According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 7 people is disabled. This represents over 1 billion people worldwide have some form of disability. That’s a significant portion of the population that may face challenges when accessing online content. By ensuring that your website is accessible, you can help to break down these barriers and ensure that everyone has equal access to your content and services.
In addition to being the right thing to do, website accessibility can also have a positive impact on your business. By making your website accessible, you can improve your search engine rankings and attract more visitors to your site. Accessibility can also help to improve user engagement, increase customer loyalty, and enhance your brand reputation.
Tips for Improving Website Accessibility
Now that we’ve established why website accessibility is important, let’s take a look at some tips for improving it:
Use Alt Text for Images
Alt text is a brief description of an image that is read aloud by screen readers for people with visual impairments. By including alt text for all of your images, you can help to ensure that everyone can understand the content on your site.
Use Headings and Subheadings
Headings and subheadings help to organize your content and make it easier to navigate. By using descriptive headings and subheadings, you can help users with cognitive disabilities to understand the structure of your content.
Provide Transcripts and Captions for Videos
Videos are a great way to engage users, but they can be a challenge for people with hearing impairments. By providing transcripts and captions for your videos, you can make sure that everyone can understand the content.
Ensure Keyboard Accessibility
Some people with disabilities may not be able to use a mouse, so it’s important to ensure that your website can be navigated using only a keyboard. This includes making sure that all interactive elements can be accessed and used with a keyboard alone.
Use Color Wisely
We have talked about this before. But color can be a useful tool for conveying information, but it can also be a barrier for people with color blindness. Make sure that your website uses color in a way that is accessible to everyone, such as using high contrast colors and avoiding color as the only means of conveying information.
