How US Businesses Can Benefit by Embracing Website Accessibility

Imagine being unable to access vital services or products simply because a website or mobile app wasn’t designed with you in mind. This is the reality for millions of people with disabilities – and in just a few months, businesses operating in the EU will face strict regulations ensuring this doesn’t happen.

From June 2025, the European Accessibility Act (EAA) will make it mandatory for all digital services to be accessible to everyone, regardless of ability.

If you’re a business owner with a digital presence in Europe, it’s time to get ahead of the curve. In this article, we’ll explore what the EAA means for your business, how to stay compliant, and the benefits to doing so – even if you are a US-based company.

What US businesses should know about the EAA

As of June 28, 2025, businesses operating in Europe will be required to adhere to new guidelines designed to ensure their products and services are fully accessible to people with disabilities. This includes websites and mobile apps, which fall under the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA standards.

If your business currently operates in Europe, failing to comply with these accessibility standards can run the risk of legal challenges and possible exclusion from operating in European markets.

Even if your business does NOT operate overseas, don’t make the mistake of thinking these requirements don’t apply to your US-based business, as there are significant benefits that can come from making your website accessible in 2025, as well as potential legal repercussions for not ensuring website accessibility for users in the United States.

Accessibility requirements in the US are similar to those laid out by WCAG and are governed by a patchwork of federal and local laws including ADA and CVAA regulations, among others. In recent years, companies including Netflix, Target, Domino’s Pizza, and CVS have all faced legal penalties at home for violating these laws and were forced to make changes to their business models and websites to accommodate users with disabilities.

What is website accessibility?

In general terms, web accessibility means ensuring all users – including those with disabilities – can utilise your website effectively. This includes (but is not limited to) the following key considerations, which we will discuss in more detail further down:

• Text alternatives for non-textual content

• Keyboard accessibility

• Contrasting colour usage

• Accessible forms

• Proper document structure

• Accessible navigation

• Multimedia captions and transcripts

• Clear and simple language

• Mobile accessibility

• Error prevention

• Link accessibility

• Consistent layout and formatting

Every website is different, so a full accessibility audit is recommended to understand the issues that impact you.

Why web accessibility matters

As of 2022, more than 44 million non-institutionalised US civilians had disabilities including difficulty seeing, hearing, walking, or climbing stairs. People who have auditory or visual impairments (including colour blindness) are still likely to use digital mediums such as websites and mobile apps and will gravitate towards those that provide the best user experience.

What you can do today

Elixirr Digital can perform a comprehensive audit of your website or mobile app to identify accessibility issues and the steps required to address and correct them.

Figure 2: Web design considerations for colour blindness. Source: https://www.accessibilitychecker.org/blog/color-blind-accessibility/

Here are some key accessibility considerations to keep in mind, and how someone living with a disability is impacted:

• Add descriptive alt text to images, videos, charts, and other non-text content so screen readers can convey their purpose for the visually impaired.

• Ensure all interactive elements like buttons, forms, and the navigation menu are accessible via keyboard shortcuts to accommodate users with motor impairments.

• Ensure all textual content has a high contrast ratio against its background for users with low vision or colour blindness.

• Ensure forms are clearly labelled, have descriptive error messages, and can be navigated and submitted using only a keyboard to accommodate users with motor impairments.

• Use proper HTML tags for headings and lists, and structure pages logically for screen readers and assistive technology to interpret hierarchy for the visually impaired.

• Provide captions for video content and transcripts for audio content to accommodate the hearing impaired.

• Make sure your website is mobile-friendly, fully responsive, and uses large interactive elements that can be easily tapped on smaller screens by users with visual impairments or limited dexterity.

• Use descriptive link text and ensure links are distinguishable from non-interactive text by using underlines or contrasting font colours to accommodate users with visual or dexterity limitations.

• Provide clear, descriptive feedback when users incorrectly complete a web form; offer error messages that are easy to understand, and provide examples of the expected content or format for the benefit of non-native speakers and users with cognitive disabilities.

• Make sure your website loads quickly by optimising images and media, minimise the use of scripts and plugins, and use content delivery networks (CDNs) to serve content quickly, as website speed directly impacts user experience and organic rankings.

• Provide clear privacy policies, implement secure data practices such as HTTPS and secure logins, and obtain consent from users for first-party cookies and tracking to comply with accessibility regulations.

Many of these guidelines are also “best practice” for building SEO-friendly websites and will positively impact your organic rankings in search engines like Google.

How your business can benefit

Whether or not your business operates in the EU – or plans to in the future, making your website more accessible provides significant benefits, including:

• Avoiding legal challenges and expense.

• Opportunities to operate overseas without fear of legal consequences.

• Higher organic rankings owing to Google’s algorithms favouring accessible websites.

• More business growth opportunities resulting from providing a better user experience to a broader audience.

• Stronger customer engagement and brand loyalty.

Key statistics:

Research has shown that:

• 70% of customers with disabilities said they will click away from a website that they find difficult to use.

• 83% of participants with access needs limit their shopping to sites that they know are accessible.

• 86% have chosen to pay more for a product from an accessible website rather than buy the same product for less from a website that was harder to use.

• 4 million people abandoned a retail website because of the barriers.

By taking a few basic steps with your public-facing website, you can mitigate unnecessary legal and financial risk, appeal to a broader audience, position yourself for higher organic rankings, and realise other benefits as well.

We’re here to help

Elixirr Digital are experts in helping modern businesses ensure compliance with website accessibility standards both in the US and abroad.

What’s more, we have successfully assisted dozens of organisations in optimising their websites for better organic rankings and higher conversion rates.

If you have questions or concerns about your website, we would love to discuss how we can help you. Contact us today for a free consultation.