Website Accessibility: How a Website Design Company Gets It Right 

With an increasing number of users relying on the internet for everything from shopping to education, ensuring equal access to digital content has never been more essential. Website accessibility is no longer just a feature — it’s a necessity. When executed effectively, accessible design helps people with disabilities navigate websites with the same ease as anyone else, enhancing both usability and user satisfaction. But how does a professional website design company get it right?

TL;DR: Website accessibility is crucial for ensuring that websites serve everyone, including people with disabilities. A reputable website design company uses strategies like semantic HTML, keyboard navigation, and accessible graphics to conform to WCAG guidelines. The benefits include legal compliance, increased user reach, and better overall usability. Getting it right requires knowledge, testing, and commitment to inclusive user experience.

What Is Website Accessibility?

Website accessibility refers to the inclusive practice of removing barriers that prevent interaction with, or access to, websites by people with disabilities. This includes users who rely on screen readers, need high contrast visuals, or navigate sites using only a keyboard.

Accessibility isn’t just about ticking checkboxes — it’s about making websites that everyone can use. This includes individuals with visual, auditory, motor, and cognitive disabilities. A user-centric design approach ensures equity across digital platforms and builds trust with a broader audience base.

The Importance of Getting Accessibility Right

A serious website design company understands the profound importance of accessibility, both from ethical and business perspectives. Accessibility:

• Empowers users with disabilities to access content independently.
• Reduces legal risk by adhering to accessibility laws such as the ADA or EN 301 549.
• Improves SEO through more semantic HTML structure.
• Broadens market reach by catering to more demographic groups.
• Enhances user experience for all users, not just those with disabilities.

Key Accessibility Standards

Top-tier website design companies consistently strive to meet the highest accessibility standards — most notably, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). These guidelines are defined by the W3C and serve as a global benchmark. WCAG includes principles based on four key pillars:

• Perceivable – Content must be presented in ways all users can perceive.
• Operable – Interface components must be usable through multiple input methods.
• Understandable – Content must be easy to understand for all users.
• Robust – Content must be accessible via a wide variety of assistive technologies and platforms.

How a Website Design Company Ensures Accessibility

Professional website design companies rely on a multi-faceted approach to ensure accessibility is embedded from the ground up. Here’s how they get it right:

1. Use of Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML forms the backbone of accessible websites. Proper use of tags like <header>, <nav>, <main>, and <footer> ensures that screen readers and other assistive technologies can interpret the structure of the page.

2. Keyboard Navigation

Accessibility means allowing navigation without a mouse. Design firms ensure users can tab through the site logically, and interact with forms and elements using keys like Tab, Enter, and Esc.

3. Color Contrast and Text Size

Contrast and legibility are essential. A design company will use tools to verify that buttons, links, and backgrounds maintain sufficient contrast ratios — usually a minimum of 4.5:1 for body text — in accordance with WCAG AA standards.

4. ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) Landmarks

When native HTML isn’t enough, ARIA roles and attributes bridge the gap by providing context to dynamic content that assistsive technologies might otherwise ignore. For example, a role like aria-live="polite" allows vital updates to be read aloud without disrupting the user.

5. Alt Text for Images

A design company ensures every informative image includes relevant and descriptive alt tags. This allows screen readers to convey image content to visually impaired users.

6. Focus Management

Keeping track of where users are on a site is crucial, especially during modals or form validations. Accessibility-focused firms manage focus dynamically to reduce confusion and improve usability for keyboard and screen reader users.

7. Testing with Assistive Technologies

Great web design companies don’t rely on assumptions; they test. This means using screen readers like JAWS or NVDA, voice recognition software, and keyboard-only environments to validate that the site is truly accessible.

Real-World Accessibility Best Practices

Top-performing agencies follow real-world accessibility practices that ensure compliance and quality:

• Regular audits and updates: Accessibility is not a one-off task. Reputable companies reevaluate sites routinely to meet evolving standards.
• Inclusive copywriting: Clear language, headings, and instructions support better readability.
• Form accessibility: Labels, error messages, and instructions are linked appropriately and deliver clear, purposeful feedback to users.
• Responsive design: Sites are tested across screen sizes and orientations, giving equitable experiences to mobile and desktop users alike.

The Legal Perspective

Lawsuits pertaining to inaccessible websites have surged in recent years. U.S.-based companies in particular must comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). In the EU, regulations like the European Accessibility Act are also being enforced with increasing vigor.

Failure to comply may result in fines, legal battles, and reputational damage. Trusted website design companies help safeguard clients from these risks by incorporating compliance from day one.

Benefits Beyond Accessibility

A focus on accessibility yields multiple side benefits, many of which directly enhance the overall user experience for every visitor. These benefits include:

• Improved site performance from optimized HTML and lighter media assets.
• Better SEO due to semantic structure and image tagging practices.
• Lower bounce rates thanks to intuitive interfaces and clearer navigation.

Challenges in Achieving Full Accessibility

Despite best efforts, 100% accessibility can be complex and challenging. This may be due to legacy technology, dense content, or dynamic features like charts and video. However, a premier web design company will mitigate these challenges with smart compromises and documentation that informs users of any limitations present.

Educating Clients and End Users

One of the often-overlooked tasks of a design agency is education. Agencies that get accessibility right ensure their clients understand:

• How to maintain accessibility when updating content
• What tools to use for ongoing testing
• Why inclusive language and visuals matter on every page

This consultative role ensures that the site remains accessible even beyond the launch phase.

Conclusion

True accessibility is about more than compliance—it’s about ethics, inclusivity, and creating better digital experiences for everyone. The best website design companies treat accessibility as integral to quality and not as an afterthought. They invest in standards, tools, testing, and education to make the web a place that functions for all users. In an increasingly digital era, this commitment isn’t just admirable — it’s essential.