Ran Ronen, Founder and CEO of Equally AI, the solution that helps teams create, test and ship better accessibility from start to finish.
With just a few months until the June 2025 deadline for the European Accessibility Act (EAA), compliance is top of mind for many businesses. While the Act applies to organizations with 10 or more employees and an annual revenue exceeding two million euros, smaller companies must also take action, especially as accessibility becomes more of a baseline expectation from customers.
This presents a unique opportunity for digital agencies to guide businesses through compliance. But accessibility has benefits that go far beyond meeting regulatory obligations. In this article, I’ll provide strategies to help you elevate the conversation beyond risk mitigation, and pitch accessibility as a strategic move for business growth.
Focusing On The Tangible Benefits Of Web Accessibility
Here are other key areas I’d recommend digital agencies focus on when pitching web accessibility to their clients:
Expanded Market Reach
Remind your clients that people with disabilities—including older adults, neurodiverse users and those with temporary or situational impairments—represent a market segment worth about $13 trillion annually, willing to become loyal customers to accessible businesses. This helps you reframe the conversation about accessibility from an “urgent one-time fix” to a “continuous strategic growth opportunity.”
Improved Overall User Experience
Unfortunately, the misconception that accessibility benefits people with disabilities persists. In reality, good accessibility practices improve usability for everyone. Highlight how accessible features lower bounce rates, increase average user engagement and improve conversions. By focusing on ease of use and intuitive navigation, your clients see a direct link between accessibility improvements and happier, more engaged customers.
Enhanced Brand Reputation And Social Responsibility
When pitching accessibility, highlight how it can boost your client’s public image and align with social responsibility. Explain that consumers increasingly support brands that demonstrate inclusivity, while ESG-focused investors resonate with companies that prioritize ethical practices. Position accessibility as a way for your clients to build trust and loyalty with their audience, differentiating themselves in a crowded market.
Innovation And Competitive Edge
Accessibility-first design often drives innovative features, like AI-powered accessibility checkers, which identify and fix compliance issues during development. By automating tasks, these tools save time, provide consistent results and allow teams to focus on complex, high-impact accessibility tasks. Adopting such technologies can position your clients as forward-thinking brands that prioritize inclusivity and efficiency.
Stronger SEO And Conversions
Demonstrate how accessibility best practices improve SEO, e.g., descriptive alt tags for images and logical heading hierarchies. This helps improve search engine rankings and attract more organic traffic. When more visitors land on your client’s sites, simple-to-use layouts and clear calls to action encourage them to become customers.
How To Create A Compelling Accessibility Pitch For Clients
I’ll be honest—most clients care more about meeting legal requirements than anything else. And that’s okay. It’s where many conversations naturally start. But to pitch accessibility effectively, you must meet them where they are. Here’s how I’d recommend going about it:
Start with their biggest concern: legal compliance.
Most clients worry about fines, so address these concerns first. Explain how accessibility-first design ensures they comply with laws like the ADA or the EAA. Offer to audit their site to identify compliance gaps, which helps build trust and establishes your expertise.
Mitigate liability with client agreements.
Give clients a clear choice: adopt accessibility solutions or sign an agreement acknowledging their site’s inaccessibility and accepting responsibility for potential fines. This approach emphasizes the importance of compliance and demonstrates your agency’s proactive stance while protecting your business from future liability.
Transition to the business benefits.
Once you’ve addressed legal concerns, focus on the tangible benefits accessibility can bring. Use simple, client-centric language to show how accessibility can:
• Expand their audience by including older adults and people with disabilities.
• Improve user experience for all visitors, not just those with specific needs.
• Enhance their brand image by aligning with socially responsible practices.
I highly recommend using quantifiable metrics wherever possible, like data on how accessible websites often rank higher in search engines or convert more visitors into customers.
Use stories and visual examples.
I’ve found that clients often struggle to understand accessibility’s impact until they see real-world examples. To make the risks and urgency more relatable, share videos or news clips highlighting the consequences of non-compliance. For instance, you can show stories of business owners discussing how fines or accessibility issues affected their company. These firsthand accounts can help clients connect the dots between inaction and the potential risks to their business.
Develop unique branding and processes.
Position accessibility as a core offering by incorporating it into your agency’s branding and workflows. Create dedicated landing pages, tailored materials and internal processes highlighting accessibility as an essential service. Equip your sales team with the tools and resources to consistently present accessibility as a value-driven, non-negotiable part of modern web design.
Propose accessibility as a long-term investment.
Frame accessibility as an investment in future-proofing their digital platforms. Laws and user expectations are evolving and businesses that address accessibility now will be better positioned for long-term success. You can create a phased accessibility roadmap for your clients and guide them on implementing changes in small steps to spread costs and make the process more manageable.
Conclusion
Winning client buy-in for accessibility is about understanding their goals, communicating value clearly and addressing their concerns with hard facts and empathy. By focusing on their needs and showing how accessibility contributes to their success, you’ll set the foundation for long-term partnerships and establish your agency as a leader in inclusive digital solutions.
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