You know that making your website accessible to people with disabilities has many more perks than you can imagine. Because every other day, half a million new websites are popping up globally in the hope to dominate and prevailing by any means. But most of these websites are inaccessible to 15% of the global population. They have deprived around one billion people of serving, accessing, or enjoying an easy online experience.
According to the WHO report, going more into depth with figures, you will find out that 450 million people need rehabilitation to define their disabilities as a stretching issue. It is projected that these numbers will hit 700 million by 2050.
The trendy websites of fancy fonts and bright colors cannot hit a vast number of potential customers and high-quality traffic due to their less accessible features. In this modern age of the online revolution, about 70% of websites don’t fulfill the criteria of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) concepts introduced in Feb-2017.
To understand this very concept of more accessible websites, you may have to dig in from the basics.
What Is Website Accessibility?
In easy words, it is the art of creating available and discoverable websites for everyone that is termed website accessibility. The category includes people with vision or hearing impairment, physical disabilities, cognitive issues, or even the elderly audience. Many users are keen on using assistive technology such as screen readers, alternative keyboards, or speech recognition devices to surf or enjoy an easy online experience. Benefits To Increase The Accessibility Of Your Website:
Aside from an ethical view, even if you look at things from a professional or business perspective, you will understand the perks of a more accessible website. So if you have a sharp determination of optimizing your business page for the maximum audience, that does not require much, and it will have many benefits like:
- Increasing your brand reputation
- Expending your market share
- Enhancing customer experience
- No more legal risk
How Can A Websites Be Made More Accessible in Ten Steps:
So, in this blog, we’ll discuss the easy steps to increase website accessibility and make it more beneficial to many people in a positive manner.
Enlarge Font Size:
Having a font size that’s too small makes reading difficult for some people. If you’re working on a website and you know users will be checking it from mobile devices, make sure that text is large enough for those with vision impairments.
Fortunately, it’s easy to do:
- Just add a line of code (or two) to your CSS file.
- Use one of many online tools like Responsive Font Size or Type-A-Later.
This enables those with visual impairments to easily access and see a web page.
Make Use Of Readable Fonts:
Not Everyone Has Perfect Vision, So Choose Fonts Easy On Your Readers’ Eyes. Here Are A Few To Suggest:
- Arial, with a size between 12 and 14 points
- Verdana, with a size between 12 and 14 points
However, Serif fonts can be harder to read on screen, especially if you have bad eyesight. The Windows web browser Internet Explorer does a terrible job with serifs. So, always use one of its suggested fonts (MS Sans Serif and MS Serif are recommended).
Even better than using text is using images. When you use text, try using an image map so people can click on just certain parts of it without having to scroll through everything.
Always Provide Audio Description:
If your site has much text, make sure you provide an audio description for those who can’t see what’s going on. Most of us tend to forget about blind people when we write our content, which makes sense; after all, most of us are not blind. But remember: there are a significant number of them out there (roughly 1 in 200 people), and they need access too.
Note: According to estimates from individuals with hearing loss, more than three million Americans are affected by hearing loss. Most of them are under sixty-five years old.
Put Video Captions On Your Website Videos:
Captions on videos are a powerful way of increasing accessibility and improving user experience. According to YouTube, adding captions increases watch time by 12%. If people watch more of your video, they will be exposed to your brand for more extended. They might contact you in other ways, such as through social media or email.
Captions also aid non-English speakers in consuming your content. Suppose someone sees that one of their favorite speakers is releasing a new video. But it’s not captioned in their language. And they may be less likely to watch it than someone who sees that same video and realizes it is available in their language.
Work On Color Contrast:
Web pages with low color contrast may be difficult for people with visual impairments, such as being color blind or having low vision. Website Accessibility Testing requires you to follow these best practices for using color in a way that can be read and understood by everyone. You can also use some tools like:
1. WebAIM’s Color Contrast Checker
2. Vischeck
3. Color Oracle
These Tools Are Enough To Ensure Your Content Has Sufficient Contrast.
Make Navigation Easy For Users:
Users should be able to focus on your content without fighting with your site. Try using a larger font, which will make it easier for all users to read. Just like a person’s age has nothing to do with their ability or inability to read, so should your site. It’s just like how it’s difficult for someone in a wheelchair to navigate a physical building with stairs. Likewise, it can be difficult for those who use web screen readers and other assistive technologies to navigate web pages with tables or frames.
Make Sure Everyone Can Adjust Their Reading Experience:
If you want your users to customize their browsing experience, make sure your website is easy to navigate with a keyboard. Do you have drop-down menus? Are they easily navigable with arrow keys? Are they labeled clearly and concisely, so users don’t have to guess what each button does? Those details are crucial when it comes to how can a websites be made more accessible.
Place Images At A Reasonable Size:
Many website owners don’t think about how a visually impaired person experiences their website. At the same time, it might be easier to design pages using large images and photos. These can get in the way of your user and make it more difficult for them to navigate your site. Always keep image sizes reasonable, so they don’t create an accessibility barrier.
Consider Using Screenshots Frequently Instead Of Texts:
Not everyone can access all of your site’s content. Whether it’s because their screen is too small, they are colorblind, or for any other reason. A person with a disability might find parts of your site difficult or impossible to read. However, that doesn’t mean you have to abandon your complex text; instead, consider simplifying it with screenshots and illustrations for a better user experience.
Use Flashy Animations & Interactivity:
When done well, animations, flash, and interactivity aren’t necessarily bad things. However, these elements are often used without understanding how they affect usability. A good rule of thumb is: if you can’t figure out why a specific graphic or piece of interactive content is relevant or essential on your website. It isn’t, and you shouldn’t use it.
