Creating an inclusive and making a website accessible is essential for reaching a broader audience and ensuring everyone, including people with disabilities, can access your content. Making a website accessible is not just a legal requirement; it’s a commitment to user-friendliness and equal access. In this article, we’ll discuss how to make a website accessible with practical, step-by-step guidance to ensure your website is accessible to everyone.
What is website accessibility?
Website accessibility refers to designing and developing websites so that all users, including those with disabilities, can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the content. Making a website accessible ensures usability for individuals with visual, auditory, cognitive, or motor impairments.
Why is website accessibility important?
Making your website accessible improves user experience, enhances SEO, and ensures legal compliance. It also demonstrates a commitment to inclusivity, ensuring that everyone can access your site’s content and services, regardless of their abilities.
1. Use Proper HTML Structure
Using semantic HTML ensures that screen readers and other assistive technologies can accurately interpret your website’s content, making your website accessible to all.
- Use headings correctly.
- Structure content with heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) for better readability and accessibility.
- Ensure a logical hierarchy by starting with H1 for the main title, followed by H2 for sections, and so on.
- Use ARIA landmarks:
- Implement ARIA roles like
navigation, main, banner, and contentinfo to help assistive technologies identify key areas of your site and make your website accessible.
2. Provide Text Alternatives for Non-Text Content
Every non-text element on your website, such as images, videos, and graphics, should have text alternatives to ensure your website is accessible.
- Add alt text to images:
- Provide descriptive alt text for all images, ensuring they convey the purpose or information intended, thereby making your website accessible to visually impaired users.
- Avoid using generic descriptions like “image” or “photo” without context.
- Provide transcripts for audio and video content:
- Include transcripts or captions for multimedia content to make your website accessible to users with hearing impairments.
- Ensure captions are accurate and synchronized with the audio.
3. Ensure Keyboard Accessibility
Making your website accessible requires ensuring it is fully navigable using a keyboard, allowing users with motor disabilities to interact with content without a mouse.
- Focus Indicators:
- Use visible focus indicators, such as outlines or highlights, to guide users through navigable elements and make your website accessible.
- Keyboard Shortcuts:
- Ensure that interactive elements like buttons, links, and forms can be accessed using keyboard shortcuts to enhance website accessibility.
4. Optimize Color Contrast
Proper color contrast ensures readability for users with visual impairments, contributing to making your website accessible.
- Check Contrast Ratios:
- Maintain a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.
- Use tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to validate contrast levels to enhance website accessibility.
- Avoid Relying on Color Alone:
- Do not convey important information solely through color. Provide text or icon-based indicators as well to make your website accessible.
5. Make Forms Accessible
Designing accessible forms is crucial to ensure your website is accessible to everyone.
- Always pair
<label> elements with form controls (<input>, <textarea>, <select>).
- Use
for the attribute <label>to link it with idthe input.
- Provide clear instructions and error messages.
- Keyboard Accessibility
- Accessible Validation and Feedback
- Accessible Button Usage
- Associate Help Text with Inputs
- Ensure Cross-Browser Compatibility
- Test with Screen Readers
6. Test and Validate Accessibility
Testing your website for accessibility issues ensures you meet web accessibility standards and make your website accessible to all.
- Use automated tools:
- Utilize tools like Axe, WAVE, and Lighthouse to identify common accessibility issues and improve website accessibility.
- Conduct Manual Testing:
- Test with screen readers (e.g., NVDA, JAWS) and keyboard-only navigation to ensure your website is accessible for all.
Conclusion
Making a website accessible is an ongoing process that requires careful planning, implementation, and testing. By focusing on proper HTML structure, providing text alternatives, ensuring keyboard accessibility, optimizing color contrast, designing accessible forms, and conducting thorough testing, you can create an inclusive online experience for everyone. Remember, making your website accessible is not just a feature—it’s a necessity.
Start making your website accessible today to enhance user experience, improve SEO, and meet legal requirements. Read our 7 best SEO tool for beginners