In recent years website accessibility became not only one of the most important user experience challenges but also—in the United States—a legal requirement. Web designers worldwide have to take into consideration a variety of factors that will make any digital platform more friendly towards people with a diverse range of hearing, movement, sight, and cognitive abilities.
As stated by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), “the impact of disability is radically changed on the Web because the Web removes barriers to communication and interaction that many people face in the physical world.” In 2020 and 2021, accessibility is considered essential for both developers as well as organizations that want to create high-quality websites and digital products.
Let’s take a look at some examples provided by W3C:
1. Alternative text for images
According to W3C, images should include “equivalent alternative text” in the markup or code. Most of the CMS platforms, such as WordPress, already have easy solutions that allow website editors to utilize this functionality.
It matters mainly because if a person cannot see a picture—and is using a screen reader—then without an alt text the context is simply gone.
Moreover, search engines incentivize website administrators to remember about the alt feature by promoting them on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).
2. Keyboard input
Imagine that you can’t use a mouse or a touchpad. How would you navigate the website? Enabling keyboard input for people with limited motor control not only gets you more readers but also makes them feel more comfortable, and your business more inclusive.
3. Transcripts for audio
With a text transcript, people who can’t hear will be able to familiarize themselves with your content—it’s as simple as that. Bear in mind that providing a text transcript not only works for people who are deaf but it also works for search engines.
