In 2023, websites need to be a bit more sophisticated than they were a few years ago. Your business website is many things including the gateway to your company, its business card, and usually the focus of its overall online presence.
They need to be kitted out with everything needed for SEO, marketing, and, of course, accessibility. All three of these things play into each other, so if your website isn't accessible, it is not going to be doing well in relation to SEO or marketing.
So, how do you make sure your website is accessible to all website users? Here are some top things to review for site accessibility, visibility, and compliance requirements.
Zoom In
Vision impairments can make it hard for website users to see images clearly when they are on a webpage. Some images require details to be seen or they will leave your site to visit those of competitors (pogo-sticking).
If the images on your page do not allow users to clearly zoom in or read a visual description underneath the image, this will need to be rectified quickly. There are tools that can enhance your website to make it more accessible for people with disabilities. To find out more, read this Accessibe review.
Screen Reader
It is hard to read a big block of text on a website when your eyesight is poor, so one of the best ways to assess the accessibility of your website is to ensure that there is a screen reader. This is, in essence, a widget that is placed at the top of the page that resembles a speaker. When clicked, all of the text on the page is read, making it accessible to people who have visual impairments or are blind.
In general it also helps to break up big blocks of text for any site visitor, and use headings or bullet points to improve user experience.
Contrast Of Colors
Having an attractive website is an aspect that many website owners take pride in. It is a great way to attract customers, but when it comes to color contrasts, you need to be careful or at least have a website that allows users to adjust the settings on the colors used.
Suppose you have a light grey text on a white background. For most people, this would not be too difficult to read, but if someone has issues with their eyesight, it is likely to be tricky. To make sure your website is accessible to those who have vision impairments, the color contrast on the website needs to be adjustable. This usually involves making the text darker and the background lighter. Or, in cases of website users who have dyslexia, you will want the background to be adjusted to a light blue color, as this can prevent the text from jumping around.
Closed Captioning
The majority of websites today have videos on them, as well as shorts. These can be used to describe everything from the products being sold to introducing the business to new customers. So, for all things that have a verbal segment on your website, you need to make sure they have closed captioning as well as audio descriptions.
The closed captioning will ensure that people who are hard of hearing can make sense of the video, and the audio descriptions will be able to assist those with vision impairments. It helps your web page UX and SEO to be ADA and WCAG compliant.
Logical Navigation
It seems obvious at a glance, but does your website follow a logical order?
If it doesn't, it may be confusing for users to follow, meaning you will have a higher bounce rate. It is also important for any webpage to have a logical order for the search engine optimization or SEO of the page. This is because the Google bots need to be able to scan the page quickly to rank it, and if there are any inconsistencies in the layout or order, they will rank it lower.
So, if you have a website that sells products, make sure there is a product section that scrolls down to reveal different categories, such as men's clothes, women's clothes, etc. It is also worth making sure that your website can be navigated with verbal commands or keyboard adjustments, as many site users may have physical limitations that can prevent them from using a mouse or the trackpad on a laptop.