Guest Blog: Accessibility – The Silent Sales Killer That Hurt Your Brand

By: Emmanuel Okunade | Web Developer

Businesses pour a lot of resources into SEO, social media, and UX design—yet many overlook a critical factor that silently sabotages conversions and brand loyalty: ACCESSIBILITY. Over 1.3 billion people globally live with disabilities, and 24% of the UK population had a disability in 2022/23, totaling 16.1 million people. When your website, app, or digital content isn’t accessible, you’re turning away a massive audience, inviting legal risks, and damaging your brand’s reputation. 

This article uncovers some common accessibility mistakes businesses make, explains their consequences, and provides actionable solutions. 

Killer 1: Ignoring Equality Act & WCAG Guidelines 

Under the Equality Act, organizations must ensure that digital services are accessible to people with disabilities. The equivalent is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the US, European Accessibility Act (EAA) in the EU and Accessible Canada Act (ACA) in Canada, for global brands. 

These acts require businesses to ensure digital accessibility. Non-compliance isn’t just unethical—it’s illegal. In 2023, over 4,000 ADA Title III lawsuits targeted inaccessible websites, with plaintiffs ranging from e-commerce giants to small businesses (ADA). For example, Target paid $6 million in 2008 after failing to accommodate screen reader users. More recently, Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment faced a lawsuit because her website lacked alt text and keyboard navigation (diacedesigns). 

How to Fix: 

Follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) AA, the gold standard for accessibility. Focus on: 

•  Perceivable content (e.g., alt text for images). 
•  Operable interfaces (e.g., keyboard navigation). 
• Understandable information (e.g., clear labels). 
•  Robust compatibility with assistive technologies. 

Conduct third-party audits or use tools like WAVE – https://wave.webaim.org, axe DevTools (Chrome extension) – Quick audits in browser, Lighthouse (built into Chrome DevTools) – Accessibility tab or UserWay to automate compliance. 

This matters to your business because non-compliance can lead to costly litigation, settlements, and damage to your brand’s reputation. Worse, 75% of disabled consumers abandon sites with accessibility issues, which would cost you sales and loyalty. 

Killer 2: Neglecting Alt Text & Image Descriptions 

Alternative text (or “alt text”) is a written description of an image, embedded in the HTML code. As business owners, marketers or developers, we know the importance of alt text to SEO. Search engine crawlers can’t “see” images directly; they rely on alt text to index and understand image

content. But do you know that alt text is also important to users who can not see. Alt text is read aloud by screen readers to describe images to blind or visually impaired users who can’t see them. For example, an e-commerce product photo might have alt text saying, “Red winter coat with hood.” This way, a blind shopper knows what the image depicts. Without alt text, a screen reader will just skip the image or read an unhelpful filename – leaving the user in the dark about important content. 

Missing alt text can have real consequences. Many major brands have learned this the hard way. For instance, Domino’s Pizza, Walmart, and Amazon have all been sued for omitting alt text on their websites.

How to Fix: 

Ensure every meaningful image on your website has appropriate alt text. This is usually a quick fix – your content editors or developers just need to add a descriptive phrase in the image’s HTML alt attribute. The description of the image should be concise but informative: convey the content and function of the image. (If an image is purely decorative, it can have a blank alt attribute or be marked as decorative in modern tools, so screen readers skip it.) Also, put yourself in the shoes of a blind user: would the page still make sense if you only heard the text and alt text? If not, improve the descriptions. As a bonus, it will also boost your SEO, as your images become understandable to search engines. 

Killer 3: Overlooking Keyboard Navigation 

Many users navigate sites using keyboards (e.g., motor-impaired individuals) or rely on high colour contrast for readability. Keyboard navigation means being able to use the Tab key, arrow keys, Enter, and other keyboard controls to move through a website and operate all its features. Users with certain motor disabilities, mobility impairments, or even a temporary injury may not be able to use a mouse or touchscreen. Some users simply prefer the keyboard for efficiency. For these people, a site that can’t be navigated via keyboard is effectively unusable. Keyboard accessibility is one of the core principles of web accessibility. The WCAG guidelines explicitly state that all functionality should be operable through a keyboard interface (except for tasks that cannot reasonably be done without mouse-like free-hand drawing). This is because many assistive technologies rely on keyboard equivalents. For example, a user with paralysis might use switch controls or voice commands that emulate keyboard strokes. If your website’s menus, links, or forms can only be activated with a mouse (for instance, a drop-down menu that only works on hover, or a form field that can’t be focused via Tab), then those users are completely blocked. That frustration will cause them to leave the site and likely never return. Poor keyboard navigation is essentially locking out paying customers who are ready to engage. 

A lack of keyboard navigation can lead to serious business loss and legal trouble. An example is the Fox News website, which was sued in 2018; the complaint noted that redundant and empty links on the site “hampered keyboard-based navigation,” preventing blind users from accessing content easily. Even apart from lawsuits, imagine the everyday impact: a potential customer with Parkinson’s disease or a repetitive strain injury tries to buy from your online store but finds they can’t tab to the “Add to Cart” button or can’t open a sub-menu to view products. That sale is lost immediately– and unlike other usability complaints, the user cannot “just try harder” or workaround the issue; they’re effectively barred. They’ll take their money elsewhere, and you might earn a negative mention in accessibility circles or on social media. 

How to fix: 

The good news is that ensuring keyboard accessibility is more about design and testing than expensive technology. First, test your site with a keyboard: put your mouse away and try to navigate using Tab (to jump to the next focusable element), Shift+Tab (to go backwards), Enter/Space (to activate buttons and links), and arrow keys (for things like sliders or menus). Can you reach all interactive elements like menus, links, buttons, form fields, and widgets? Does focus move in a logical order? Is the focused item visually highlighted (so sighted keyboard users can see where they are)? If you hit a trap (e.g., a modal dialog that you can’t exit with Esc or Tab, or a dropdown that you can’t open via keyboard), then you’ve identified a problem to be fixed. Common fixes include: adding proper HTML focus attributes to custom elements, ensuring dialogs or pop-ups auto-focus and can be exited, and avoiding keyboard “traps” where focus gets stuck. Work with your web developers to tweak the code so that every link and control can be accessed via keyboard. Often it’s as simple as adding an HTML attribute or using a slightly different control that is naturally keyboard-friendly. In some cases, you might need to redesign interactive components (for example, replace a hover-only menu with one that also opens on focus). Remember, if your site works with just a keyboard, it will work for a wide range of assistive devices and provide a smoother experience for everyone. 

Killer 4: Colour Contrast 

Colour is a powerful design tool, but if it is not used correctly, it can become a barrier. Colour contrast refers to the difference in brightness between text and its background (or between any two visual elements). When contrast is too low, text can be difficult or impossible to read – especially for people with visual impairments such as low vision or colour blindness. Example is a light grey text on a white background. That’s low contrast. If customers struggle or can’t read your content, they can’t engage or buy from you. 

Good colour contrast is crucial for readability. Millions of people have colour vision deficiencies; approximately 1 in 12 men (8%) and 1 in 200 women worldwide have some form of colour blindness. This means certain colour combinations (like red/green or light blue/yellow) may appear similar to them. Even people without colour blindness can struggle with low contrast, especially older adults or anyone trying to read on a small screen or in bright sunlight. From a standards point of view, WCAG guidelines include specific contrast ratio requirements (generally 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text to meet AA compliance). If your design uses trendy light grey text on a pastel background, it might look good, but it’s likely failing those guidelines and failing your users. 

Low colour contrast is one of the most common accessibility issues and features in many accessibility lawsuits. A notable case involved Nike, which was sued over poor colour contrast on its website that made content hard to read stripo.email. 

How To Fix 

Designers and content creators should prioritize sufficient contrast from the start. A quick win is to use online contrast checker tools (like the free WebAIM Contrast Checker or many browser extensions) to test your colour choices. These tools take a foreground (text) colour and background colour and tell you if they meet WCAG contrast thresholds. Adjust colour codes or font weight/size until all important text passes the guidelines (generally 4.5:1 for body text, 3:1 for larger headings or UI components). 

For existing websites, run an audit (many automated tools like WAVE and axe devtool will flag low-contrast text occurrences). It might be as simple as darkening a font colour or increasing font size for clarity. Also, consider users with system high-contrast settings: make sure your site doesn’t break when those are used. By making these adjustments, you not only help those with visual difficulties, but you improve readability for everyone – including users on mobile devices or in less-than-ideal viewing conditions. High contrast = high readability = higher likelihood your message gets through and your call-to-action gets clicked.

Quick Accessibility Audit for Non-Developers 

You don’t need to be a developer or an IT expert to start improving your site’s accessibility. In fact, many accessibility issues can be spotted with simple common-sense checks. Here’s a quick checklist that business leaders or marketers can use to audit their website today: 

• Images and Media: Check all images for alt text. Pick a few pages (like your homepage or product pages) and see if images have text descriptions. You can do this by inspecting the page in a browser or using a free tool like the WAVE Accessibility Evaluation Tool. If an image’s description is missing or not meaningful (e.g., an image of a product just labeled “IMAGE123.png”), that’s a problem to note. Also, if you have videos, check if they have captions and if audio content has transcripts. Multimedia lacking text alternatives is a red flag. 

• Keyboard Navigation: Unplug your mouse (figuratively) and navigate using your keyboard. Press the Tab key to move through links and form fields. Can you reach the main menu, sliders, and all interactive elements? Try activating dropdowns or pop-ups with the keyboard (Tab into them and press Enter or Space). If you can’t reach something or get stuck, that indicates a keyboard accessibility issue. This kind of hands-on test is easy and incredibly revealing. (Tip: Shift+Tab will move backwards, and pressing Esc should close modals or menus.) 

• Colour Contrast: Use a contrast checker tool on your key pages. You can copy the colour codes from your site’s style (or use a browser plugin) and verify the contrast ratio of text vs. background. Look at things like text on banners, buttons, and any light-coloured text. Tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker (online) or browser extensions will tell you if the contrast is sufficient for accessibility (aim for WCAG AA compliance, which is generally 4.5:1 for normal text). If any important text fails, mark it down for a design adjustment (darken the text, lighten the background, or increase font size/weight). Also consider colour-blind users – if your site uses colour to convey information (say, “items in red are on sale”), try to provide an additional cue like an icon or text label. 

• Form Labels and Focus Indicators: Check your forms (contact forms, checkout, sign-ups). Are all form fields labeled? The question a non-developer can answer is: do you see a visible prompt or label for each input? For example, a text box should have a label like “Email:” next to it (or a placeholder that is accessible). If you click in a field and no label highlights, or the purpose isn’t clear, that could confuse users, especially those using screen readers. Also, as you Tab through a form, see if you can tell which field is currently focused (there should be a visible outline or highlight on the active field or button). If you can’t see focus, it’s hard for keyboard users to know where they are.

• Use Automated Testing Tools: There are excellent free tools that will scan your site for accessibility issues in seconds. For instance, WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool) can be used via a browser extension or online by entering a URL – it will highlight missing alt text, low contrast text, missing form labels, and more with icons on your page. axe by Deque Systems is another popular browser plugin that developers use, but non-developers can run it too: it generates a report of violations of accessibility rules. These tools often explain the issues in plain language and even link to guidance on how to fix them. While automated tools don’t catch everything, they are a fantastic starting point for a basic audit. Run a scan on key pages (homepage, a product or services page, etc.) and see what comes up. 

• Consult Accessibility Guides: Consider using simple guides or checklists available online. Many are non-technical. For example, the W3C (creators of WCAG) provide an Easy Checks guide for beginners. It can walk you through basic things like checking page titles, headings structure (ensuring the page has clear headings), and zoom/layout (try zooming your browser to 200% to see if the layout still works – this simulates what low-vision users might do). As a business leader, you can use these insights to have informed conversations with your web team.

Conclusion 

Accessibility is now a necessity for any modern business with an online presence. The “silent sales killers” we discussed (missing alt text, keyboard traps, poor colour contrast) might not scream for attention in a site review the way a broken link or out-of-stock product would, but their impact on your bottom line and brand health is profound. They quietly drive away customers, undermine the trust in your brand, and increase your exposure to lawsuits and civil claims. For business and marketing leaders, the mandate is clear. It’s time to view accessibility as a core component of digital strategy, not a low-priority “IT issue.” The brands that lead in accessibility are reaping benefits – they enjoy stronger reputations and often outperform peers in customer satisfaction. 

In summary, don’t let these silent sales killers lurk on your website. Shine a light on them, fix them, and you’ll find that accessibility improvements often make every customer’s experience better. An accessible website is faster, clearer, and more usable for everyone; much like a shop with automatic doors and good signage benefits all shoppers, not just those using a wheelchair.

By championing accessibility, you are future-proofing your brand in a world where digital inclusion is most important.

Emmanuel Okunade

Lead Developer at Taeks Global