How to Have an Accessible Website to All Online Users
Every business website seeks to attract as many visitors as possible. However, very few companies take the necessary steps to ensure that their site is accessible for use by everyone and anyone. There are vast numbers of users out there who rely on sites being accessible to them due to disability. If you do not take the necessary time to understand all their needs, you will both be at a loss.
There is some good news. Website accessibility is not difficult to implement. All you need to understand is the issues that make your website impossible for specific groups of people not to access. Once these issues have been identified, all you need to do is correct these mistakes and make your website more user-friendly.
Web accessibility’s main belief is that every person should be able to use any website on the world wide web without any difficulties no matter their disability or impairment. This is where the ADA compliance for websites rules come into play. This compliance bill Section 508 enforces digital accessibility.
1 Make Your Website Accessible
Firstly, an accessible business website should be working without the use of a mouse which makes the website’s major features possible to navigate through with the use of solely a keyboard. The navigation includes accessing links, content, and pages. The best method to do this is navigating via the Tab key on the keyboard.
2 The content should be easily Accessible
The second step, after activating the keyboard-friendly option, is to make all the content on the page accessible. This part becomes challenging when the page has dynamic content. The issue occurs due to the page site not offering assistive tools. The best way to deal with this is to inform the reader whenever something on the site changes so that they will not miss the new content. And to define tags on the page clearly, you can employ landmarks.
3 Add Alt Text to Images
WordPress allows you to add the alternative text feature, abbreviated to alt text, to your images. The option provides a unique opportunity; using it, you can describe the image, presenting context to the users who would have missed it.
4 Select the Colors Carefully
People perceive colors differently, not similarly. Therefore, pay attention when choosing the colors for your website; make sure they contrast effectively and that everyone can identify the different elements on the page effortlessly. The texts should stand out against the background Website Accessibility, you will lose many visitors.
5 Pay attention to the Form Design
When designed carefully, web forms are welcome additions to the majority of websites. When they are well-designed, each field is clearly labeled. Therefore, a sighted user can match labels to their corresponding options with ease. However, it might not be as obvious to those with sight problems; they need a screen reader.
Why Is Website Accessibility Important?
The benefits of accessible websites are enormous and mutual for both the owner and the user. Regarding the humanistic side, it ensures that the site is available for disabled users. Considering your benefit, the website will immediately attract more users, expanding your potential audiences which is eventually going to give you precedence over the competitors. It is indeed a win-win situation. For healthcare website making your website accessible complying to the ADA regulations removes the risk of your business being slapped by hefty lawsuits.
Ensuring that your business website is welcoming and appealing to as many people as possible should always be at the top of your priorities. Understanding the flaws to your site can help you in taking the first step into optimizing it for accessibility.
