Improving your small business website’s accessibility will significantly boost the effectiveness of your Google Ads campaigns and offer a strong return on investment. Here’s a breakdown to illustrate this:
1. **Broader Audience Reach**
By making your website accessible, you cater to a wider audience, including the approximately 15% of the world’s population who experience some form of disability. These adjustments make your site usable and navigable for people with visual, auditory, motor, or cognitive disabilities. As a result, your ads will reach more potential customers who might otherwise have been excluded due to accessibility barriers.
2. **Enhanced User Experience**
Accessibility improvements lead to a better overall user experience for all visitors. Features like clear navigation, readable fonts, and responsive design benefit everyone, not just those with disabilities. A positive user experience reduces bounce rates and increases conversions—both key metrics that Google Ads uses to assess the quality of your site, impacting your ad ranking and cost-per-click.
3. **Improved SEO**
Search engines favor websites that are accessible and user-friendly. Many elements that improve accessibility, such as alt text for images and proper header structures, also enhance your SEO. Better SEO leads to higher organic rankings, which will complement your paid ads by increasing your site’s overall visibility.
4. **Legal Compliance**
In many regions, including the U.S. and the EU, accessibility is not just good practice—it’s a legal requirement. Making your site accessible helps avoid costly legal issues associated with non-compliance. While this isn’t a direct revenue stream, avoiding legal expenses protects your bottom line.
5. **Positive Brand Perception**
Showing that your business values accessibility will strengthen your brand’s reputation. Customers today are more conscious of inclusivity and favor businesses that demonstrate a commitment to accessibility. This positive perception leads to increased customer loyalty and word-of-mouth referrals, which are invaluable for small businesses.
6. **Cost-Effectiveness**
The cost of making your website accessible (estimated between $500-$1000) is small compared to the potential fines for non-compliance and the opportunity cost of losing out on a segment of the market. Once your site is made accessible, the maintenance cost is low, while the benefits continue to accrue in terms of increased traffic, better user engagement, and higher conversion rates.
7. **Return on Investment (ROI)**
The increase in customer base and improved engagement on your website translate to higher conversion rates, meaning more sales and revenue generated through both direct transactions and enhanced ad performance. This increased revenue quickly offsets the initial cost of making your website accessible.
Takeaway
By investing in accessibility, you’re not just complying with best practices—you’re also creating a platform that’s primed for better performance across all metrics. This strategic improvement to your website supports the success of your Google Ads campaigns, enhances user engagement, and opens up your business to a market segment that’s often overlooked, all of which contribute to a strong ROI and improved ROAS.
Want to learn more? Check out our other posts about website accessibility and ADA compliance.
If you’re ready to get your website compliant, accessiBe is the service I’ve found to be the best and most affordable (EqualWeb is another great option).
Ivan is a professional digital marketer and advertiser.
He’s been doing this forever and there are few people that know the ins-and-outs like he does at the strategic, technical, and optimizational / practical level.
Whether you’re thinking about advertising for the first time, or looking for help identifying issues and / or correcting current campaigns, Ivan will make the process a truly simple one.
He does not speak computer geek.
He discusses with you in plain and easy terms exactly what we need to do (and never tries to sell you on unneeded extras).
He cares deeply about creating useful and effective campaigns that highlight your brand — and he can be as much or as little involved as you need; from sharing insights with your trafficking team to actually being your team.
Contact Ivan with your digital advertising or marketing related concerns.