newlegislation.co.uk - compliance in a complicated world
Photo man looking thoughful with hands clasped under chin
"My compliant web site is now accessible to an estimated 1 million more users in the U.K."

Is your web site legal?

Web accessibility is about making your web site accessible to all Internet users (both disabled and non-disabled), regardless of what browsing technology they're using. Your web site may be illegal if it is not.

Accessibility

To make your web site legally compliant, it must be coded in a certain way to make it compatible with various computer aids, and it must have alternative browsing techniques for people who are disabled, eg blind, deaf, visually impaired, or physically disabled. There are substantial benefits to accessibility:

  • Your website will appear higher in the search engines -the more confident a search engine is of what your website is about, the higher it'll place your website in the search rankings.
  • Your website will be easier to manage and update using style sheet sets
  • Your website will be compatible with new technology as it evolves such as PDA’s and mobile phones
  • Your website's download time will significantly improve
  • You won’t have to incur legal costs if taken to court
  • The usability of your website will be enhanced – this has been known to increase traffic by up to 100%

Read our Usability and Accessibility Guide for more information.

Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50)