Top 6 Website Accessibility Tips
1. Opt for an accessibility-friendly content management system.
You can build your website with the aid of a variety of content management systems. Although there are many additional possibilities, popular examples include Drupal and WordPress.
Make sure you select an accessible theme or template after selecting a CMS that meets your needs. For information on accessibility and suggestions for developing accessible content and layouts for that theme, refer to the theme’s documentation. When choosing modules, plugins, or widgets, be sure to adhere to the same rules.
Make sure that components that create content are supported, such as video players and editing toolbars. For instance, headers and accessible tables should be available in editing toolbars, and closed captioning should be available in video players. Additionally, the CMS administrative tools (such those for writing blog posts or leaving comments) have to be available.
2. Use headings effectively to arrange the content’s structure.
The header structure can be used by screen reader users to traverse text. The content of your website will be properly arranged and understandable to screen readers if headers (h1>, h2>, etc.) are used correctly and strategically.
Make careful you use CSS to distinguish presentation from structure and to keep heads in the proper sequence (Cascading Style Sheets). Choose a header only if it visually appeals to you rather than styling your text with a new CSS class to avoid confusing screen reader users.
examples of how to utilize headings correctly:
- The page’s main title should be formatted as h1>. The title of the website and the titles of individual pages should be the only things you use a “h1” for.
- To organize and highlight the structure of your information, use headings.
- Avoid skipping heading levels (such as moving from a h1 to a h3) as screen reader users may assume that there is no content.
3. Include appropriate alt text when adding images.
So that screen reader users can comprehend the message that is being sent by the usage of images on the page, alt text should be provided for all images. This is especially crucial for photos that provide information (such as infographics). When writing the alt text, it should include the message you want the image to express, and if the image has text, the text should be included in the alt as well.
The only exception to this rule is when an image is used only for decoration; in this situation, the alt text can be kept empty (link is external) so that the screen reader user is not diverted from the page’s more significant information.
If a link’s only content is an image, the screen reader will read the file name if no alt text is included. When using images as links, make sure to always include alt text.
4. Give each of your links a name that is distinct and informative.
Use wording that accurately conveys where the link will lead when you include links in your article. It is not deemed descriptive to use “click here,” therefore it is inefficient for screen reader users.
Visually impaired people can use their screen readers to search for links in the same way that sighted users do. Screen reader users frequently fail to see the link in the context of the rest of the page as a result. Using descriptive language effectively allows the user of a screen reader to understand the context of links.
Since screen reader users frequently utilize the first letter of the link to search the links list, the link’s most distinctive content should be displayed first.
If you are directing people to a website titled “About Us,” for instance:
- Avoid using the phrase “Click here to read about our company.”
- Say, “Read About Us to discover more about our organization,” instead.
5. Use color with caution.
Red-green color deficiency, the most prevalent type, affects about 8% of the general population. These people won’t be able to understand your message if you only use these colors (particularly to highlight required fields in a form).
When used to distinguish and arrange your material, color has a significant positive impact on other populations of individuals with disabilities, notably users with learning problems.
Utilize color, but also other visual cues like an asterisk or question mark to appease both groups. Ensure that you visually separate content chunks from one another as well (such as whitespace or borders).
In order to make your page as visually accessible as possible to those with limited vision or different degrees of color blindness, you can test color contrast using a variety of techniques.
6. Provide accessibility for dynamic material.
Screen readers might not be aware when content changes dynamically (that is, without refreshing the website). This includes popups, lightboxes, in-page updates, screen overlays, and modal dialogs. Page overlays may entrap keyboard-only users. Users of magnification software could have their focus focused on the incorrect area of the page.
Making these features available is simple. ARIA roles and alerts as well as front-end development frameworks that promote accessibility are options.
Make sure that any video players you employ can be operated with a keyboard and that they don’t automatically start playing (non-consensual sound). Also required are transcript choices for hearing-impaired viewers and closed captioning for all videos.
Ensure that each image on your slideshow-containing website includes alt text and can be accessed using the keyboard. Make careful to test for accessibility if you are utilizing any special widgets (such a calendar picker or drag-and-drops).
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