Maximising digital accessibility ROI

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Before discussing the Return on Investment (ROI) from accessibility, it is vial to acknowledge the most fundamental reason for accessibility: it’s about fairness, inclusion, and public responsibility.

While business benefits are important, organisations should not need a financial justification to prioritise the human right of digital accessibility.

However, in many cases, discussions around budget and strategy necessitate demonstrating ROI. This article explores how accessibility contributes to long-term financial success while ensuring inclusivity for all users.

Understanding the ROI of Digital Accessibility

Return on Investment (ROI) is a fundamental business metric used to evaluate the financial returns from an investment. It is calculated is calculated by dividing the net profit generated from an investment by the total cost of that investment, then multiplying by 100 to express the result as a percentage, indicating the efficiency and profitability of the investment.

ROI = (NetProfit/Cost-of-investment)x100

When applied to digital accessibility, ROI is measured by the financial benefits derived from accessibility investments, whether through increased revenue, cost savings, or risk mitigation. Organisations that prioritise accessibility see improved usability, enhanced customer reach, and reduced legal risks, all of which contribute to a positive ROI.

The Hidden Cost of Accessibility Inaction

Organisations that delay or ignore accessibility are often caught in an inefficient and costly cycle: the audit-fix-audit-fix loop. This approach treats accessibility as a one-off project rather than an ongoing commitment, leading to recurring expenses without long-term improvements. Many companies spend millions over time auditing and re-auditing their digital properties, only to find themselves repeatedly fixing the same issues.

Instead of reactive remediation, businesses should shift towards integrating accessibility into their core development processes, thus preventing costly defects from arising in the first place. Companies that move beyond the reactive lower maturity levels of digital accessibility towards defined, managed, and optimised levels see significant cost reductions and improved efficiency.

Measuring the True Cost of Accessibility Defects

To determine how accessibility affects ROI, companies must calculate the cost of disruption caused by accessibility defects. Consider the following:

  • The fully loaded cost of a developer includes salary, benefits, and overhead, estimated at 1.5x base salary.
  • A typical developer earns £75,000 per year, making their total cost £112,500 annually or £54.09 per hour.
  • Every hour spent fixing a bug is an hour taken away from profit-generating activities.
  • If a defect takes 7 hours to fix, and a typical audit finds 134 issues, the total cost of remediation exceeds £254,211 per audit.

This cost does not include potential delays in product launches, lost productivity, or reputational damage. Organisations that invest in proactive accessibility measures save significantly by reducing the number of defects that need to be fixed post-development.

The Misconceptions of Accessibility ROI

Many common assumptions about accessibility’s impact on business performance are overstated or misunderstood. Let’s examine a few key misconceptions:

SEO (Search Engine Optimisation)

While some accessibility improvements align with SEO best practices—such as clear headings, descriptive alt text, and meaningful link text—many accessibility issues do not impact search rankings. Accessibility is not a magic bullet for SEO success.

Mobile-Friendliness & Low Bandwidth Users

It is often argued that accessibility improves mobile-friendliness. While accessible sites may perform better on alternative devices, accessibility and mobile optimisation are not interchangeable. Simply making a site mobile-friendly does not ensure it is accessible.

Accessibility as a Revenue Driver

Beyond cost savings, accessibility can drive revenue in several ways:

  1. Expanding Market Reach: Over 1 billion people worldwide have disabilities, representing a significant consumer base. Businesses that make their digital platforms accessible tap into this underserved market, increasing conversions and customer retention.
  2. Enhancing User Experience: Accessibility improvements often benefit all users, leading to increased engagement and higher conversion rates. Features like improved colour contrast, keyboard navigation, and readable text enhance usability for everyone.
  3. Strengthening Brand Reputation: Companies that lead in accessibility differentiate themselves in competitive markets, fostering brand loyalty and consumer trust.

The risk of lawsuits related to digital inaccessibility is increasing, especially in industries like retail, finance, and healthcare. Organisations can avoid costly settlements, legal fees, and reputational damage by proactively investing in accessibility. A single lawsuit can cost £100,000 or more, making preventive measures financially prudent.

Based on industry data, accessibility lawsuits typically cost between £130,000 and £2.2 million, including legal fees and remediation costs. The risk-adjusted cost of a lawsuit is estimated at £750,000, meaning a proactive accessibility investment can yield a 400% ROI.

The Cost of Fixing Accessibility Issues

Historical audit data reveals the cost of inaccessibility:

  • 28 components per audit
  • 134 issues per audit
  • 7 hours to fix each issue
  • Total remediation cost: £150,000 (external) or £76,000 (internal)

Even when using internal teams, these costs must be tracked as opportunity costs, as resources could have been spent on other business goals.

Training: The Best Investment for Long-Term ROI

The single most effective way to improve accessibility ROI is investing in training. Educating teams—developers, designers, content creators, and leadership—ensures that accessibility best practices are implemented from the start, reducing the need for costly remediation. Training enables teams to:

  • Write accessible code and content.
  • Conduct internal accessibility testing.
  • Avoid common accessibility pitfalls before they become expensive problems.

The Best Business Case for Accessibility

The simplest and strongest argument for accessibility ROI is this: fix issues now to save money in the long term.

Companies that incorporate accessibility into their core business strategy benefit from:

  • Lower remediation costs by preventing issues early.
  • Better user experiences that improve customer satisfaction and retention.
  • Legal protection against costly lawsuits.

Beyond numbers, accessibility is a moral and ethical obligation. Digital spaces should be usable by all, and businesses that commit to accessibility set themselves apart as leaders in inclusivity.

Conclusion: A Sustainable Approach to Accessibility ROI

To maximise ROI, organisations must embed accessibility into their development lifecycle rather than treating it as a reactive fix. This includes:

  1. Shifting from audit-fix cycles to proactive design and development.
  2. Measuring and tracking accessibility defect costs.
  3. Investing in training and internal expertise.
  4. Leveraging accessibility as a competitive advantage.

By doing so, organisations reduce costs, improve efficiency, and enhance user experiences while mitigating legal risks. The best ROI comes from avoiding accessibility problems in the first place—a strategy that pays dividends in both financial savings and customer satisfaction.

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FAQs

Measuring digital accessibility requires a combination of automated tools, manual reviews, and inclusive user testing. This process is commonly known as an accessibility audit, which evaluates how well your website or application meets standards such as WCAG and identifies barriers that affect people with disabilities.

 

To monitor progress, organisations can track accessibility metrics, including:

 

  • User impact

  • Screen reader compatibility

  • Error density

  • Compliance with WCAG levels

  • Keyboard accessibility score

  • Unique issues

  • Remediation rate

An accessibility score is a rating awarded to a website or application to show how well it meets accessibility guidelines. Automated tools like Axe and Lighthouse can provide helpful indicators, although they only cover a portion of the requirements needed for full compliance.

 

Sites are generally given a score out of 100, with a ‘good’ accessibility score achieving 90+. However, it’s important to remember that even high scores should be verified through manual testing and user feedback since automated checks cannot capture every barrier.

Accessibility should be tested continuously, not just once. It is important to consider accessibility at every stage, whether that’s during an ideation session, developing concepts, or actually writing code.

 

A common mistake organisations make is relying on one-off audits, which often leads to recurring issues, costly remediation work, and ineffective use of resources.

 

To avoid the audit-fix loop, best practice is:

 

  • Combine manual and automated testing

  • Test your code regularly

  • Conduct a full audit before significant changes

  • Re-test after updates or changes

  • Monitor regularly to ensure compliance

No, automatic testing alone cannot guarantee compliance. Automated tools like WAVE and Axe are useful for quickly spotting common issues such as missing alt text or poor colour contrast, but they only cover a limited portion of WCAG requirements.

 

Relying solely on automation risks missing key accessibility barriers like screen reader compatibility and keyboard navigation, which can only be identified through manual testing and inclusive user testing.

 

To ensure full compliance, organisations should use automated tools, expert audits, and real user feedback to inform their ongoing accessibility strategy.

See more FAQs

Website accessibility monitoring is the fundamental process of scanning your website to detect any issues that could prevent users with disabilities from using it. Automated web accessibility monitoring tools continuously check for accessibility issues across your site, providing instant alerts for new and updated content, as well as your overall site health.

 

They track compliance with standards like the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and show you how accessible your site is, where it should be, and what improvements should be made to deliver a better experience for all users.

 

In addition to measuring your compliance, they also provide a clear picture of your progress over time, so you can track the impact of your improvements and maintain ongoing accessibility.

The two main types are automated and manual monitoring. Together, they provide you with a comprehensive view of how accessible your site is and where improvements are needed.

 

  • Automated monitoring uses specialised web accessibility monitoring tools to scan your website for non-compliant features and common issues, such as missing alt text, poor colour contrast, or keyword navigability issues. These tools can also provide instant alerts for when site elements present accessibility risks and site health reports so you can prioritise any issues.

  • Manual monitoring is where accessibility experts and testers come in to review your site as a real user would, often using assistive technologies like screen readers. They will usually check how easy it is to navigate through pages, interact with content, and understand messages or instructions. The aim is to identify any areas which may present barriers for individuals with disabilities.

Accessibility monitoring is crucial for ensuring that everyone can use and experience your site in the same way, regardless of ability. It is also essential for staying compliant with standards like WCAG and with laws like The European Accessibility Act 2025.

 

Without regular monitoring, accessibility issues can easily appear when new pages are added, content is updated, or designs are changed.

 

Continuous website accessibility monitoring gives you a framework to:

  • Stay compliant

  • Improve user experience

  • Respond to issues quickly

  • Track progress over time

Accessibility monitoring should be integrated into your process rather than a one-time check. Websites can change frequently, with new pages, designs, and content changes, but each update can introduce accessibility issues.

 

Continuous monitoring, both manual and through an automated website monitor, is recommended to catch any issues as soon as they appear, particularly after any big changes, such as adding interactive elements, redesigns, and when legal or accessibility guidelines are updated.

 

Even without significant changes, monitoring should be a consistent part of your organisations website maintenance.

 

The more you test the better, but for those looking for an exact amount, ideally once a month is a good starting point to catch any emerging issues.

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