Imagine walking up to a beautiful new café in South Bank, only to realise there’s no ramp for your pram or wheelchair. Frustrating, right? In the digital world, thousands of Brisbane businesses are accidentally doing the exact same thing to their customers every single day.
Web accessibility—often referred to by the technical standard WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)—isn't just a boring checklist for IT departments. It is about making sure that every person, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, can browse, shop, and interact with your business online.
Whether someone is using a screen reader due to vision impairment, navigating via keyboard because of a motor disability, or even just trying to read your site in the bright Queensland sun, accessibility matters. Here is how to get started without feeling overwhelmed.
Why Accessibility is a Business Superpower
Many Australian business owners view accessibility as a legal hurdle. While it’s true that the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 applies to digital services, there is a much more exciting reason to care: market reach.
Roughly 1 in 5 Australians live with a disability. If your website isn't compliant, you are effectively turning away 20% of your potential market. Furthermore, Google loves accessible websites. The same features that help a screen reader understand your site—like clear headings and image descriptions—also help search engine bots index your content more effectively.
When you optimise your service pages for accessibility, you aren't just doing the right thing; you are improving the experience for everyone, leading to higher conversion rates and lower bounce rates.
The Four Pillars of WCAG (The POUR Principle)
To make things simple, the WCAG standards are built on four basic principles. If you keep these in mind, you’re already ahead of the curve:
1. Perceivable: Users must be able to see or hear the information. This means providing text alternatives for images and ensuring enough colour contrast. 2. Operable: People must be able to use the site. This includes making sure your site navigation works with a keyboard alone (no mouse required). 3. Understandable: The content and UI must be clear. Avoid complex jargon and ensure your forms give helpful error messages if something goes wrong. 4. Robust: Your site needs to work across different browsers and assistive technologies (like screen readers) as they evolve.
Three Quick Wins You Can Implement Today
You don’t need to be a coding genius to start improving your site's accessibility. Here are three practical steps for the average Brisbane SME owner:
1. Fix Your Colour Contrast
Have you ever tried to read light grey text on a white background while standing outside in the Queen Street Mall? It’s nearly impossible. WCAG requires a specific contrast ratio (4.5:1 for standard text) to ensure readability. There are plenty of free online "Contrast Checkers" where you can plug in your brand colours to see if they pass the test.2. Use Meaningful 'Alt Text'
Images add life to your site, but screen readers can't "see" them. They read the 'Alt Text' (alternative text) instead. Instead of naming a photo "IMG_001.jpg", use a descriptive phrase like "Friendly plumber fixing a kitchen sink in a Brisbane home." This helps both your vision-impaired users and your SEO.3. Label Your Buttons Clearly
"Click Here" is the enemy of accessibility. If a user is tabbing through your site with a screen reader, a list of buttons that all say "Click Here" provides zero context. Use descriptive labels like "Download Our Pricing Guide" or "Book a Free Consultation."The Risk of Staying in the Dark
In 2026, web accessibility is no longer optional. Beyond the lost revenue, there is the growing risk of digital litigation. Many owners mistakenly believe they are too small to be noticed, but small sites are targets for automated scans that look for non-compliant platforms. Being proactive now protects your brand reputation and your bottom line.
Accessibility is a Journey, Not a Destination
You don't have to achieve "Level AAA" compliance overnight. Start with the basics: clear fonts, high contrast, and logical navigation. As you update your content, keep accessibility at the forefront of your mind.
By building a more inclusive digital presence, you’re telling the Brisbane community that you value every single customer. It’s good for people, and it’s great for business.
Ready to make your website work harder for everyone? At Local Marketing Group, we build high-performing, accessible websites that help Brisbane businesses grow. Contact us today to see how we can help you reach more customers.