What does Web Accessibility Means?
5.5 Billion people use internet daily. That is almost 70% of world population. This stat is increasing day by day.
What does that mean?
That means that EVERYONE is on internet. And if you are into ANY sort of business, and have an online presence (on social media or Google) there are people who are your prospects, who want to hear from you, and you need to convey your message to them.
But there is a problem.
Among 5.5 Billion people there are some 2 billion people who can’t use internet due to some kind of disability.
Either they are unable to see, or hear or simply they can’t access any web due to internet rules.
Web accessibility means that there are no barriers, or hurdle, or difficulties to use or access World Wide Web for the people with physical disabilities.
Simply, it means that EVERYONE in the world can access Web whenever, wherever or however they want.
You might be thinking that Web accessibility is in the hands of internet “authorities”.
NO. You can play your part, too.
Hi, this is Darren, and my co-author is Sam! In this blog post, we will review accessibility data and statistics, and then we will see how you can improve your website for better Web accessibility.
So, without any further delay, let’s dive into it.
Why is Web Access Important?
It is important because of two reasons;
1. If you are not reaching to people with physical disabilities, your business is literally not accessible for millions of people. You are leaving loads of money on the table. And it is not just about business, it’s about your message, too. Millions of people who can support your message online, are unable to access it.
2. If your Web is not accessible for everyone, there are millions of people who are being left behind. Your product, content or just a message can change someone’s life or at least make millions of life better. Today, when tech is ruling, it’s everyone’s basic right to have access over information online.
So, if your Web is not optimized for everyone, you’re opposing basic human rights. That is why, at 10 March 2023, Volker Turk (UN human right commissioner) help a conference on the theme of the Rights of the Childs and Digital Environment. He suggested that UN should make it a right for everyone to have access over Web.
Now, we have all the tools and know the rules to optimize a website for everyone. It is easier than ever before.
If you’re a website builder, developer, or designer, kindly take notes of the statistics given below. And next time, when working on a website, keep these points in mind so that you can build a better website.
Below are some of the most important statistics which will help you understand why Web accessibility is important.
General Statistics on the Use and Access of the Internet
1: According to DataReportal, From 2013 to 2023, internet usage increased by 5.16 billion (68.4%).
In 2013, 2.53 billion people were using the internet worldwide. In just 5 years gap (2017), internet had 3.42 billion users, which is a 29% increase in usage.
This was the time period when most of the social media was not so popular. After 2017, the ratio increased exponentially and in next 3 year (2020) the total users were 4.5 billion.
When COVID hit the world and people were locked down, internet was the only thing they could spend time with. Online business started thriving. The next 2 years were magical for internet.
Just think about this stat for a second; the total world population is 8.5 billion and in early 2023, 5.5 billion people were using internet.
Amazing! Isn’t it?
2: In October 2023, web usage increased to 3.6% compared to January 2023.
2023 was the most successful year for internet. In January 2023, 5,109 billion users were using the web, but in next 9 months there was a 3.6% growth and approximately 180 million new users joined internet world.
In October 2023, almost 5,297 billion users were accessing the web.
3: In December 2023, around 56.1% of web views are via mobile.
Mobile phones are most handy devices to access internet. 56.1% of internet users were accessing websites through their mobile phone as of December 2023 stats.
The average year-over-year mobile web traffic growth rate from 2013 to 2018 was 32%, whereas it was only 1% from 2018 to 2023.
It means that more than half of the internet web-traffic comes from mobile devices.
4: Google Chrome is used by 65.74% of internet users for web research.
Google Chrome is ruling the browsing world; it’s the number 1 browser worldwide. According to Statista, 65.74% internet users use Google Chrome for surfing internet.
People also use other browsers like Apple Safari (19.62%), Microsoft Edge (4.87%), and Mozilla Firefox (2.92%).
So if you have a website on Google, this stat make web accessibility even more important.
5: Around 92.1% of users access the web via Mobile phone.
4.5 billion users access internet through mobile phone.
We are talking about social media users (including WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat users).
92.1% of internet users use their mobile phones to use internet for everyday activities. It’s fascinating to see how the trend of web access is changing over the years.
This shows how important it is to make websites and you social sites mobile-friendly and accessible.
Web accessibility will help you retain many potential customers or visitors if you are considering mobile friendliness. Make your website and social sites responsive and accessible for all devices, including mobile phones, tablets, and desktops.
World Statistics on the Use and Access of the Internet
6: Approximately 64.4% of the Global population access the internet.
Approximately, 5.4 billion users worldwide are using internet for their professional and personal uses. It’s more than 64% of the total population of the world.
Think about this stat for a minute and consider the impacts if your sites are not accessible for everyone. You are leaving a lot of opportunities and money on the table.
7: In the past 12 months, the number of internet users increased by 189 million!
That’s really an huge statistic. The fact is that with each turning day, internet users are increasing.
According to a recent report by Datareportal, the total number of internet users worldwide grew by 189 million during the past 12 months. It proves that the internet is becoming more vital in our daily lives, and accessibility is necessary for everyone.
8: 2.6 Billion users don't have access to the web!
This is really an alarming statistic. According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), 2.6 billion people worldwide were not connected to the internet in 2023.
Although, this decreased from the previous year, with 2.7 billion people not connected in 2022. It’s still significant, representing 33% of the global population. It’s crucial to continue efforts to improve web accessibility and make the internet available to everyone, regardless of their location or circumstances.
Web accessibility is the basic right of every one.
9: China holds first place in Internet usage with 1.05 billion Web users!
With a whopping 1.05 billion web users, China is leading the way in the digital age. This statistic proves China’s commitment to technological advancement and innovation.
With so many people online in China, it’s clear that the internet is an integral part of daily life for millions of people. And that is why China is rapidly growing its economic condition.
10: 68.6% of Men and 63% of Women globally were using the web.
The internet is a powerful tool that has transformed the way we live our lives. 68.6% of men and 63% of women globally are using the internet.
It is clear that the internet is no longer a luxury but a necessity. Whether it’s for work, entertainment, or education, the internet has become an indispensable part of our daily routine.
Key web accessibility statistics
11: 50% of the users in United states uses Voice search daily
Voice search trend is increasing since 3 years. Voice search is fast and easy.
Did you know that half of all users in the United States rely on voice search every day? You can stay ahead of the curve and streamline your daily tasks using voice search.
12: Around 82% of internet users use the web to solve their own problems!
It seems that most people turn to the internet to find solutions to their problems.
Whether you need answers, or want to learn something new, you can do it yourself. Internet has all the information you need.
Everyone has so much access to information and resources online to cope with various challenges.
13: Half of all search queries consist of four or more words.
People are usually in rush. Statistics reveals that most of the searches contains 4-5 word phrases.
But if you are specific and use clear queries, you will find exactly what you’re looking for.
14: Still, 84% of companies need to optimize their on-site search!
Did you know that 84% of companies needs to optimize their sites for on-site search?
In other words, their websites are not optimize for on-page SEO. Most of them ignore search intent, and that’s why all these sites miss out on the opportunity to improve their website’s search functionality and provide a better user experience for their customers.
15: 0.8% of the increase in empty links on Hompage in 2023
According to the WebAIM data, in 2022, almost half (49.7%) of empty links were discovered on the homepage.
However, in the following year, 2023, the percentage increased slightly to 50.1%, which marks a 0.8% increase compared to the previous year.
Empty and broken links leaves a very bad impression on the visitor.
Make your Website accessible to everyone!
These stats are enough evidences that optimizing your website for visitors is important.
Nowadays, almost everyone has access to the Internet, even in remote areas.
The question is, is your Website or app accessible to all those users? It’s crucial to ensure that your Website can provide answers to your target audience’s queries, regardless of their disabilities.
I believe the key to achieving this is following the right protocol while building your Website. If you’re looking for ways to make your Website more accessible in the coming years, here are ten steps that you could consider.
10 hacks to make your Website accessible in 2024
- Follow the WCAG3 Accessibility Guidelines – WCAG 3 is a comprehensive set of web accessibility guidelines organized into four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each principle has guidelines, outcomes, methods, and tests for web accessibility. It’s an excellent resource for improving website accessibility.
- Use ARIA 1.3 to enhance the semantics and interactivity of your web content – ARIA is an acronym which stands for Accessible Rich Internet Application. It defines attributes and roles to improve web element accessibility not natively supported by HTML. ARIA 1.3 introduces new features, like Braille support, to aid disabled users.
- Use Spoken Pronunciation standards for web content to ensure screen readers. Also make sure that voice assistants pronounce words correctly.
- Cognitive accessibility is crucial for web accessibility – It helps address the needs of people with cognitive and learning disabilities. Follow the Cognitive Accessibility guidance by using clear, simple language, organizing information logically, and using visual aids such as images and videos. Designers and developers must consider these guidelines to ensure inclusive and accessible websites.
- If you want to make your web content more accessible on mobile devices, it’s essential to follow the Mobile Accessibility guidance.
- Provide alternative text for images and media and captions or transcripts for audio and video content, which can make your websites more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities. This is not just a legal requirement, but a moral obligation to ensure equal access to information and services on the web.
- Maintain high color contrast and readable fonts, which means using a color scheme that provides sufficient contrast between the text and the background. Additionally, choosing fonts that are easy to read and not too small is essential.
- Enable Text and Visual Customization – It lets users change the text size without affecting the site’s performance and provides choices to modify the site’s appearance for easier reading.
- Support Keyboard and Screen Reader Access – Allow users to access all interactive elements with the keyboard and organize content so that screen readers can understand.
- Conduct Periodic Accessibility Checks – Combine automated and manual methods to find and fix accessibility problems on your site.
Wrap Up
Ever since the Internet is blooming, accessibility has been the key to the Website’s success. Whether you’re a blogger, business owner, or anyone who has something to do over internet else, the first priority should be making your Website accessible to everyone.
By doing this, you can easily gain organic traffic to your Website or app. As you read that 84% of the websites still need optimization, so if you take immediate action, you can easily win.
The tips mentioned above can help you increase traffic to your Website. These statistics serve as a personal guide for all users to improve their Website’s accessibility.
If you’re a number lovers like me and have more interest in stats, don’t forget to check out our other statistics blog.
I have added the recent statistical blog’s here,
- AI Writers Statistics Blog
- AI Statistics Blog
- SEO Statistics Blog
- Hashtags Statistics Blog
- ChatGPT Statistics Blog
- 12 Keyboard Usage Statistics
- 25 YouTube Statistics in 2024
- YouTube Live Statistics blog
- YouTube shorts Statistics Blog
- Instagram VS YouTube usage Statistics Blog
If you are a digital marketer, there is a lot of other valuable data for you on our Blog page.
