A growing number of lawsuits and an increase in the number of people with disabilities have compelled businesses to make their websites accessible. Web accessibility has always been an integral part of design and development but it, somehow, failed to get the attention it needed.
Having an accessible website has tons of benefits. As a business, there is nothing to lose especially when you have a fully automated tool like accessiBe that makes your website accessible in under 48 hours, there isn’t any point in not making your website accessible. Also, the best web design studios can take care of your business website needs whilst you focus on your core business.
If you want to follow a DIY route, here are the essential tips and tricks to get started with website accessibility right away:
1. Add Alt Text
Adding alternative text or alt tags to all the images throughout your website is essential. The alt text is used by screen readers and the text is read so it has to be there. The absence of alt text will create issues for people who are accessing your website using a screen reader.
The alt text must be meaningful, and it should describe the image – that’s what it is used for. Adding keywords as alt text is a bad idea as it will ruin UX for people who use screen readers. Use the alt tag that describes the image in a way that someone who is unable to see the image can fully understand what the image is via alt text.
2. Use Heading Tags
Using appropriate heading tags throughout your website and across all web pages makes your content accessible, easy-to-read, and scannable.
Heading tags define the structure of the page and improve readability. When using heading tags, use different font sizes. For example, h1 must have the largest size followed by h2, and so on.
3. White Space
White space has several benefits and uses in UX, and it is one of the major elements on a web page that helps you improve accessibility. White space is the space between and around elements on a web page. It helps improve readability, highlights important elements on the page, and importantly, it improves the design.
The core purpose of using white space is to reduce the amount of text people see on a page. It makes content readable and helps them identify and differentiate elements on the page.
4. Color Scheme
Colors play a significant role in web accessibility. Visually impaired people find it hard to use websites with poor color schemes. The best technique is to use contrasting colors and make important elements (e.g. CTAs, headlines, images, etc.) prominent by using contrasting colors.
Keeping all things constant, black and white work best. This is the best color scheme that will make your website accessible without any issues.
5. Font Style and Size
Using contrasting colors with appropriate white space won’t help much if the font isn’t readable. When selecting a font, don’t look at its design rather look at its accessibility. It must be readable and supported by leading browsers. Arial is the most used and accessible font that you should go for. Or, use any Sans Serif font (e.g. Verdana, Calibri, etc.).
The ideal font size is 16 px or 1em which equates to 12 pt font size. This is the minimum font size that you need to have for body content. Of course, you can increase it as per requirement. Headings and titles should have a large font size so they’re easily recognizable.
Is Website Accessibility DIY Right for You?
These 5 website accessibility tips are just the basics. If you want to do it yourself manually, you can refer to the W3 document here. You don’t have to necessarily go a DIY route especially if you have multiple websites or a large website. It will take ages to make your website fully accessible.
Instead, you can use an automated accessibility solution that makes any website accessible. accessiBe uses artificial intelligence to make your website accessible automatically, and it adds an accessibility interface that helps disabled people to tweak your website as per their needs and use it easily.
Give it a try and see how accessiBe goes for you.
