6 Tips to Make Your Website More Accessible

The internet is deeply programmed within our daily lives. 4.3 billion of us use a smartphone. Almost 2 billion of us log into Facebook every day. Each second, there are over 70,000 search queries on Google. Many of us would even struggle to get through the day without the aid of Maps, WhatsApp or Amazon. Given its enormous utility, the internet is something that everybody should be able to enjoy. This is precisely why digital accessibility is so important and should be a priority on every website.

Digital accessibility means ensuring your website or app can be accessed by everyone regardless of disabilities or impairments. More and more, we are seeing positive change in this area, with websites of all kinds incorporating inclusive design elements. Some, however, still see online accessibility as a frill or add-on, rather than a necessity. But under this mind-set, you are ultimately limiting your reach and influence by neglecting a large proportion of people who will end up in the grasp of your competitors.

Start catering to everybody’s needs with a beautifully designed, fully accessible website. Not sure where to begin? Here are 6 easy tips to make your site an inclusive, welcoming place for one and all.

1.?????Make sure your website is keyboard-friendly

Can you use your website without a mouse? If not, you are excluding a group of potential visitors. This is because many assistive technologies rely on keyboard-only navigation. People should be able to navigate your website and enjoy its features using just their keyboard. Test out your site by using the tab key instead of the mouse. In theory, this should operate in the same way, allowing you to jump between content on the page.?

2.?????Make all content on your site easily accessible

Of course, having a keyboard-friendly site isn’t much use if the content itself is not accessible. This is often an issue with dynamic content. Content is termed ‘dynamic’ when it changes without the need for a page reload. The trouble occurs when the website being accessed does not inform assistive tools of this impending change. In this case, some users can only digest the content as it first appears, missing out on the potentially critical changes that follow. Making users aware of any sudden changes can significantly enhance their browsing experience. ?

ARIA landmarks are a fantastic solution to this problem. These are tags that can be added to pages to clearly define their content. Dynamic content, in this case, can be tagged as a “live region”, which allows screen readers and similar devices to easily identify content as it evolves.

3.?????Add alt text to images

Alternative text, or alt text, is used to describe an image using a few words. This helps to communicate the context of the image to those who cannot view it. For more on this, check out our blog Image Alt Text: What Is It and Why Is It Important. Alt text is also one of the cornerstones of a holistic SEO strategy. Search engines can crawl images too, and having the right alt text in place can make them even more searchable, giving you a competitive edge.

4.?????Choose your colours carefully

Colour blindness affects around 300 million people globally. Further, around 8% of all men are colour-deficient to some extent. Is this really a segment you can afford to ignore? Those who are colour blind have difficulty differentiating between tones, with some cases more severe than others. Cater to these people by ensuring your colour scheme has enough contrast so that they can clearly navigate your website. Avoid using similar colours, such as blue and purple, against one another. Instead, pairing bright and dark colours together usually works well.

5.?????Use headings to organise content coherently

Create a logical flow to your site with clearly defined headings. This helps screen readers to interpret your content more easily, and also facilitates in-page navigation. Typically, each page should have one H1 – the main title. Organise what follows according to their themes and relative importance using H2 subheadings as well as H3s and H4s if and when necessary.

6.?????Design accessible forms

Many websites will feature forms to collect data. Make sure that each section is clearly labelled to avoid any confusion, and position each label above its related field. Providing concise instructions also helps people to complete forms with minimal difficulty and without errors.??

Making your site more accessible doesn’t necessarily require a complete software redesign, or cutting-edge technology. Start by making simple modifications, such as those outlined above, and already more people will be able to enjoy your online content. Not only is digital accessibility important for traffic and retention, but it is also a social responsibility and should never be an afterthought.

Are you looking for a website with an accessible design? Reach out to the experts at Elephant in the Boardroom. We are a Melbourne-based digital agency specialising in web design and development, building beautiful, bespoke websites that can be accessed by all. Our suite of services also includes content creation, SEO, social media management and so much more. We take the time to understand what makes your customers tick, developing a unique strategy that is tailored to you. Start making an impact online and call us today on (03) 7018?