Most people will run into some type of accessibility issue in their lives. Whether short term or long term, issues can arise that make it challenging for users to access information online. You can create an online experience that will benefit all of your visitors, no matter what challenges they face. Let’s take a closer look at website accessibility and what it means for you.

What is Website Accessibility

“Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can use the Web. More specifically, Web accessibility means that people with disabilities can perceive, understand, navigate, and interact with the Web, and that they can contribute to the Web. Web accessibility also benefits others, including older people with changing abilities due to aging.” -W3C

Website accessibility means that you are making sure that your website and mobile apps can be accessed by everyone. Regardless of whether the visitor is blind, mobility impaired, etc., your content is reachable. No one is excluded from being able to access your content.

What Does it Mean for You?

It is easier than you think to make your content accessible, and it really does benefit everyone. For example, look at captions on videos. While they are designed for viewers who cannot hear, they are also great for anyone who is in a noisy room and doesn’t have headphones. Captions are perfect for the new parent who wants to watch a video without waking a sleeping child. Website accessibility makes it possible to include everyone.

There are detailed, technical lists that explain how to improve website accessibility, and we have condensed the information for you. These are some important things for you to consider when creating digital content:

Include Alt text on every image, and make sure the text is descriptive.
Don’t rely solely on color as a navigational tool or to differentiate items.
Functionality should be accessible using both a mouse and a keyboard, with voice control systems enabled.
Provide transcripts for podcasts.
Use captioning on videos to provide visual access to the audio information.
Your site should have a skip navigation feature.

Other important aspects of website accessibility include making sure that your site speed is good, your web pages are easy to read and navigate, and that your design is uncluttered. Not sure if you are up to par? We offer several audits to help you make sure your website is in tip top shape and accessible to every visitor.