Enhancing Ecommerce Accessibility Led to Significant Organic Traffic Growth: A Case Study
In the fast-paced world of ecommerce, brands continually seek innovative strategies to improve visibility, user engagement, and sales. Recently, our team at a mid-sized fashion brand—generating approximately $8 million annually—embarked on an initiative to improve the accessibility of our website. Contrary to our initial assumptions, this effort yielded extraordinary results, notably a 47% increase in organic traffic within just three months.
The Motivation Behind Prioritizing Accessibility
Our primary motivation for enhancing site accessibility was rooted in legal compliance. Like many online retailers, we perceived accessibility as a regulatory checkbox—something necessary to avoid legal repercussions—but not as a strategic lever for growth. We believed that addressing accessibility issues would be a necessary compliance task and that we could then shift focus to other marketing initiatives.
The Implementation Process
In March, we undertook a comprehensive overhaul of our ecommerce platform to make it more screen-reader friendly. This involved:
- Ensuring proper semantic HTML structure
- Improving keyboard navigation
- Adding descriptive alt texts for images
- Enhancing color contrast and visual cues
- Testing with assistive technologies
The process was thorough but manageable, and we expected it to be a standard compliance upgrade.
Unexpected Outcomes and Insights
Fast forward three months, and the impact on our SEO and overall marketing performance was startling:
- Organic Traffic Surge: Our organic sessions increased by 47%, a figure that surpassed all our expectations.
- Search Engine Rankings: We moved from page two to the top five positions on several high-value keywords we had been targeting for months.
- Site Engagement Metrics: Bounce rate decreased by 31%, indicating visitors found the site more engaging and accessible. Additionally, time spent on the site increased by approximately two minutes.
- Conversion Rate: Our conversion rate rose by 4.2%, translating directly into increased sales and revenue.
- Paid Media Impact: As organic traffic ramped up, our dependency on paid Google Ads diminished. We reduced advertising spend, yet our overall revenue remained stable, demonstrating the sufficiency of improved organic performance.
What This Reveals About SEO and Accessibility
Initially, we viewed accessibility purely as a legal obligation. However, the tangible benefits experienced suggest a deeper connection between accessibility and search engine optimization:
- Google’s Emphasis on Quality Signals: Search engines tend to favor sites that adhere to accessibility standards because they often signal a commitment to high-quality,
