Overlapping Areas

There are areas of overlap and opportunity with accessibility and other software design concerns. You shouldn't rely on the "accessibility can help SEO!" angle, though. Accessibility is important and valid on its own for the access and civil rights of people with disabilities.

That said, there are some benefits of writing accessible software that I'd like to highlight.

Search-Engine Optimization (SEO)

Accessibility doesn't directly affect search engine ranking. But when a webpage contains a semantic structure and actual text content in it (think alternative text for images), it's easier for search engines to detect what's on it and improve searchability.

Also, the more anchor links you have going to and from your site, the more of a network graph you create to establish credibility. Think about that the next time you want to slap an onClick event on a DIV instead of using <a href="https://your-link-here">.

Performance

The faster a site loads, the quicker people can interact with it. I wrote an article about how a slow-loading page can affect screen reader users (opens in a new tab). We will also discuss accessibility and performance more in detail in the Visual Considerations part of the course.

If you'd like to learn more on the topic, check out this talk from Eric Bailey at the PerfMatters conference (opens in a new tab).

Security

Inaccessible user interfaces can be a security issue. Think of a blind person not being able to log into a form or use an ATM without help. It would be an insecure practice to have to share your PIN or other personal details with someone else. When we make user interfaces accessible to people with disabilities, we don't force them to make a choice between access and security.

Customer/Business growth

The more accessible your site is, the more customers you could have! The more accessible your app is, the more contracts you could win that have accessibility as a requirement (e.g. government procurement, education software, banking software, etc.).

Accessibility is often left out of a Minimum Viable Product which has the unfortunate effect of blocking people with disabilities from being early adopters. It's a real shame, since accessibility is easiest when you start from the beginning and don't immediately accrue design and development debt.

User research with people with disabilities could highlight product opportunities and new customer segments that your organization would otherwise miss. Don't sleep on accessibility as part of your MVP!