Website accessibility is important for making your online space welcoming for everyone. It ensures that anyone, no matter their ability, can easily use and connect with your website and its material. To reach more people, make sure your website is accessible and follows rules like WCAG or the Accessibility Act.
Here are some tips to make your website more accessible. This is not a complete list. You can find more information on the official WCAG website.
1. Make navigation clear and consistent.
Ensure your website’s style and navigation is intuitive and easy to use and provides the user with clear access. Users should be able to quickly find what they need, no matter their skill level. Examples include having a clear menu layout, using clear names for links, and adding a search bar in the navigation for easy access.
2. Provide Alt Text for Images
Alternative text is important for people who use screen readers because it helps explain what a picture shows to those who can’t see it. Websites should include alt text for pictures, giving clear and thorough descriptions. Spamming buzzwords or keyphrases into the alt text will negatively affect your SEO.
3. Use Easy-to-Access Forms
Forms are important for all websites, but if they aren’t made well, they can annoy users. To make sure forms are accessible, each field should have a clear name, and similar fields should be grouped together. Furthermore, online forms should also offer clear directions and show error messages that are easy to use and let the user know exactly what is wrong.
4. Plugins for Website Accessibility
There are many apps that can help make your website more accessible. You can add these to your website using content management systems like WordPress, Shopify, and others. Examples of these apps are WP Accessibility and EqualWeb. These plugins offer useful tools to make your website open to everyone and help handle parts of meeting accessibility standards. At digiwebcraft, we know how to use these tools for websites.
5. Stick to WCAG Guidelines
The Web information Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) offer rules to help make online information easier for everyone to use. Your website should follow important rules to meet these standards. By following these rules, you can make sure you follow the law.
By using the methods mentioned and following the WCAG rules for website accessibility, you can make sure your website is friendly for all users, no matter their abilities. It can improve your website’s trustworthiness and directly influence your Google ranking and search engine optimisation (SEO). If you have any questions regarding implementing these steps please call us today and see how we can help!
