Imagine walking into a store where the door’s too narrow, the signs are unreadable, and the staff ignores you. That’s what an inaccessible website feels like to many users.

Website accessibility ensures everyone, including people with disabilities, can use your site. It’s about inclusivity, legal compliance, and yes—better SEO.

Look, if your website isn’t accessible, you’re basically telling a big chunk of the population: “Sorry mate, not for you.”

Here in Manitoba the accessibility act is becoming law on May 1, 2025. That means a short time to get your website meeting the accessibility standards.

What the hell is Website accessibility?

Accessibility means your website can be used by everyone—including people with disabilities.
We’re talking about:

• Visually impaired users using screen readers
• Folks who can’t use a mouse
• Colour-blind visitors who can’t see your lovely pastel buttons
• Neurodivergent users who need clearer navigation and less chaos

Why should you care?

1. It’s the law

You can get sued. Seriously.
Big companies already have—Domino’s, Target, Netflix.
Small businesses aren’t immune. The legal wolves are circling and starting May 1 when the Manitoba Accessibility Act becomes law, you’re not immune.

2. It’s good for business

More accessible = more people can use your site = more potential customers.
You’re not doing charity work—you’re opening your doors to 20% of the population.
Would you brick up the entrance to your shop and tell wheelchair users to jog on? No? Then don’t do it online either.

3. Google loves it

Googlebot is basically blind. So all the tweaks that help screen readers—like proper headings, alt text, clean code—also help your SEO.
More accessible sites rank higher; simple!

4. Better UX for everyone

Good accessibility makes your site easier to use for all humans.
Ever tried tapping a tiny button on your phone with your thumb after 3 pints? Exactly.

5. What are the 4 principles of web accessibility

The WCAG standards include four key principles called the POUR principles:
Content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. 

These concepts provide a solid foundation for creating web content that is accessible and usable for everyone.

The Four Big Rules of Accessibility (aka POUR)

If you really want your site to work for everyone—including folks using screen readers, keyboard navigation, or just trying to read your text without a magnifying glass—you’ve got to hit these four marks. Think of them like the Four Horsemen of Not Being a Jerk Online.

1. Perceivable – Can people actually see or hear your content?

Your website needs to show up in ways that real humans can sense. That doesn’t just mean slapping text on a page and calling it a day. If someone can’t see your images, read your text, or understand your layout without a decoder ring, you’ve failed this one.

Example: If there’s an important message baked into an image without alt text, that info is basically invisible to someone using a screen reader. Poof—gone. Not good.

2. Operable – Can people use it without wanting to chuck their laptop?

Every part of your site—menus, forms, buttons, videos—needs to be usable by everyone. That includes folks who don’t (or can’t) use a mouse. If someone’s tabbing through your site with a keyboard or using voice commands, they should still be able to get around without breaking a sweat.

If your site’s interactive stuff doesn’t actually, you know, interact properly, you’re locking people out.

3. Understandable – Does your site make sense, or is it a digital escape room?

Your site should behave in a predictable way. That means no weird navigation, no cryptic instructions, and no random changes that make people feel like they’re being gaslit by a WordPress plugin.

If users can’t figure out where to click or what something means, you’ve got a problem—not with them, but with your design.

4. Robust – Will it work across different tech (today and tomorrow)?

Your site should play nice with all sorts of tools—modern browsers, old ones, screen readers, voice assistants, you name it. That means using clean, semantic HTML and not relying on janky hacks or outdated code that’ll break the second Chrome sneezes.

SEO and Accessibility: A Match Made in Digital Heaven

Good accessibility practices often align with SEO best practices:

• Semantic HTML: Helps screen readers and search engines understand your content.
• Alt Text for Images: Describes images for visually impaired users and improves image SEO.
• Descriptive Link Text: Clarifies where links go, enhancing user experience and SEO.
• Proper Heading Structure: Organizes content for easier navigation and indexing.

TL;DR:

• Accessibility = more traffic, better SEO, no lawsuits
• It’s not just for “them”—it’s for everyone
• WCAG is straightforward and easy to understand to create a robust accessibility policy.
• Fixing it isn’t that hard (and we can help)

Give us a shout—We’ll sort it. Starting at $199 we can go through your website and offer a full accessibility report and suggested fixes. It might be a few small tweaks, or it could be a big design change.

Let’s get your small business website up to the accessibility standards today!