How to Improve Website Accessibility Fast

Start with an Accessibility Audit

Before you begin making improvements, it’s important to understand where your website stands in terms of accessibility. An accessibility audit will give you a clear idea of which areas need attention. Fortunately, there are several tools available that can scan your site for common accessibility issues. Some popular options include:

• WAVE: This free tool provides a detailed report highlighting issues like missing alt text, poor color contrast, and accessibility errors in HTML structure.
• Axe: Another widely used tool, Axe integrates into browsers and helps you identify accessibility issues on individual pages.
• Google Lighthouse: A built-in feature in Chrome DevTools that can generate reports on accessibility, performance, and SEO.

Once you run your website through one or more of these tools, you’ll receive a list of accessibility issues that need fixing. These issues could range from missing alt text for images to problems with the color contrast. The audit will serve as your roadmap for improvement.

Add Alt Text to Images

Images are a vital part of modern websites, but they present challenges for users with visual impairments, especially those who rely on screen readers. Screen readers interpret alt text and describe images to users who cannot see them.

To quickly improve accessibility, start by ensuring all images on your site have appropriate alt text. Here are some guidelines for writing effective alt text:

• Be descriptive but concise: Describe what the image conveys, including relevant details.
• Avoid redundant phrases like "image of" or "picture of."
• For decorative images that don’t provide critical information, you can leave the alt attribute empty (alt="").

Adding alt text is one of the quickest and easiest ways to make your website more accessible.

Ensure Proper Color Contrast

Websites with low color contrast can be hard to read for users with visual impairments, such as those who are colorblind. Text that blends too much into the background or uses colors that aren’t distinct enough can make reading nearly impossible.

To improve color contrast, use high-contrast color combinations. For example, dark text on a light background is generally easier to read than light text on a light background. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

You can use tools like Contrast Checker or WebAIM’s Color Contrast Tool to test the contrast ratios of your website’s colors.

Use Descriptive Links

Links are an essential part of website navigation, and for screen reader users, they must be clearly identifiable. If your website contains generic phrases like “click here” or “read more” for links, users may struggle to understand the context when they rely on screen readers to navigate.

Instead, use descriptive link text that clearly explains the destination or action of the link. For example:

• Instead of: "Click here to read more."
  Use: "Read the full article on website accessibility."

Descriptive links not only help with accessibility but also improve the user experience for everyone. It’s an easy fix that can be done in a matter of minutes across your website.

Optimize for Keyboard Navigation

Many users with physical disabilities rely on keyboard navigation rather than a mouse. Ensure your website can be fully navigated using the keyboard alone. Here are some quick tips:

• Tab order: The order in which users navigate elements (like buttons, form fields, and links) should be logical. Test your site’s tab order to ensure it moves sequentially through the important content.
• Skip links: Add skip navigation links to allow users to bypass repetitive elements (like the navigation menu) and jump directly to the main content of the page.
• Accessible forms: Ensure that forms can be navigated with the keyboard and that all form fields have associated labels that are clearly identified.

Test your site by disabling your mouse and navigating it using just the keyboard. This quick check will help you identify any issues with keyboard accessibility.

Provide Text Alternatives for Multimedia

Multimedia content like videos and audio files can be challenging for users with disabilities. To improve accessibility, it’s essential to provide text alternatives:

• Captions for videos: Ensure that all videos on your website have accurate captions. This is crucial for users with hearing impairments but also benefits users in noisy environments or who prefer watching videos without sound.
• Transcripts for audio: Provide a transcript for any audio content on your site. This helps users who are deaf or hard of hearing understand the audio content.

Adding captions and transcripts may take a bit of time, but it’s an investment that enhances your website’s accessibility.

Make Forms Accessible

Forms are a common feature on many websites, but they often present accessibility challenges. Users with disabilities may struggle to complete forms if they aren’t designed with accessibility in mind.

To make forms more accessible:

• Use proper HTML form markup and ensure each form field has a corresponding label that’s linked to the field (using the for attribute).
• Provide clear error messages for invalid form submissions. Ensure that the error messages are descriptive and help users understand how to correct the issue.
• Allow users to navigate through form fields with the keyboard.

Testing forms with screen readers and keyboard-only navigation will help identify any accessibility issues.

Test and Monitor Accessibility Continuously

Improving accessibility isn’t a one-time task. As you continue to add new content and features to your website, it’s important to regularly test and monitor your site’s accessibility. Setting up periodic accessibility audits can help ensure that you’re staying on track.

There are several ways to continuously monitor accessibility:

• Automated tools: Set up automated accessibility tests using tools like Axe or Lighthouse to monitor changes as you make updates to your site.
• User testing: Engage real users with disabilities to test your website and provide feedback.

Conclusion

Improving website accessibility may seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be a lengthy process. By following these straightforward steps—conducting an accessibility audit, adding alt text, improving color contrast, ensuring keyboard navigation, and providing text alternatives—you can make your website more inclusive and usable for everyone.

Not only does improving accessibility benefit users with disabilities, but it can also boost your site’s SEO and help ensure compliance with legal requirements. The sooner you start improving accessibility, the better. And remember, this is an ongoing process—continuous testing and monitoring will ensure that your website remains accessible as it evolves.