Top 5 Ways to Make Your Website More Accessible
A 2020 survey of 500 small-business owners found that 60% planned on using their website more. With ever-changing COVID-19 guidelines, it's no wonder more companies want to be online.
If you're interested in increasing the use of your website, you should give it some touch-ups. A great place to start is improving website accessibility.
By making your website more accessible, your business will extend its reach to even more customers. So, what are you waiting for? Here are some tips and guidelines for a more accessible site.
Be Careful With Your Color Schemes
As you design your website, be wary of the colors you choose — especially with text. Particular color combinations can be challenging for colorblind users to see. This can make it hard to read what the text says.
Opt for colors that contrast, like dark-colored text against a light-colored background. The most common website colors for text are often black text against a white background.
Add Alt Text to Every Image
Does your website have images or logos? The answer is probably yes, so that means you'll need to add some alternate text to them. The alternate text serves as a caption in the background.
For most users, the alt text won't be visible. For users with screen readers due to limited vision, the alt text provides context. Because they can't see the image, their reader reads it aloud to help them understand.
Semantic HTML Markup Is Your Friend
Was your website built from scratch with HTML instead of a site builder? If so, you should check that the HTML markup is semantic. This means that objects are labeled.
For example: <form> is used to label a form. Another example: <header> designates a new header in your text. Semantic markup makes your site more readable, especially for users with screen readers.
Limit Your Use of Tables
When designing business websites, it's important to choose user-friendly layouts. This means you need to limit how many tables you use in the design. A good rule of thumb is that they should only be used for data.
Using tables in website layouts makes it tricky for screen readers to understand the content. The screen readers will only read one cell at a time, so it can be confusing for visually impaired users.
Besides, overusing tables can make it hard to navigate your website. Err on the side of caution and reserve them for data.
Add Captions to Your Audio and Video
Most strategies for making a website more accessible focus on visually-impaired users. But, you need to accommodate deaf users as well.
If your website has videos or audio clips, you'll need to add captions to them. Without them, deaf users won't be able to understand the context.
Ready to Make Your Website More Accessible?
If you want to reach as many users as possible, you must make your website more accessible. With a few easy fixes, businesses can ensure they meet the needs of new and existing customers.
If you're interested in learning more about website accessibility, contact me. I'll be happy to share more information!
