Shortages in time, capital, personnel, and/or restrictions by the scope of the business itself might preclude a business from being able to meet every one of its obligations. With resources stretched thin, companies find themselves asking more of their employees or are just unable to meet their responsibilities. In today’s digital world, nothing attests to this fact more than the need for an entity to have an online presence (digital footprint), but not having enough resources to do it properly.

Why does a company need a digital presence? Ask yourself this: of the many of the businesses that you interact with, how many do you do so without any interaction on the virtual sphere? That means that for this business, you didn’t hear about it through the internet. You didn’t text about it with friends. There were no social media interactions associated with your visit to their location (or site). Everything about the interaction was carried out offline. In today’s world, the odds are against you having done this for most instances. This is because aspects of individuals’ lives previously conducted in a physical environment have shifted to allow for more tasks to be completed in more digitally remote environments. Shopping, socializing, dating, banking, and countless other daily activities have begun to appear in greater frequencies online. Now, it’s not just that a company can be online, but that a company needs some type of virtual presence. For instance, in a sector like real estate where 97% of potential buyers use the internet in the purchasing process, it’s unimaginable that a broker would not have a web presence.

For smaller companies, it is hard for an employee to meet the demands of their position. Add in digital responsibilities, and it might seem impossible. For most small businesses, where an individual might be tasked with several job responsibilities, it is hard to stay on top of the demand that is digital inclusivity. Beyond the strain of demand that accompanies one’s job, even greater risk exists for those that do not have the technical skills, as the challenge to have content online competes with their own capabilities.

One major concern when discussing the responsibilities of maintaining a digital presence is the fact that all facets must remain accessible and provide equity in use for users. For one demographic in particular, disabled users, keeping your digital content accessible remains of paramount concern. One’s inability to ensure accessibility for digital content allows for opportunities of litigious action.

Start by understanding the level of risk associated with your website. To ensure that your websites are inclusive, consider AAAtraq. AAAtraq encourages you to take 60 seconds to understand your own risk position – you can do it, free at https://AAAtraq.com/check (opens in a new window) - no registration required - and results are immediately available and understandable. Green = good - red = bad).