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People who make websites are usually what we’d call “power users.” We are on the internet all day, many of us may have an unconscionable amount of tabs open at any one time (not pointing any fingers, I’m guilty myself!). Therefore, it’s easy to forget that not all users are like us. Some are less familiar with the internet. Some have visual or auditory impairments. And our work in designing websites that work like a charm, we have to think of a multitude of different user profiles.
“Accessibility” is a buzzword in the internet world, but its underlying intention is incredibly important. By making our websites useable by a wide swath of different types of users, we are actually making website better for all users. Learning to make accessible website is a little bit of a learning curve, but it’s an essential one.
So here is a quick guide to what you need to know and how to get started making your website more accessible to all users.
Accessibility: a definition
The Web Accessibility Content Guidelines were developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the body responsible for international standards for the Web: HTML, CSS, and many more. It is an effort to make sure websites can meet these standards:
- Perceivable (to a range of different users, including those who are colorblind or use screen readers)
- Operable (help users get around easily)
- Understandable (text is readable and understandable)
- Robust (maximize compatibility and make future-proof)
The first thing to know is that different kinds of users approach websites differently. Typically websites are designed by power users and we can overlook some mightily important factors when we design websites.
Accessibility means considering the needs of a wide array of users when you design, including:
- Users who have visual or auditory impairments
- Users who are colorblind
The bonus of accessible design is it should make your website more appealing and useful to everyone.
Where accessibility breaks down
Most problems with accessibility start with images, mainly that they can’t be seen by some users. That’s why it’s important to provide a text alternative to all images and PDF files.
It comes up a lot more than you’d think. I frequently see clients designing ads as a PNG or JPG file (meaning the words are superimposed over text), which would not register at all with a person using a screen reader.
Where accessibility and SEO intersect
Some of your users have visual impairments. You know who also has visual impairment? Google’s search spiders, who don’t “see” images at all, only text. When we optimize sites for search, we are optimizing their text essentially, which is an important reason to start with text when you are thinking about the way your site is construction. In terms of search rank, text is the only thing that matters.
The problem with PDFs
In our work, we encounter many organizations that are still married to the PDF, despite the obvious drawbacks of the format. PDFs can not be indexed or searched electronically, making them a miss for both screen readers and Google spiders.
Easy accessibility wins
Start using the alt-text
Use the text field of your image uploader to make sure that the alt text is populated. In WordPress, this is really easy, you just open the uploaded and write in alt text. Be as specific and descriptive as you can. The bonus of this is that Google search spiders will pick this up as they “crawl” through your site and your images may get indexed fairly high up. When you are listed first in an image search, so long as your content is relevant to what searchers are looking for, you will gain new users you might have otherwise missed.
Accessibility checklist
- Use captions
- Add descriptions to your IG photos
Discuss accessibility internally
One of our clients, Two River Theater, has a commitment to accessibility that extends far beyond any one simple area: they actually provide accessibility and icons for
Further reading
