The Business Case for Web Accessibility: ROI and Benefits

Web accessibility is often seen as a cost center, but the reality is that it's one of the best investments an organization can make. Let's look at the numbers.

The Market You're Missing

The Numbers

• 1.3 billion people worldwide have a disability
• €13 trillion in annual purchasing power
• 71% of users with disabilities leave an inaccessible website
• 2x more likely to buy from accessible companies

In Europe

• 87 million people with disabilities
• €2 trillion in purchasing power
• 85% regularly use the internet
• €150 billion lost revenue from inaccessible websites

Direct Financial Benefits

1. Increased Conversion

Case Study: Target.com After their accessibility improvement:

• +20% revenue online
• +13% conversion rate
• +50% mobile traffic

Why it works:

Accessible sites = Better UX for everyone
- Clearer navigation → +15% task completion
- Better forms → -30% abandonment
- Faster load time → +7% conversion per second
- Mobile-friendly → +35% mobile sales

2. SEO Benefits

Google's algorithm rewards accessibility:

| Factor | SEO Impact | A11y Benefit | |--------|------------|--------------| | Alt text | +15% image search | Screen reader support | | Heading structure | +20% crawlability | Navigation aid | | Semantic HTML | +10% relevance | Assistive tech | | Page speed | +25% ranking | Better UX | | Mobile responsive | +30% mobile rank | Universal access |

Result: Average +23% organic traffic after accessibility improvements.

3. Cost Reduction

Support Costs

• -40% support tickets from better UX
• -25% call center volume
• €50,000/year savings for medium businesses

Development Efficiency

// Accessible code = Maintainable code
// Before
<div onclick="doSomething()" class="btn-style">
  <span>Click</span>
</div>

// After
<button onClick={handleClick} className="btn-primary">
  Click
</button>

// Result:
// - 50% fewer bugs
// - 30% faster development
// - 70% easier to test

Indirect Benefits

1. Brand Value and Reputation

Microsoft's Inclusive Design

• +400% brand sentiment scores
• #1 employer for people with disabilities
• $1.9 billion extra revenue from inclusive products

2. Innovation Driver

Accessibility solutions that went mainstream:

• Voice control → Siri, Alexa (€75 billion market)
• Captions → 80% watch video with subtitles
• Dark mode → 82% user preference
• Text-to-speech → Audiobooks (€4 billion market)

3. Employee Satisfaction

Companies with strong accessibility:

• +28% employee retention
• +22% productivity
• -32% sick days
• +45% diverse talent pool

Legal and Compliance Benefits

Avoid Fines and Lawsuits

EU Web Accessibility Directive

• Fines up to €50,000 per violation
• Required for: Government, semi-public, large companies
• Deadline: Already in force

Recent Cases

• Domino's Pizza: $6 million settlement
• Beyoncé.com: Class action lawsuit
• Nike: $2 million settlement

Insurance and Liability

• -15% premium with compliance certificate
• Coverage for accessibility claims
• Due diligence proof for audits

Implementation ROI Calculator

Your Investment

Audit & Assessment:           €5,000
Remediation (average):        €25,000
Team training:                €3,000
Monitoring tools:             €2,000/year
-----------------------------------
Total first year:             €35,000

Your Return (Conservative)

New customers (5%):           €75,000
Conversion improvement (2%):  €40,000
SEO traffic (15%):           €30,000
Support reduction:            €20,000
Avoided legal:                €50,000
-----------------------------------
Total first year:             €215,000

ROI: 514%
Payback period: 2.1 months

Industry-Specific Business Cases

E-commerce

ASOS after accessibility project:

• +42% checkout completion
• -23% cart abandonment
• €19 million extra revenue year 1

Banking

Bank of America:

• +35% digital adoption among seniors
• -45% branch visits (cost savings)
• +290% mobile app usage

Healthcare

Kaiser Permanente:

• +67% patient portal usage
• -38% appointment no-shows
• $3.2 million operational savings

Education

Coursera:

• +58% completion rates with captions
• +125% international students
• 4.8/5 rating (was 3.9)

Quick Wins with High ROI

Week 1: Basics (ROI: 200%)

1. Add alt text

   • Cost: 2 hours
   • Return: +15% image SEO

2. Fix color contrast

   • Cost: 4 hours
   • Return: +8% readability

3. Focus indicators

   • Cost: 1 hour
   • Return: +12% keyboard users

Month 1: Structure (ROI: 350%)

1. Heading hierarchy

   • Cost: 8 hours
   • Return: +20% navigation success

2. Form labels

   • Cost: 4 hours
   • Return: -30% errors

3. ARIA landmarks

   • Cost: 2 hours
   • Return: +40% screen reader efficiency

Quarter 1: Advanced (ROI: 500%)

1. Keyboard navigation

   • Cost: 20 hours
   • Return: +100% accessible

2. Video captions

   • Cost: €50/hour video
   • Return: +80% engagement

3. Responsive design

   • Cost: 40 hours
   • Return: +35% mobile conversion

The Cost of Doing Nothing

Year 1

• Missed revenue: €200,000
• Legal risk: €50,000
• Brand damage: Immeasurable

Year 3

• Missed revenue: €750,000
• Increased legal risk: €200,000
• Competitive disadvantage: -15% market share

Year 5

• Total loss: €2+ million
• Obsolete tech stack
• Talent retention issues

Action Plan

Step 1: Baseline Measurement (Week 1)

• Free AllyScan assessment
• Identify quick wins
• Calculate potential ROI

Step 2: Business Case (Week 2)

• Present numbers to management
• Focus on revenue, not compliance
• Show competitor examples

Step 3: Pilot Project (Month 1)

• Choose high-traffic pages
• Measure before/after metrics
• Document improvements

Step 4: Scale (Quarter 1)

• Roll out to entire site
• Train development team
• Implement monitoring

Conclusion

Web accessibility is not charity but a business imperative. With an average ROI of 500% and a payback period of less than 3 months, the question isn't whether you should invest, but why you're still waiting.

Start today: Request a free AllyScan assessment and discover your potential ROI.