Web accessibility means designing and building websites so that people with disabilities can use them. But it's a quality standard that quietly benefits everyone – not just people with permanent impairments.
Who benefits from an accessible website?
People who use screen readers (visually impaired users), those who navigate by keyboard rather than mouse, users with motor difficulties, people with cognitive differences who need clear, predictable layouts – and also anyone browsing in a hurry, in bright sunlight, or on a small screen. Accessibility and good UX overlap significantly.
What accessibility looks like in practice
Sufficient colour contrast so text is readable. Descriptive alt text on images (so screen readers can convey what's shown). Keyboard navigation that works logically. Form labels that are properly associated with their fields. Semantic HTML that tells assistive technologies what everything is. A "skip to content" link so keyboard users don't have to tab through the entire navigation on every page.
Why it matters beyond inclusion
An accessible site is also a site that Google can read and understand more easily. Descriptive headings, meaningful link text, and semantic structure all contribute to better SEO. Accessibility and search performance tend to go hand in hand.
The regulatory side
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is the international standard. In many countries and sectors, accessibility compliance is becoming a legal requirement – particularly for public sector and larger commercial sites. Building accessibly from day one is significantly cheaper than retrofitting later.