We’re willing to bet that you’d like your website to be accessible to all, but it’s essential for you to understand that this extends beyond just making your pages available - they need to be usable for everyone, including those with different abilities.
In this article, we’ll look at what website accessibility is, what it looks like on a site, and how you can test your site for accessibility.
What is website accessibility?
Website accessibility refers to designing websites to be used by as many people as possible, regardless of their abilities. For example, website accessibility could mean ways in which a website could be used by those who are deaf, have limited motor skills, or those with visual impairment.
Why is website accessibility important?
With the internet now as much a part of our lives as the physical one, it makes sense that it should be accessible to those with different needs, too. A commitment to accessibility is a way to demonstrate that you’re ready to meet the varying needs of all your users. Accessibility is also part of compliance; ADA Standards for Accessible Designs and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are examples of what’s expected from websites in order to serve the diverse needs of web users.
Different types of accessibility testing
There are 4 main types of accessibility testing for your website, which are as follows:
Automated testing
Automated testing tools pick up any obvious problems with the accessibility of your website, though be aware that this shouldn’t be your only testing method, as automated programmes can still miss what may be obvious to human users.
Manual code review
This involves developers inspecting the HTML, CSS, and Javascript to ensure it conforms to the latest accessibility standards.
User Experience (UX) review
This pulls larger elements of the site’s design into focus, which could include the structure, page layout, menus, and button sizes.
User testing
Getting real people to interact with the site and highlight accessibility issues is one of the best ways to identify areas of improvement - after all, it’s real people who are using your site, and it’s their experience that Google considers when ranking it.
5 step guide to check your websites accessibility
Closed captioning on all video and audio content
When it comes to making your video and audio content available to those that are hearing impaired or are just consuming your content in a loud environment, closed captions are essential.
Close captions are the subtitles you see in sync with the video - in many cases, video platforms allow you to switch this on, and the captions will come up automatically.
Image alt text
For visually impaired users, alt text (alternative text) can describe images to those using assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to enrich their experience of the site by allowing them to understand what images are on it.
Colour contrast
Correct colour contract on your website allows people to see and read your content better - dark text on a pale background, for example, makes it far easier to read for even those who are colour blind or visually impaired.
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines suggest that colour contrast for text and images of text should ideally be 4.5:1, with large text and images of large text displayed with a contrast ratio of at least 3:1. This works to prevent eye strain, too!
Keyboard navigation
Not everyone can or wants to use a mouse to navigate web pages, so ones that allow navigation via the keyboard are considered more accessible. This means the likes of scrolling and opening links should be possible only in keystrokes if a user prefers, as opposed to clicks.
Correct H tags
Setting out a clear hierarchy to your content means that it makes sense for the reader to work through - by using the H1, H2, H3 you show users what content is most important to read first, as well as breaking up what would otherwise be a big wall of text.
Website accessibility testing tools
It will probably come as no surprise that there are tools out there to make testing your website’s accessibility easy; a combination of manual testing and automated testing helps cover all bases. For example, the Accessibility and Scan Monitor app can identify any holes in your accessibility across both desktop and mobile, helping you make your website even easier to use.
Accessibility compliance
To hold website owners to account with website accessibility standards, the Equality Act 2010 states that all UK service providers, both public and private, must ‘make their websites and mobile applications accessible to individuals with disabilities.’ With so much of our lives conducted online, it’s no surprise that there are rules in place to ensure no one is left out.
In the US, the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) covers website accessibility in a similar way.
Need help with your website’s accessibility?
As website accessibility is a big part of SEO, and because we believe everyone should have equal access to the web, 427 Marketing can help make your website more accessible, as well as keep on top of the latest technology so you can always do the best for your users.
Accessibility forms part of the comprehensive SEO strategies we’re able to offer to SMEs across many different industries and niches. Talk to us today to find out how we could make your website more accessible.