risks.
If your website isn’t accessible to users with disabilities, you’re not just excluding people – you’re leaving money on the table and potentially breaking the law. Let’s explore what website accessibility means in practice, why it matters more than ever, and how to approach it strategically.
What Does Website Accessibility Actually Mean?
Website accessibility means designing and building websites that everyone can use, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. This includes people who are blind or have low vision, those who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with motor disabilities, and those with cognitive differences.
In practical terms, it means ensuring your website works with screen readers, can be navigated using only a keyboard, has sufficient colour contrast, and provides captions for videos. Think about it this way: if you wouldn’t build a physical shop without a ramp for wheelchair users, why would you build a digital presence that excludes people with disabilities?
The Legal Landscape in the UK
The legal requirements around website accessibility have been strengthening significantly. Under the Equality Act 2010, businesses have a duty to make reasonable adjustments to ensure their services are accessible to disabled people – and this extends to digital services.
The public sector must comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standards, while private businesses are expected to make “reasonable adjustments” under the Equality Act. Large organisations are increasingly facing legal challenges for inaccessible websites, and European Accessibility Act requirements continue to influence UK standards even post-Brexit.
Recent legal cases have shown that courts are taking website accessibility seriously. Companies have faced successful legal challenges, with compensation awards and mandatory accessibility improvements. The message is clear: accessibility is no longer optional.
The Business Case: Beyond Compliance
Legal compliance is just the baseline. The real business benefits of accessibility are compelling:
The numbers alone are compelling. The UK has 14.1 million disabled people who represent significant purchasing power – the “purple pound” spending power of disabled households is worth £274 billion annually. But the benefits extend far beyond this obvious market reach.
Accessible websites often rank better in search engines because they typically have better content structure and navigation. Features like captions benefit everyone in noisy environments or when sound isn’t available, while high contrast designs improve readability for all users. Clear navigation and structure help everyone find what they need faster, and keyboard navigation proves useful for anyone with temporary injuries or in certain situations.
From a technical perspective, accessible code is typically cleaner, more semantic, and easier to maintain. It offers better compatibility across devices and browsers, improved SEO performance through better content structure, and essentially future-proofs your website as accessibility features become standard rather than exceptional.
Common Accessibility Barriers We See
From our experience working with UK businesses, these are the most frequent accessibility issues we encounter:
From our experience working with UK businesses, visual barriers are among the most common issues. This includes insufficient colour contrast between text and backgrounds, important information conveyed only through colour, images without alternative text descriptions, and text that can’t be resized without losing functionality.
Navigation barriers present another significant challenge. Many websites simply can’t be used with keyboard-only navigation, lack clear headings that screen readers rely on, use vague link descriptions like “click here” or “read more”, and include forms without proper labels for screen readers.
Content barriers round out the most frequent problems we encounter. Videos without captions or transcripts, overly complex language without simpler alternatives, time-limited content that can’t be extended, and auto-playing media that interferes with screen readers all create unnecessary obstacles for users.
Practical Steps to Improve Accessibility
Making your website accessible doesn’t require a complete rebuild. Here’s how to approach it strategically:
Start with immediate improvements
Improving your images is often the quickest win – add descriptive alt text to all images, use empty alt attributes for decorative images, and provide detailed descriptions for complex images. Enhance your content with clear, descriptive headings in logical order, write descriptive link text, and ensure sufficient colour contrast throughout your site.
Don’t overlook your forms either. Label all form fields clearly, provide helpful error messages, and group related fields logically.
Build for long-term success
Technical enhancements require more planning but offer lasting benefits. Ensure your entire website can be navigated using only a keyboard, implement proper focus indicators, use semantic HTML elements correctly, and add skip links for navigation.
Your content strategy should evolve too – provide captions for all video content, offer transcripts for audio, use plain English wherever possible, and structure content with clear headings. Use automated accessibility testing tools, conduct manual keyboard testing, and if possible, test with actual screen reader software.
Real-World Benefits We’re Seeing
Businesses that have invested in accessibility improvements are reporting positive outcomes across multiple areas. Retail websites often see conversion rate improvements of 15-20% after accessibility enhancements, partly because the clearer navigation and better content structure benefit all users.
Search engine performance typically improves as well, since accessible websites tend to have better content structure, clearer headings, and more descriptive links – all factors that search engines value. Companies also report reduced customer service enquiries as their websites become easier to use and navigate.
The development process becomes more efficient too. Once accessibility is built into the design and development workflow, creating new content and features that meet accessibility standards becomes second nature rather than an afterthought.
Getting Started: A Practical Approach
Don’t let the scope of accessibility overwhelm you. Here’s a sensible approach:
Don’t let the scope of accessibility overwhelm you. A sensible first phase involves auditing your current website for major accessibility barriers, implementing quick wins like alt text and colour contrast improvements, and ensuring your most important pages are accessible – think homepage, contact information, and key services. Not sure where your website currently stands? Get in touch for an accessibility assessment.
The second phase focuses on systematic improvement. Develop accessibility guidelines for your team, integrate accessibility checks into your content creation process, and address the navigation and form accessibility issues that affect user experience most significantly.
Finally, make accessibility an ongoing commitment rather than a one-time project. Regular accessibility testing and monitoring, staff training on accessibility best practices, and continuous improvement as standards evolve will keep you ahead of both legal requirements and user expectations.
How We Approach Accessibility at 37 Digital
Accessibility isn’t something we bolt on at the end – it’s built into our design and development process from day one. We believe the best approach combines technical expertise with practical business sense.
Our Process:
- Initial Assessment: We evaluate your current accessibility status and identify priority improvements
- Strategic Planning: We create a roadmap that balances legal compliance, user needs, and business goals
- Implementation: We build accessibility into the design and development workflow
- Ongoing Support: We provide training and tools to help your team maintain accessibility standards
The goal isn’t just compliance – it’s creating websites that work brilliantly for everyone while supporting your business objectives.
Making Accessibility Part of Your Business Strategy
Website accessibility in 2025 isn’t just about avoiding legal issues – it’s about reaching more customers, improving user experience, and building a more inclusive brand. The legal landscape is clear, the business case is compelling, and the technical solutions are well-established.
The question isn’t whether you should make your website accessible – it’s how quickly you can get started. Every day your website remains inaccessible, you’re potentially missing out on customers and exposing your business to unnecessary risk.
Ready to make your website work for everyone? Contact us today to discuss how we can help you create an accessible, inclusive digital presence that supports both your legal obligations and business goals.
