What a hard-to-use website costs you

There's no such thing as a neutral website. Before anyone gets in touch, they look you up, and so do Google and AI tools. Yours is either helping them reach you or sending them to the next name on the list. Put in your own numbers and see roughly what that adds up to.

Part 1: The rules

8 things worth knowing before you run your numbers.

  1. There's no such thing as a neutral website.

    Whether you're looking at it or not, it's either bringing people to you or sending them somewhere else.

  2. The people having a hard time won't tell you.

    Most people who have trouble with a website don't write in to complain. They go and find someone else. More on that in why you won't hear about it.

  3. Most disabilities aren't visible.

    Migraine days. Chronic pain. Postpartum brain fog. The ADHD month before a deadline. The UK Parliament's research office estimates 70 to 80% of disabilities are invisible. You can't tell by looking who's having a hard time, on your site or anywhere else.

  4. A bad experience isn't only about disability.

    Pages that load too slowly. A contact form that fights people. Copy that doesn't match what they thought they were getting. Not every limit is permanent, either: a broken wrist, a sleepless week with a newborn, a phone in bright sunlight. And 27% of Canadians aged 15 and older have at least one disability.

    Statistics Canada, Canadian Survey on Disability, 2022

  5. Disability isn't a niche market.

    That 27% is 8 million Canadians. In the US, it's over 70 million adults. And their family and friends value businesses that work for everyone, too.

    Statistics Canada, 2022. US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2022 data)

  6. Referrals look you up before they reach out.

    Someone recommended you by name. Before they reach out, they look you up, on your website, on Google, or sometimes by asking an AI tool. Your website is where they check that the recommendation holds up. If the site gives them a hard time, the referral goes nowhere.

  7. The tools that read your site need the same things people do.

    Screen readers, translation tools, search engines and AI tools all work from the real text and structure in the code. Clear headings, plain language, and words that aren't trapped in images help every one of them get it right.

  8. Almost every website has these problems.

    At least 95.9% of home pages fail basic accessibility testing. That includes most of your competitors, so getting yours right is a real edge.

    WebAIM Million, 2026

All the referrals and advertising in the world won't help you if your website can't handle the traffic you already have.

Steph Walker, Clarity Web Design Studio

Part 2: Run your numbers

It's filled in with an example so you can see how it works. Swap in your own numbers and the results update as you type.

Showing an example. Replace it with your own numbers.
What a typical client pays you, in your own currency.
From Google Analytics, or your best guess.
Your honest estimate. Slow pages, forms that fight people, confusing menus, and barriers for people with disabilities all count.
Why start at 25%?

27% of Canadians have a disability (Statistics Canada, 2022). In a 2023 BCG survey, 25% of employees reported a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity. Not all of them will struggle on your site. But slow pages, clunky forms, an arm in a cast or glare on a phone screen trip up plenty of other people. That's why I start at 25%. It's a starting point, not a measurement, so change it to fit your site.

How many visitors get in touch. 1.5% is 1 or 2 out of every 100. If you're not sure, count anyone who checked your website before reaching out, including referrals.
1 in 5 is 20%.

Want a copy of your results?

We'll email them to you, so they're handy when you're ready.

Opens a confirmation in a new tab, so your numbers stay on this page.

Why you won't hear about it

Most companies report that 4 to 7% of their workforce has a disability. But when Boston Consulting Group surveyed nearly 28,000 employees in 2023, 25% said they have a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity.

The gap is people not telling. They worry about stigma, or what it'll do to their career. Or they don't think of what they're managing as a disability.

The same thing happens on websites, just with leaving instead of disclosing. The people having a hard time aren't going to email you. They're going to close the tab.

This is what I mean when I say a website needs to work for everyone. I'm not making a charity argument. I'm making a business one.

The audience you're losing isn't a stranger. It's somebody you know.

Back to the rules

If a form wouldn't submit or a button wouldn't work, would you take the time to contact the business owner about it?

Pick one. Your answer stays between us.

There's no such thing as a neutral website.

If your numbers surprised you, let's look at what's getting in people's way, for visitors and for the tools that describe you, and what to fix first.

Book a Clarity Call

Rebuilds start at $11,500.

Sources

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