Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing, Author at 9dot Digital

Modern Website Design Elements (And Why They Matter)

Posted on May 6, 2025May 6, 2025 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

Your website is one of the first impressions your brand makes. With shorter attention spans and ever-expanding expectations, that first impression needs to be memorable for the right reasons.

But modern web design isn’t just about looking sleek. It’s about fast, intuitive experiences deeply aligned with your business goals. Whether you’re planning a complete redesign or simply want to stand out from your competition, understanding what makes a modern website is critical to driving business results.

Here’s what’s defining the next generation of websites — and why it matters more than ever.

User-centred Website Design: The New Standard

Modern websites are built for the user first, not just to tick boxes or follow trends. A thoughtful, user-centred design makes it easy for visitors to navigate, find what they need, and take action, without frustrating user journeys or confusing elements. What does that mean for design?

Intuitive navigation menus
Mobile-first layouts that adapt to every screen
Clean typography
Smart information architecture.
Accessibility for all users (especially for Canadian businesses that need to adhere to AODA standards)

If visitors can’t get what they want in a few clicks (or taps), they’ll move on to the next business and leave yours behind.

Design with Purpose

Similar to content and marketing materials, websites with clear, purposeful designs that eliminate clutter are the ones that users find most enjoyable. A minimalist approach, incorporating sleek design elements, ample white space, and focused layouts, effectively highlights key messages and calls to action, creating a pleasant user experience.

Users don’t want to feel overstimulated by competing visuals, a wild array of colours, or layouts with unrelatable stock photography. Give users an authentic look at your brand and business, and create an information hierarchy that naturally guides them through your website pages.

By adopting a cleaner website design, you not only enhance the user experience but also improve the overall performance. A clutter-free design typically results in better loading times and a higher chance for Search Engine Optimization (SEO), promising a significant boost to your website’s performance.

Website Design for The Human Touch

Subtle motion and microinteractions have become essential tools for crafting polished and engaging digital experiences. But what does it mean?

For website designs, this means buttons that animate on hover state, scroll-triggered effects that change the appearance of a section, or a simple video loop showcasing product features.

When these touch-activated features are seamlessly incorporated, your website becomes more dynamic and guides users through your site. Again, designing purposefully is key – don’t just add motion and animations for the sake of it. Use them thoughtfully and make them a seamless part of the overall user experience.

Creating Mobile-First Website Designs

The user experience on your website can differ significantly between mobile devices and desktop devices. More than half of global web traffic comes from mobile devices, and search engines like Google have algorithms that favour mobile, so it’s essential to develop a mobile-friendly website design.

Some of the key elements when it comes to mobile-first designs are:

Responsive design layouts for varied screen sizes
Compressed and optimized images for quick loading times
Lazy-loading elements (those that load as they are needed ) for faster page speeds
Core Web Vitals performance optimization
With the elements in place, you’re creating an enjoyable user experience for mobile users while also signalling to search engines that your website is well-built.

Adding Personalized and Dynamic Content

Static websites are quickly fading out. Today’s most effective sites adjust and respond based on who’s visiting. That could mean showcasing different messaging depending on a user’s location, tailoring a call-to-action based on where they came from, or displaying product recommendations based on past behaviour.

These small yet powerful dynamic touches make your site feel more relevant, more helpful, and ultimately, more persuasive.

With smart integrations, personalization doesn’t need to be complex—it just needs to feel thoughtful. When it’s done right, you’ll notice the difference in engagement and conversions.

Website Design Meets Strategy

Personalization also goes hand in hand with a smart website strategy. Modern websites aren’t built just to look good. They’re built to support business goals. That means data, intention, and performance-focused thinking should back every website design choice.

Typically, high-performing websites have:

SEO best practices added to the content and code
Clear lead capture funnels and conversion-focused CTAs
CRM and marketing automation integrations
Analytics dashboards that translate visitor behaviour into action

At the intersection of design and strategy, your website becomes more than a digital presence—it becomes a growth engine. But that growth can’t happen without your audience’s trust.

Building Trust Through Website Design

Trust is one of the most valuable assets your website can build—and every element plays a role in earning it. From the first impression to the final click, modern websites communicate professionalism, credibility, and transparency. Authentic testimonials, case studies, and real-world results show visitors that your brand delivers. Certifications, awards, and media features help establish authority, while clear privacy and accessibility statements reflect your commitment to doing things right.

Add in fast load times and secure browsing, and you’re giving users every reason to feel safe and confident engaging with your site.

When people trust your brand, they’re not just more likely to convert—they’re more likely to return.

Your Website Is Your Digital Home Base

Your website plays a central role in how people experience your brand. It’s often the first place potential customers go to learn about who you are, what you offer, and whether they can trust you.

A modern website needs to do more than just look up-to-date. It should be functional, easy to use, accessible, and aligned with your business goals. It should help visitors find what they need, understand what makes your company different, and feel confident taking the next step.

If your site hasn’t been updated in a while, it may not reflect the standards your users expect—or the ambitions your business has today.

At 9dot Digital, we help businesses redesign and refine their websites with strategy, thoughtful design, and the right technology. Whether you’re building from scratch or improving what’s already there, we can help you create a site that supports growth and delivers value to your audience.

How to Make Memorable Marketing Content in the Age of GenAI

Posted on April 28, 2025April 26, 2025 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

We’re living in the golden age of content, and the chaos of it too.

With Generative AI (GenAI) tools like ChatGPT, Midjourney, Jasper, and others now widely accessible, the internet is exploding with blog posts, social content, product descriptions, and entire websites created at the click of a button.

The upside? Anyone can create anything faster than ever.
The downside? Almost everything is starting to sound the same and look the same.

In a world where everyone is publishing, reposting, and repurposing at scale, brands face a new creative challenge: How do you make marketing content that actually cuts through the noise and resonates with your audience?

The answer isn’t to race AI—it’s to outthink it and improve on what it can do. Here’s how to do just that:

1. Tell Stories Only You Can Tell

AI can write about you, but it can’t be you.

That’s your edge. Real brand stories, customer experiences, founder journeys, and behind-the-scenes looks into how your product works—these tell your company’s story and are uniquely yours. They bring personality, humanity, and emotional stickiness that no AI can replicate. Approach it by:

Sharing a customer success story
Walking through a “day in the life” of your team, product, or process
Documenting a learning moment or project, and what it taught you

The more specific and personal your content is, the more it resonates. Keep in mind, it’s not about being perfect—it’s about being real and connecting with your audience.

2. Make Your POV Impossible to Ignore

AI-generated content tends to be safer, and don’t include as much original thought. There lies an opportunity to share a unique perspective and use it as your creative edge. When sharing a blog, a social media post, or a case study about your company, consider sharing:

What you believe that your competitors don’t?
What do you care about that others may skip over?
What your brand stands for and what values you want to represent

For example: Anyone can write “5 Tips for Better Social Media Engagement.” Only your brand can write: “Why (your company name) Stopped Posting on Instagram (And What Happened Next).” Original thinking builds brand trust—and makes people want to lean in.

3. Attract by Digging Deeper, Not Wider

AI can skim the surface of any topic, so if you’re aiming to be a generalist in your field, it’s great. But if you want to be viewed as a leader in your field, the aim is to go deeper with the content you share.

In-depth, well-researched, long-form content that adds actual value is more likely to be trusted, bookmarked, and shared by your target audience. Especially in B2B and technical industries, surface-level fluff won’t cut it—audiences are craving substance.

You can still leverage AI to help you speed up outlines an general research. But when it’s time to write your brand’s story, bring in the nuances, the credible sources, and the receipts.

4. Focus on Human Connection

Even the most technically perfect AI copy falls flat if it doesn’t make people feel something.

Emotion still wins. Always.

Humour, empathy, surprise, nostalgia—these are the building blocks of unforgettable content that’s infused with your voice, tone, and brand personality. The most powerful content circulating today doesn’t just inform audiences—it connects and leaves an impact.

Want to test if your writing is human enough? Read it out loud. If it sounds too robotic or generic, you risk losing the connection.

5. Create Useful Content

People are busy. Your content should earn its place in their feeds, inboxes, and browsers. Educational, problem-solving, utility-rich content is what gets saved, shared, and sent to the team Slack channel, and can be reworked into your brand’s marketing content.

Ask yourself: Will someone genuinely thank me for this? Would I share this if I didn’t work here?

If the answer is yes, then you’re creating the kind of content that builds trust and authority over time. AI can be useful when it comes to researching and finding the popular topics people are interested in, but it’s up to you to find a unique angle that makes your content memorable for your audience.

6. Embrace AI as Your Co-Creator, Not Your Main Brand Voice

AI is an incredible creative assistant. It can help you ideate faster, shape outlines, and repurpose content across formats. But your brand’s voice, values, and big ideas? Those still need to come from you. Treat AI as a trusty side-kick to move projects ahead, but one that requires your guidance, leadership, and expertise. You are still the expert in your field and you understand your audience more than AI can.

A few useful ways to use it in your process is for:

Generating content ideas or variations
Drafting base-level outlines for articles, whitepapers, or landing pages\
Repurposing blogs into social posts, newsletters, or slides
Experimenting with visual ideas

7. Stay Curious, Stay Evolving

The content world is changing fast, and the brands that thrive are the ones that adapt.

With new tools, new formats, and new audience behaviours, there’s always something shifting. Instead of resisting the change, like the one we’ve seen with GenAI, embrace it with curiosity. Be willing to spend time learning the tools, experimenting with them, and testing them in your daily processes to create stronger content. Focus on earning trust, keeping momentum, and consistently showing up with your content.

What To Keep In Mind

Using AI in a mindful way will keep you successful in creating content in the age of GenAI.While the internet might be louder than ever, your voice can rise above the noise and reach your intended audience. Because while AI can generate content, only you can create a meaningful connection.

Looking to sharpen your content strategy in the era of AI? Connect with us! Let’s talk about how to build content that not only gets clicks but also earns trust and provides value.

How Canadian Identity Fuels Brand Trust and Marketing Strategies

Posted on April 14, 2025April 14, 2025 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

There’s something powerful about the words Made in Canada. It goes beyond a label. It signals quality, authenticity, and a shared sense of values. As global brands battle for attention in crowded markets, Canadian consumers are quietly (but confidently) choosing to support businesses closer to home. Why? Because they trust them. Trust is everything—and for brands with a Canadian identity, that trust is already baked in. If your brand isn’t actively leaning into that local edge, now’s the time to start.

Trust Starts at Home

Canadian consumers are making it clear: trust is the most important factor when deciding which products to purchase. As recent surveys show, Canadian shoppers increasingly gravitate toward products that align with their values—and proximity plays a major role. A 2025 Interac survey indicates that 71% of Canadians polled actively look for products that are clearly Canadian-made, even when they might be more expensive. Meanwhile, 4 out of 5 Canadians polled are likely to choose Canadian-made products over imported goods, according to Lexpert.

But this isn’t just a matter of economics—it’s about relationships. Canadian brands with local roots benefit from the trust of a population that values authenticity and community connection.

Buying local means:

Supporting Canadian jobs and communities—instilling pride and fostering trust in your brand.
Reducing environmental impact through shorter, more transparent supply chains.
Getting better service and customer support trusting that local businesses understand the unique needs of Canadian consumers.
Aligning with local values and culture backing businesses that share their cultural context and understand their needs.

The Rise of “Local Loyalty” in Canada

Trust is the foundation of loyalty, and loyalty fuels repeat purchases, word-of-mouth referrals, and long-term brand advocacy. A strong Canadian identity gives your brand a powerful shortcut to all three. Here are a few ways Canadian brands are winning with digital-first strategies:

SEO & Localized Content: Optimizing for keywords like “Made in Canada” and regional terms not only boosts your search rankings but also drives organic traffic from consumers who prioritize local businesses.
Transparency & Storytelling: Consumers today want to know where their products are made, how they’re made, and who’s behind the brand. Use your website, social media, and videos to share your story authentically and build trust.
Community Engagement: Local investment goes beyond product offerings—it’s about investing in the community. Whether through partnerships, virtual events, or cause-based marketing, fostering an emotional connection strengthens brand loyalty.
Values-Driven Branding: Whether it’s sustainability, ethical sourcing, or Indigenous ownership, Canadian consumers expect their brands to reflect their personal values. Highlight these values in your campaigns, and you’ll deepen the trust with your audience.

How to Leverage Your Canadian Identity in Your Digital Strategy

Whether your brand has been proudly Canadian from day one or you’ve recently moved production closer to home, now is the time to leverage that local identity in your digital marketing strategy. Here’s how to bring it to life:

Build a Digital Presence Around Your Canadian Story – Don’t just slap a maple leaf on your logo—integrate your Canadian identity into your website, social media channels, and digital ads. Use video, customer testimonials, and interactive content to showcase your local roots and build a deeper connection with your audience.
Optimize for Local & Voice Search – More consumers are actively searching for “Canadian-made” products. Optimize your content for localized SEO, including Google My Business and voice-search-friendly content, to capture this growing demand.
Align with Purpose-Driven Digital Campaigns – Today’s consumers care about more than just a product—they care about the impact of their purchase. Partner with Canadian charities, Indigenous businesses, or environmental initiatives. Purpose-driven campaigns through influencer collaborations or social ads create stronger brand affinity and trust.
Use Regional Targeting in Paid Ads – If your products are tailored to specific provinces or cities, make sure your paid ads reflect this. Geotargeting and customized ad creatives increase engagement and conversions by resonating more directly with the local audience.
Make “Homegrown” Part of the Digital Customer Experience –From website design to the eCommerce checkout process, make sure customers know they are supporting a Canadian business at every touchpoint. Small, subtle elements—like using Canadian spelling, local references, or culturally relevant visuals—reinforce the trust that Canadian shoppers value.

Final Word: Digital-First, Locally Rooted

For Canadian businesses, “local” is more than just a location—it’s a competitive advantage. In today’s market, where digital presence defines brand trust, integrating your Canadian identity into your strategy isn’t just smart—it’s necessary. Leverage that local advantage. Share your story. Optimize for local search. Because when consumers feel like they’re supporting something that’s truly their own, they come back—not just as buyers but as passionate brand advocates.

Want to position your Canadian brand for digital success? At 9dot Digital, we craft full-stack digital strategies that drive trust, engagement, and conversions. Let’s build your next winning campaign.

Why Brands Simplified Their Logos
(and Why You Might Too!)

Posted on August 22, 2022August 31, 2022 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

Have you seen a noticeable shift in brand logos lately and wondered why longstanding brands have changed their logos? Besides a general need to refresh a logo after a number of years, some of the most recognizable brands in the world have shifted their logos from containing unconventional typography, shapes and figures, to something more simplified to represent their brand.

For example, many of the top fashion retailers in the world have changed their wordmark logos from wide-kerning serif fonts—fonts which have small decorative strokes on letters with lots of space in between letters—to thin-kerning sans-serif fonts—fonts which have no decorative strokes on letters and little spacing between letters.

Even the once-popular combination or mark logos, that have both a wordmark and either a shape, figure or mascot, are seeing a decline. Just think about the change to the Starbucks logo back in 2011. They were an early adopter, removing the Starbucks Coffee wording from the logo and keeping the infamous green siren in the circle as a pictorial logo.

But why is there such a shift in these popular and recognizable brand logos? It has to do with the digital market and the needs of the consumer.

The Digitization of Logos

Many of the logos have changed, are logos that were once a mix of serif fonts, various textures, shapes, and colours. While these logos worked well for the pre-digital marketing world, they are much harder to work with when it comes to marketing in a digital space.

Logos that are visually complicated pose a problem when translating them to digital purposes, like for websites, advertising, apps and social media.

Think about a logo on a website. If a logo is crowded with a serif font, or too many colours and shapes, it can look cluttered when placed in a website’s navigation bar or a footer. It can also create sizing issues. Many older logos take up space in height and width, which makes them harder to size in the case of an app, social media post or a mobile website.

The shift to make logos simplified is a practical case. If brands want to appeal to the digital consumer, then their presence needs to be easily seen.

Making Logos Easy to Understand and Accessible

Another reason logos have become more simple is because of studies on how people consume information. Humans like to be presented with things that are easily understood. If someone has to stare at a logo for a while to make sense of it, not only are they going to have slight frustration, but they’re likely not going to remember it in the future.

Simplifying logos makes them easier for the consumer to take in, giving them fewer obstacles to interacting with your brand. It also helps with overall accessibility for your brand. If someone who has a visual impairment can easily see the fonts in your brand name or the shapes in your logo, it makes it more welcoming and less of a barrier in their life.

A Simplified Logo Doesn’t Mean Boring or Similar

If you’re worried about your logo and if it will be boring or too similar to other brands once you simplify it, it’s time to put those worries aside.

Simplifying a logo can actually give you the opportunity to focus on the essence of your brand and how to display it in the least complicated way. It’s a time to dig in and understand the tone you want to convey, who your audience is, and what you want people to feel when seeing your logo.

Let’s say you’re a fitness facility, and you want to go from a combination mark logo to a wordmark but want to maintain that your brand represents strength. You can still convey strength through the colour choice and the font choice. Or, you can opt for a pictorial logo, that shows an arm holding a weight in your brand colours.

The Process of Simplifying a Logo

Making a simplified logo can be a challenging process, and it’s extremely normal for a logo to go through a variety of changes in the refresh or redesign process until you get to one that truly represents your brand.

Getting external help from a design agency that has experience in logo refreshes or complete logo redesigns can help you make those harder decisions to match your brand tone and strategy. Check out 9dot Digital’s graphic design services to learn more about our logo work and branding strategies.

Tips to Make a Website
Accessible and AODA Compliant

Posted on May 19, 2022August 31, 2022 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

As a creative marketing agency, it’s important to lead our clients and community by example. That’s why we’ve created a blog series that focuses on the importance of AODA website compliance for companies in Ontario. With this series, our goal is to help Ontario businesses identify their AODA readiness and become fully AODA compliant with their website and online content.

In our final part of our AODA Website compliance series, we’re sharing some basic tips to help you make a website accessible and AODA compliant. Let’s begin!

Compliance Starts With Your Website Design

When turning your existing website into an AODA Compliant and fully accessible website, the first step is to scale it back and think about the design of your website. Design is a large portion of AODA compliance. You need to ensure your designs are accessible to all users. While it does require a lot of attention to detail and know-how from a designer to achieve this, here are some of the main points to address when designing a website for AODA compliance:

Website fonts should meet a minimum readability requirement of 14px for those who might be visually impaired
Website fonts should score high on a readability scale. Fonts that are sans serif work best. Avoid any overly decorative fonts.
Colour contrast across the site needs to be greater than 4:5:1 so those with visual impairments can see

Compliance is Finished with your Website Development

Now, let’s say the user of your website needs assistive technology to understand the information that is on the site. This can be due to blindness, a hearing impairment or motor skills impairment. How a developer codes your site, makes a big difference in its usability.

The back end of your site (where all the code is) will need to be written cleanly so someone who relies on assistive technology can also understand your website’s purpose. The developer of the site should be someone who is familiar with the code markup and can address things like:

Adding appropriate header tags and titles
Using a proper heading structure
Adding in a Skip to Content button and keyboard navigation through the site
Using semantic HTML to create elements that are purposeful
Having alternative text for images
Ensuring link text is descriptive of the information a reader is looking for

Checking Your Website’s Compliance

The final step in making a website AODA compliant with WCAG 2.0 AA standards, is a thorough check of the website design and code. This involves some manual checks from the designer and the developer involved, but it can also be helpful to have team members not-as-ingrained in the details of the project to give it a check over too.

There are also design tools, web development tools, and AODA tools that can scan the completed website to pick up on any components that might be missing to meet compliance. These are helpful to itemize the problems on the site and provide solutions in how to fix them.

What’s Next for AODA Compliance?

Although we’re sharing what seems like many guidelines, there are many more rules surrounding web compliance that goes beyond these basic elements. It’s important to work through AODA requirements and do tests and checks throughout the process of website design. Keep in mind that most websites are not 100% perfect when it comes to accessibility, but the goal is to have it as close as possible and have a plan to resolve what might be an outstanding issue over time. Also, as technology changes and there are different practices for web design and web development, the way rules are applied might change. At 9dot Digital, our designers and developers are always tuned in to best practices so we can maintain the accessibility levels on our clients’ websites.

If you’re ready to get started on making your website accessible, check out our design services and website development services. Have more questions on AODA and compliance? Contact us and let us help!

Importance of AODA and Accessible Websites

Posted on May 17, 2022August 26, 2022 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

This post in our series focuses on the importance of Accessible Websites and Web content for businesses and why you need to think about WCAG 2.0 Level AA guidelines. We’ll also examine just how important is it to have an accessible website and what the impacts are on Canadians, Ontarians, individuals and your business.

Why Are Accessible Websites Important?

According to the World Wide Web Consortium, W3.org — A Web Accessibility Initiative, an accessible website has a tremendous impact on individuals, businesses and society and can do more for you than a non-accessible website.

The impact is why W3 created the WCAG guidelines in the first place! Since its beginnings, it has evolved to meet new technology and accessibility standards as demanded by the world, and now goes up to WCAG 2.1 Level AAA compliance, however in Ontario, businesses just need to comply with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.

But let’s take a look at how WCAG and accessible website content affects the broader elements of your business and your practices.

How Canadians Identify Their Accessibility Levels

According to a 2017 Statistics Canada survey, 1 in 5 Canadians have a disability that impacts their daily life. To put it into another number, it means that 6.3 million Canadians have identified as having a disability. As generations get older, it’s likely we’ll see an increase in these numbers.

In Ontario, the number of those who identify as disabled are high enough that it was brought to the level of the provincial government to incite AODA standards. By numbers, over 2.6 million Ontarians identify as having a disability according to the same 2017 Statistics Canada survey.

If 2.6 million Ontarians identify as having a disability, it’s safe to assume that on any given day, someone who uses your website may need it to be accessible. So let’s talk more about the user.

Individual Interaction With Accessible Websites

On the individual user level, an accessible website increases levels of user experience (UX) and user satisfaction. The user experience is crucial to someone staying on a website. If the user doesn’t like how the website works, it’s more likely they’ll leave your website than struggle trying to use it.

Keeping UX and satisfaction in mind when designing and developing means that the end result should allow users of any age and ability to navigate/operate and understand your website.

This method of approaching your website will also speak directly to the ethos of a user.

If they have a smooth and accessible experience, they will view your website as an equal-experience website that’s more ethical and inclusive than others.

And as you may guess, a website that welcomes anyone and everyone, means you significantly increase your chance at growing your business and web presence.

Check out our last post for more information on AODA Standards and Information and Accessibility.

Accessible Websites and Your Business

Your business likely relies on your website as part of its overall marketing plan. Maybe you’re trying to drive leads or get people to make purchases on your website. Well, if the person who lands on your website can’t access it because of its design or development… your website isn’t serving much of a purpose.

Now imagine, just by making your website AODA compliant to WCAG 2.0 Level AA, you can grow your potential audience size by hundreds of thousands!

So whether you want to improve the user’s experience, achieve your business goals or just make 6.3 million Canadian’s lives a little bit easier, it’s important to create accessible websites and web content aside from complying with regulations.

In the next post in our series of AODA Website Accessibility, we’ll discuss some of the things you should be mindful of when you update your website with content.

AODA Websites

Posted on May 17, 2022August 26, 2022 by Vanessa K. | Director of Digital Marketing

If you haven’t heard of AODA or the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, we’ll walk you through the backstory and explain how it impacts your business and your website as of January 1, 2021.

What is the AODA?

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was first established by the Ontario government in 2005 to address the lack of accessibility in Ontario. The act was implemented to create standards across the province to make goods, services, buildings/premises, facilities and employment, accessible to anyone.

What AODA Standards Businesses Must Follow?

In the AODA, the Ontario government highlights Ontario Regulation 191/11 or the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR). The standards in this regulation describe how to make five important areas of daily living accessible. The five standards outlined within Ontario Regulation 191/11 Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation are:

Information and communications standards
Employment standards
Transportation standards
Design of public spaces standards
Customer service standards

The good news is, most Ontario businesses and employers are following AODA standards that are obvious and visible—like having a wheelchair ramp that goes up to a public building or allowing guide dogs in grocery stores to help people navigate.

There is, however, a noticeable gap in compliance with Information and Communications Standards.

What Are Information and Communications Standards?

Information and Communications Standards focus on how communications happen between two or more people, like with training resources on a website or accessible formats of information, like audio guides at a museum.

But a huge focus in IC Standards is having an Accessible Website and Web Content—and here’s where most Ontario businesses don’t comply!

Under the IASR regulation and IC standards, Ontario requires that websites made after 2012 (or those that have been updated since 2012) meet the World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines — or in simple terms, (WCAG) 2.0—at Level AA.

What is WCAG 2.0 Level AA?

WCAG 2.0 Level AA is an outlined set of rules that all website designs, development and content should follow. The rules are based on four accessibility principles. They are:

The website must be perceivable

The information and user interface (UI) must be presented to viewers in ways they can perceive.

The website must be operable

The user should be able to operate the interface.

The website must be understandable

The user has to understand the information and also understand the operation of the website interface.

And the website must be robust

The website must be accessible with technology as it advances and user agents evolve.

While the list of rules under each principle is quite lengthy and can be challenging to understand, they’re important to implement for your business and website.

How WCAG 2.0 and AODA Website Standards Affect Your Business

As per regulations, websites for companies with over 50 employees, those that are publically traded, or those that are public service-based, must be in compliance with WCAG 2.0 Level AA as of January 1, 2021.

What does that mean for your business and your website?

As it stands, most websites are NOT designed to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA compliance. This means that a majority of Ontario companies will be scrambling to meet the 2021 IASR standards of Information and Communication by the AODA.

What Happens If My Business Doesn’t Comply? (Hint: Monetary Penalties!)

You may be thinking to yourself, “what happens if my business doesn’t comply to AODA standards?” The consequence of ignoring AODA Regulations and IASR standards can lead to increased costs for your business.

In the simplest terms, Ontario Regulation 191/11 section 83 states that corporations who do not meet ISAR standards on their websites and web content are to pay a daily penalty of $100,000, or in the case of individuals and unincorporated organizations, $50,000 per day.

If the daily penalties aren’t enough to make you think about making your website AODA compliant, then take a look at our next blog post about the Importance of Accessible Website and Web Content.