This episode of The Innovative Agency Podcast tackles a conversation that every agency leader should be paying attention to, whether you realize it or not.

Digital accessibility is one of those topics that's easy to push down the priority list… until it becomes a legal issue, a lost opportunity, or a blind spot in your client strategy. And too often, agencies misunderstand what's required, underestimate the risk, or assume it's too complex to tackle.

Mike Barton from AudioEye joins this episode to turn confusion into clarity. He breaks down where agencies tend to get accessibility wrong, why compliance isn't as straightforward as it seems, and how overlooking it can quietly expose both you and your clients to serious legal consequences.

Mike shares how building accessibility into your process can strengthen your agency's value and differentiation. He offers practical, scalable tools and strategies that agencies of any size can implement without needing to be deeply technical.

What you will learn in this episode:

• Why website accessibility is a real business opportunity for agencies and their clients, not just a compliance headache

• The current legal risks facing agencies when web accessibility isn't up to par

• The most common accessibility issues hiding on nearly every site

• How existing "accessibility helper" tools stack up against real-world standards

• The role of both automation and human expertise in closing your agency's accessibility gaps

• Where the trends in accessibility lawsuits and voluntary adoption are heading, and what that means for agency leaders betting on what's next

Bio

Mike Barton is a marketing and communications leader focused on making the internet more accessible. As VP of Corporate Communication & Content Marketing at AudioEye, he leads strategy, driving awareness through blogs, social media, PR, video, and digital storytelling. At Adobe, he shaped content and messaging for Experience Cloud, Creative Cloud enterprise, and Document Cloud. With expertise in customer engagement and industry storytelling, Mike excels at aligning business objectives with audience needs to craft narratives that resonate with C-suite leaders and decision-makers.

Resources:

• Website: https://www.audioeye.com/

• LinkedIn Personal: https://www.linkedin.com/in/omnibarton/

• LinkedIn Business: https://www.linkedin.com/company/audioeye-inc/

• WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY CHECKER: https://www.audioeye.com/website-accessibility-checker/