Fix your website’s accessibility or build a new one?
May 21st is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and many are thinking about how to make their websites more accessible to people with disabilities. Should you fix the site you already have, or build a new one?
As Co-Founder and Team Lead of Easy Surf, Untapped’s preferred digital accessibility partner, this is one of the most common questions I hear.
The answer, of course, is that it depends. Let’s go through some of the considerations to help you decide.
Fixing accessibility issues is called remediation
We wish there were a better word, but it’s all we’ve got. To remediate means keeping your current website and fixing its accessibility barriers. The look and feel stay mostly the same. What changes is the code behind the scenes. Fixes can include:
- Changing how menus and buttons behave for keyboard and screen reader users
- Improving the colour contrast
- Adding or fixing the heading hierarchy
- Adding a skip link or alt text.
What does a rebuild look like?
Rebuilding means we create a new website, built with accessibility in mind. This often includes a new design, but it doesn’t have to. You’ll be able to change anything you want, from the structure of your content to the behavior of a button. At Easy Surf, we build using WordPress, a user friendly content management system that allows you to easily add and change blocks of content yourself.
Your content matters too
Your blog posts, resources, and PDFs have their own accessibility considerations. A rebuild gives you a strong foundation, but it doesn’t fix the existing content. Whether you remediate or rebuild, existing PDFs, videos, and older posts may still need updating.
When remediation makes sense
Remediation makes sense when you’re happy with your current site. If the design fits your brand, your team can edit content easily, and the site does what you need it to, there may not be a reason to rebuild. You can keep what works and fix what doesn’t.
When rebuilding makes sense
On the other hand, if your current site isn’t meeting your objectives, is frustrating to use or update, a rebuild may be the simplest path. Rebuild can be the better choice if you’d like to refresh your design or add new functionality. If you used a website builder, a tool that allows you to create websites without having to edit any code, some accessibility issues may be unfixable, making a rebuild the more practical path.
How much does each option cost?
For most cases, remediation will be more affordable, but sometimes not by much. Depending on the site’s complexity, a rebuild can cost about the same as a full audit and remediation. If the website’s theme has problems, the plugins have problems, and every fix requires a workaround, costs can add up. At a certain point, starting fresh is the better investment.
Remediation requires an audit, which usually costs $5,000 to $10,000. Our audits provide enough information for your developers to fix issues directly. If you prefer, we can also remediate which typically costs an additional $5,000 to $20,000. Therefore, remediation with an audit typically costs $10,000 to $30,000. Compare this to a typical rebuild, which can cost between $15,000 to $50,000.
How long does each option take?
Timing depends entirely on the complexity. However, with remediation, you can start making improvements as soon as the audit is complete. You can fix the navigation menu this month. You can’t launch an entirely new website this month. The time to implement changes depends on your developers’ capacity and skills. For us, remediation typically takes 2-6 months, while a rebuild takes 4-8 months. Larger or more complex sites may take longer.
What to expect from each path
Remediation starts with an audit. An audit is a thorough review of your website against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). We test every page template using assistive technology and manual checks, then document each issue with its severity, location, prioritization, and a solution. You can fix the issues yourself, or, if you prefer, we can do it for you. We often start with global components like the header, footer, and navigation because those improvements affect every page.
With a rebuild, expect these stages: discovery and strategy, design, development, content migration, testing, and launch. The important thing is that accessibility is part of the build from day one, not something that gets checked at the end.
Which path is right for you?
A few questions can help point you in the right direction. For each one, answer yes or no, then count your yes answers at the end.
- Does your site still represent your organization well?
- Can your team easily edit and update content?
- Are you happy with the platform your site is built on?
- Does your site do everything you need it to?
- Does your site feel consistent from page to page, with similar layouts and design used throughout?
If you said yes to three or more, remediation likely makes sense. Your foundation is solid, and fixing the accessibility barriers on your current site is probably the most practical path forward. If you said yes to two or fewer, a rebuild is worth considering. The issues likely go beyond accessibility, and starting fresh lets you build it from the beginning.
If Global Accessibility Awareness Day has you thinking about your website, reach out, and we can discuss your options.
Learn more
Untapped Accessibility and Easy Surf often partner to help clients go beyond compliance with accessibility legislation to create truly inclusive websites and organizations. Contact us to talk about your accessibility goals.
Noah Senecal-Junkeer (he/him) has led accessibility projects for Canadian Crown corporations, nonprofits, and private businesses, blending his lived experience with a disability with knowledge of accessibility standards. He relies on various assistive technologies due to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
He is Co-Founder and Team Lead of Easy Surf, Untapped’s preferred digital accessibility partner for audits and web design.