Hello, and welcome to "Website Success in 5 Minutes." I’m Shaun Carvill, the founder and managing director of Digital Agency Clickingmad, and today we’re going to talk about a really important subject; website accessibility and compliance.
This might sound a bit technical, but stay with me—I’ll break it down into simple terms and explain why making your website accessible is not just good practice but also essential for your business.
So, what is website accessibility?
It's all about making sure that everyone, including people with disabilities, can use your website easily.
This means designing and developing your site so that it works well for people who might use assistive technologies like screen readers or who have different needs, such as those who are visually impaired, hearing impaired, or have mobility challenges.
The goal is to create a website that’s inclusive and easy for everyone to navigate and use.
Why is accessibility important?
Well first and foremost, it’s about being inclusive and ensuring that everyone has equal access to information and services online.
Think about it: the internet should be a place where everyone can participate, regardless of their abilities.
Making your website accessible shows that you care about all your users and want to provide a great experience for everyone.
Plus, it’s good for your business—it can help you reach a wider audience and improve your reputation.
Another reason to focus on accessibility is compliance.
Many countries have laws and regulations that require websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. For example, the Equality Act in the UK sets out requirements for digital accessibility.
Not meeting these standards can lead to legal issues and potential fines.
So, ensuring your website is accessible is not just the right thing to do—it’s also about staying on the right side of the law.
So, how can you make your website more accessible?
Let’s go over some key steps.
First, use clear and simple language.
Avoid jargon and complex sentences that might be hard to understand.
The easier your content is to read, the more accessible it will be for everyone.
This doesn’t just help people with cognitive disabilities—it makes your site better for all users.
Next, make sure your website is keyboard-friendly.
Some people can’t use a mouse and rely on their keyboard to navigate the web.
This means all interactive elements like links, buttons, and forms should be accessible using the keyboard alone.
You can test this yourself by trying to navigate your site using just your keyboard. If you get stuck, it’s a sign that you need to make some improvements.
Use alt text for images. - That's "A L T" for alt.
Alt text is a description of an image that can be read by screen readers, which helps visually impaired users understand what’s on the page.
Make sure every image on your site has descriptive alt text that clearly explains what the image is. This not only improves accessibility but also helps with SEO!
Ensure that your website has good colour contrast.
People with visual impairments, including colour blindness, may find it hard to read text if the colour contrast isn’t strong enough.
Use high-contrast colours to make sure your text is easy to read against the background.
There are online tools available that can help you check your site’s colour contrast and make adjustments if needed.
Make your site’s structure clear with proper headings and labels.
Use headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) to organise your content and make it easier to navigate. The 'H' by the way stands for 'header' in those descriptors.
This helps everyone, but it’s especially useful for people using screen readers to understand the structure of your page.
Also, make sure all your form fields have labels, so users know what information to enter.
Lastly, provide transcripts and captions for multimedia content.
If you have videos or audio on your site, make sure to include captions and transcripts. For example is on our website at Clickingamd.com as a transcript.
This is essential for hearing-impaired users and also benefits those who might be in a noisy environment or prefer reading to listening.
As I publish this podcast series I always add the script to our website so that people can read it rather than listen, if they choose.
So, why should you focus on website accessibility and compliance?
It’s all about creating an inclusive online environment where everyone can access and enjoy your content.
It also helps you avoid legal issues, reach a wider audience, and improve your overall user experience.
By making these changes, you’re not just ticking a box—you’re making the web a better place for everyone.
That’s it for today’s episode of “Website Success in 5 Minutes.”
I’m Shaun Carvill. If you found this helpful and want more tips to make your website even better, don’t forget to subscribe.
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