Why Accessibility Is Your Economic Development Website’s Secret Weapon

The unexpected lesson from meeting digital requirements

When we talk about website accessibility, most economic developers’ eyes start to glaze over. We get it: it sounds like another compliance checkbox in an already overwhelming list of digital requirements. But here’s the thing: the same changes that make your site more accessible also make it perform better in search results, reach more prospects and reduce those frustrating “I can’t find what I’m looking for” calls.

The reality is that accessibility improvements aren’t just about compliance. They’re about creating a better experience for everyone who visits your site.

What Government Standards Teach Us About What Works

Last year, the Department of Justice updated its requirements for state and local government websites to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. While this ruling specifically applies to government entities, it signals something important: these accessibility standards work. Government agencies aren’t adopting them just to check a box. They’re implementing them because they improve communication with the communities they serve.

For economic development organizations, which often serve as the bridge between public and private sectors, there’s real value in understanding what these standards accomplish.

The Business Case

Clearer Communication = Better Engagement

When your website follows accessibility guidelines, you’re forced to be clearer about everything. Headlines that actually describe what’s on the page. Forms that make sense. Navigation that doesn’t confuse visitors. Content that’s easy to scan and understand.

If someone using a screen reader can navigate your site successfully, that means your information architecture is probably solid for everyone.

Search Engines Love Accessible Websites

Here’s where accessibility and SEO become best friends. Things like proper heading structure help both screen readers and search engines understand your content. Alternative text for images gives you more opportunities to include relevant keywords naturally. Clear, descriptive link text helps search engines understand what you’re linking to. And a better page structure makes it easier for AI to extract and summarize your content for zero-click results.

Reduced Friction in Critical Processes

Think about your most important website functions: contact forms for businesses, data sheet downloads for site selectors, incentive applications for companies. When these processes are accessible, they’re also more intuitive for everyone. 

Common Issues We See (And How They Hurt Performance)

Here are a few of the frequent accessibility problems we encounter on economic development websites, and why they hurt overall performance:

The Scanned PDF Problem: Uploading a scanned document might seem efficient, but it’s invisible to screen readers and search engines. Converting to accessible PDFs or HTML pages makes your content discoverable.

Contrast Issues: Low contrast between text and background doesn’t just hurt accessibility. It makes your site harder to read for everyone, especially on mobile devices.

Navigation Confusion: If your main navigation doesn’t make sense to someone using only a keyboard, it’s confusing for regular visitors, too.

Moving Forward

As the digital landscape continues to evolve, accessibility isn’t becoming less important. It’s becoming table stakes. The organizations that get ahead of this curve will have websites that work better for everyone.

We’re always learning about new ways to make economic development websites more effective, and accessibility improvements consistently deliver results that go well beyond compliance. If you’re thinking about a website refresh or have questions about where your current site stands, we’d love to help you explore what’s possible.

Ready to build a website that works better for everyone? Contact Shanleigh McStay, Director of Digital Strategy, at Shanleigh.McStay@aboutdci.com to talk about what a redesign focused on accessibility and performance could do for your organization.