Why You Need a Responsive and ADA-Compliant Website
It’s a new year and time to look closely at your insurance agency website. If you haven’t reviewed, updated, or completely reworked your website in several years, it’s long overdue. Unfortunately, you could be losing out on today’s mobile consumer and in jeopardy of not complying with design standards required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Let Me See What Your Agency Is About on All Devices
When websites were first designed, they were essentially digital brochures. Over time, they evolved and became interactive and useful. In the insurance industry, for example, you could get a quote and bind coverage online, file a claim, and update certain information. This initially worked great on desktops. The problem, however, is that increasingly more people are using their phones or tablets to search for companies, products, and services and make purchases. If a website doesn’t adapt to a mobile phone or tablet and consumers have trouble navigating the site, they will move on. You’ve lost a potential customer.
Responsive website design is the norm today. This is achieved when a designer creates the site to adapt itself automatically from the desktop version to look equally as good on phones and tablets. A mobile responsive website includes design elements such as readable text without requiring zoom, adequate space for tap targets, and no horizontal scrolling.
If you have an old website, most likely, it’s not responsive.
Why Responsive?
The number-one reason to make a responsive website is that your clients and prospects use mobile devices to perform transactions. Here are several 2022 stats, courtesy of TechJury, to chew on:
- 50% of B2B inquiries are placed on mobile.
- Social media takes 25% of all digital media consumption and is mainly accessed on mobile.
- U.S. adults spendfive and a half hours daily on their mobile phones.
- Mobile phones generate 60.66% of website traffic, while desktops and tablets are responsible for 39.34%.
- More than half of all video views come from mobile devices as well.
In addition, Google has made responsive design its recommended design pattern and prioritizes mobile-first. If your site is responsive, it will help your search ranking in Google – critical in helping people find your agency when looking for insurance.
Responsive web design is also faster and easier to navigate, enhancing the user experience. It’s easier for users to find the information they are looking for and remain on your site. Site usability has people revisiting your site, too.
ADA Compliance: An Inclusive Website
The Department of Justice, in conjunction with the ADA, issued specific guidelines on web accessibility for public entities (Title III). In addition, Title I of the ADA requires employers with 15 or more employees to comply with these guidelines as well. Web accessibility enables content to render across a wide range of devices, assistive technologies, and operating systems. This ensures that every web user benefits, including those with a disability, from accessibility considerations.
Those whose websites are not ADA-compliant risk facing a lawsuit, potential settlement amounts, and reputational damage. In fact, there has been a significant increase in website accessibility lawsuits in recent years where plaintiffs claim that they cannot access websites because they are incompatible with assistive technologies.
For ADA website compliance, many companies follow Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a reference point. The guidelines ensure your website content is:
- Perceivable: Content is presented in an easily perceivable manner. Examples include offering alternatives to text, such as audio alternatives or assistive technology, that allow sight-impaired individuals to perceive your website’s content.
- Operable: Navigation is easy to operate. Examples include offering keyboard accessibilities so users with disabilities can easily navigate your website and access content.
- Understandable: Content is easy to understand. Examples include making content readable and predictable and offering input assistance if needed.
- Robust: Your website’s content can be interpreted by various devices and platforms. For example, you want to ensure content is compatible with user agents like assistive technologies.
Many web design/development companies can help you with building a responsive and ADA-compliant site. The goal is to offer an enhanced experience to everyone that enables you to promote your organization and your products and services.
*Contact and ADA Compliance Consultant for accuracy