Accessibility ROI Calculator - Calculate Your Return on Investment

The Business Case for Website Accessibility

Many businesses view accessibility as a compliance checkbox - something you do to avoid fines. But the data tells a different story: accessibility is one of the highest-ROI improvements you can make to your website.

How Much Revenue Are You Losing?

15% of your website visitors likely have some form of disability or temporary impairment that makes inaccessible websites difficult or impossible to use:

• 2% are blind and rely on screen readers (blocked by missing alt text, poor structure)
• 8% of men have color blindness (blocked by poor contrast, color-only information)
• 10-15% have motor disabilities (blocked by mouse-only navigation)
• 5-10% have cognitive disabilities (blocked by confusing navigation, unclear errors)
• Situational impairments - bright sunlight, broken arm, holding a baby, etc.

If your website gets 10,000 monthly visitors, 1,500 of them can't fully use it. If your conversion rate is 2% and average customer value is €50, that's €18,000 in lost annual revenue from accessibility barriers alone.

The Hidden Benefits: SEO Impact

Accessibility improvements directly impact SEO. Google's algorithm favors accessible websites because:

• Better mobile usability - Accessible sites work better on all devices
• Lower bounce rates - More users can navigate and use the site
• Improved engagement metrics - Time on site, pages per session increase
• Semantic HTML structure - Easier for search engines to understand content
• Faster load times - Clean, accessible code is often more performant

Studies show that accessibility improvements typically result in a 10-20% increase in organic traffic within 6-12 months. This compounds with the direct accessibility benefits.

What Does Accessibility Cost?

The investment depends on your starting point and desired compliance level:

ROI Calculation Examples

Small E-Commerce Site

• Monthly visitors: 10,000
• Conversion rate: 2%
• Average order: €50
• Lost annual revenue: €18,000
• Potential recovery (75%): €13,500/year
• SEO benefit (15% traffic): +€4,500/year
• Total first-year benefit: €18,000
• Investment (Gold): €3,600
• ROI: 400%
• Payback period: 73 days

SaaS Business

• Monthly visitors: 25,000
• Conversion rate: 3%
• Customer lifetime value: €120
• Lost annual revenue: €81,000
• Potential recovery (75%): €60,750/year
• SEO benefit (15% traffic): +€16,200/year
• Total first-year benefit: €76,950
• Investment (Gold): €3,600
• ROI: 2,037%
• Payback period: 17 days

What the Calculator Doesn't Include

Our ROI calculator is conservative. It doesn't factor in:

• Avoided fines: €5,000-€100,000+ for EU Accessibility Act violations
• Avoided lawsuits: Legal defense costs €25,000-€75,000+
• Brand reputation value: Being known as inclusive vs. discriminatory
• Employee productivity: Accessible internal tools improve efficiency
• Market expansion: Aging population (growing accessibility needs)
• Public sector contracts: Often require accessibility certification
• Corporate social responsibility: ESG scoring and stakeholder value

How to Maximize Accessibility ROI

1. Start with Professional Audit

Don't guess at accessibility issues. A professional WCAG audit (€500-€800) identifies all violations and prioritizes fixes by impact. This ensures you invest in high-ROI improvements first.

2. Fix High-Impact Issues First

Focus on barriers that block the most users:

• Keyboard navigation (affects 8-12% of users)
• Color contrast (affects 30%+ in some conditions)
• Form labels (complete blockers for screen reader users)
• Alt text for images (blocks blind users from understanding content)

3. Implement Accessibility Widget

A user-facing accessibility widget (included in Gold package) lets users customize:

• Font size (helps elderly users, people with low vision)
• Contrast modes (helps in bright environments, color blindness)
• Spacing adjustments (helps users with dyslexia, cognitive disabilities)
• Animation controls (helps users with vestibular disorders)

Try it yourself: Click the amber accessibility button in the bottom-right corner of this page to see our Gold package widget in action.

4. Track and Measure Impact

After implementing accessibility improvements, monitor:

• Conversion rate changes (should increase 5-15%)
• Bounce rate reduction (especially on key pages)
• Organic traffic growth (10-20% within 6-12 months)
• Customer feedback and satisfaction scores
• Assistive technology usage in analytics

Case Study: Austrian Tourism Website

Frequently Asked Questions

Is accessibility really profitable or just compliance?

Both. While compliance is legally required for many businesses (EU Accessibility Act deadline passed June 2025), the financial benefits far exceed compliance costs. 15% of your audience has accessibility needs - that's a significant market share you're currently excluding.

How accurate is this ROI calculator?

The calculator uses conservative industry averages: 15% of users have accessibility needs, 75% capture rate post-improvement, 10-20% SEO lift. Your actual results may vary based on industry, current accessibility level, and implementation quality. Most businesses see ROI within 30-90 days.

Can I achieve accessibility improvements for less than €3,600?

Yes. Our Bronze package (€1,200) covers essential compliance and critical fixes. Silver (€2,400) includes enhanced accessibility. Gold (€3,600) provides premium features including user-facing widget. The calculator uses Gold package cost as it provides maximum ROI, but all packages deliver positive returns.

How long does it take to see ROI?

Revenue improvements from accessibility are immediate - as soon as fixes are deployed, previously blocked users can complete purchases. SEO benefits take 3-6 months to fully materialize. Most businesses achieve full payback within 30-90 days.

What if I have low traffic - is accessibility still worth it?

Even with 1,000 monthly visitors, you're excluding 150 potential customers. More importantly, accessibility prevents lawsuits (€25,000-€75,000 in legal costs) and EU Act fines (€5,000-€100,000+). For businesses in covered sectors, accessibility is legally required regardless of traffic volume.