Accessibility In Design & Marketing Isn’t Just Compliance—It’s About Removing Friction

Accessibility is one of the most underrated ways to improve user experience and increase conversions.

Most people hear “accessibility” and think of government mandates, WCAG compliance, or the threat of legal action. But in reality, accessibility is one of the most underrated ways to improve user experience and increase conversions—especially for service-based businesses and DTC brands.

Accessibility isn’t just about helping those with disabilities (though that’s obviously important). It’s about removing friction for everyone. And when you make things easier to use, read, and engage with, more people buy from you.

So, how do you actually improve accessibility without blowing up your budget? Let’s break it down.

1. Accessibility in UX: Small Fixes, Big Wins

Forms: The Silent Conversion Killer

Badly designed forms are where leads go to die. And often, it’s accessibility issues that are to blame.

• Forms with poor contrast (like light gray text on a white background) reduce readability for everyone—not just those with visual impairments.
• No field labels? A screen reader can’t tell the user what to enter. Plus, ghost text inside form fields disappears when you start typing, leaving people guessing what they were supposed to put.
• Error messages that aren’t clear frustrate users. If someone gets “Invalid Entry” without explanation, they’ll likely just leave. Instead, tell them why (e.g., “Your password must be at least 8 characters long and include a symbol”).

Low-overhead fix: Use clear, high-contrast text, always include visible labels, and make error messages actually helpful.

Buttons & Click Targets

• Ever tried clicking a tiny button on mobile? Annoying, right? Now imagine doing it with motor impairments or shaky hands.
• Apple and Google both recommend a minimum target size of 44×44 pixels—yet many websites still ignore this.

Low-overhead fix: Make buttons at least 44x44px and add enough padding so people don’t accidentally tap the wrong thing.

Alt Text & Image Accessibility

• Alternative (alt) text isn’t just for screen readers—it also helps your SEO by giving search engines context about your images.
• If an image contains critical info (like a promo or pricing), don’t put it in an image alone—also include the text elsewhere.

Low-overhead fix: Write short but descriptive alt text (e.g., instead of “Image1.png,” use “Woman using a skincare product” to help both search engines and visually impaired users).

2. Accessibility in Messaging: If They Can’t Read It, They Won’t Buy It

Subtitles & Captions: Convert More Scrollers

80% of social media videos are watched on mute. If your video doesn’t have captions, most people will scroll right past.

Low-overhead fix: Use auto-captioning tools (like Instagram’s built-in captions or tools like Rev) to add captions instantly.

Simple Language = More Sales

• A common mistake? Thinking that “sophisticated” messaging makes you sound more credible. In reality, readability boosts conversions.
• The average American reads at a 7th- to 8th-grade level. If your copy is full of jargon or long, complicated sentences, you’re losing customers.

Low-overhead fix: Use Hemingway Editor or Grammarly to simplify your text. Aim for a readability score of 8th grade or lower.

Color Contrast: 1 in 12 Men Are Colorblind

• If your CTA button blends into the background, colorblind users (and plenty of others) won’t even see it.
• Black text on a white background is easiest to read, while low-contrast color combos (like red text on green) are a nightmare.

Low-overhead fix: Use a contrast checker (like WebAIM) to make sure your colors stand out.

3. Why Accessibility = Higher Conversions

Still not convinced? Here’s the data:

• Companies that prioritize accessibility win: When Virgin America redesigned their booking process with accessibility in mind, conversions increased by 14%.
• 58% of users say accessibility influences their purchasing decisions. If your website is hard to use, they’ll go to a competitor.
• Accessible websites rank better in search engines because Google prioritizes UX. Better rankings = more traffic = more sales.

Accessibility Impacts Your Growth

Accessibility isn’t just an ethical move—it’s smart business. Making small improvements in your UX and messaging removes barriers for your audience, improves engagement, and boosts conversions without increasing ad spend.

The best part? Most accessibility fixes are free or low-cost. You don’t need to overhaul your entire site—just start with the small, high-impact changes we covered.

If you want more people to buy from you, make it easier for them. Because at the end of the day, accessibility isn’t just about compliance—it’s about removing friction and making it effortless for people to say yes.