Gone are the days of being able to do business without some kind of online presence, and it is more important than ever that insurance agents do all they can to make their digital footprint as effective and impactful as possible. According to data from Statista, 54% of those aged 18 to 29, 65% of those aged 30 to 49 and 47% of those aged 50 to 64 report purchasing insurance online in 2023. An increase in rates across many lines of business has also driven customers to comparison shop for policies, which many prefer to do online, rather than speaking directly with an agent or representative. One of the biggest considerations when developing a website that will best serve your customers is accessibility. While not law like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were created by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium as an international standard for web accessibility. The WCAG focuses on four main principals, which can be applied to any digital product or service:
- Perceivable: Both information and the user interface itself must be presented to customers in ways they can perceive in different ways. This could involve giving visitors the option to adjust color contrast or access captions for audio and video.
- Operable: The website's navigation must be functional for users in ways they can operate. This includes things like allowing commands to be performed via a keyboard or voice command, rather than just using a mouse.
- Understandable: Customers must be able to actually understand the interface and information presented. Instructions should be clear, and navigation should be easy to understand.
- Robust: The website's content should be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by a variety of users and assistive technologies.
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Brittney Meredith-Miller
Brittney Meredith-Miller is assistant editor of PropertyCasualty360.com. She can be reached at [email protected].
