Get Inclusive: 7 easy steps to making your website more accessible

When it comes to websites, aesthetics and functionality are high priorities on everyone's wishlist. But in the year of the Barbie movie - it's time that accessibility took even ranking with aesthetics and functionality. The SEO gods have been trying to tell us for years that we need to add alt text to our images anyway! 

If you’ve been following my adventures, I recently attended a Master Class with Simone Eyles from Disinfluncer.co that was held by the Cool Wow Collective. It made me realise just how little thought I had given to accessibility when designing my website. Which is frankly shocking to me, having grown up with less abled relatives. I should know better! Why didn’t I do something about it? Sadly, the truth is, that with very little investigation, I had put it in the too-hard basket. Boo me!!! Ensuring that your website caters to the diverse needs of all users, and doesn’t exclude those with disabilities, is not only a legal and ethical responsibility but also a strategic move to create a positive user experience and widen your audience reach. So where do you sit on this one? 

I had a chat with Simone after this Master Class and told her, now that I know better - I want to do better. So here I am sharing what I’ve learnt, why it's important and how you can make small changes to the way that you do things that will have a big impact on making your website more accessible. 

Prioritise Semantic HTML

Argh! Fancy words, seriously don’t run and hide - I’m mostly talking about getting your headers right. Using semantic HTML elements properly structures your content, making it more accessible to screen readers and other assistive technologies. Use headings (h1, h2, etc.) to outline the hierarchy of your content and ensure that your document structure makes sense when read linearly.

Alternative (alt) Text for Images

Include descriptive alternative text (alt text) for all images on your website. Alt text helps users who rely on screen readers understand the content and context of images. Keep alt text concise and informative, conveying the purpose of the image.

Also! Do this on your socials. You can add alt easy add in alt text when you are creating your posts. It literally takes 30 seconds to describe your image, so go the extra mile. 

Keyboard Accessibility (tab and enters)

If you’re an Xennial old-school computer user like myself - you’ll remember the days when there wasn’t such a thing as a mouse! Back then you had to tab across to the link that you wanted to click on and then hit enter. This functionality still exists and is used when using a mouse isn’t an option. 

Make sure that all interactive elements on your website can be accessed and operated using a keyboard alone. Keyboard navigation is crucial for users who cannot use a mouse, such as those with motor disabilities. So pop your mouse to the side and test your website's navigation using only the Tab and Enter keys to ensure all elements are reachable and usable. Does it cut the mustard? 

Offer User Customisation Options

Give users the ability to customize aspects of your website to suit their needs. This could include features like font size adjustments, colour schemes, and content display preferences. During our Masterclass, Simone mentioned Userway and that you could add a free version to your website. This literally took minutes to add to my website and I did it whilst I was on the call. 

These online tools are available to help your website visitors to adjust your website to their needs. Need Dyslexia friendling fonts? Bigger cursor? Highlighted links, animations stopped you name it, there is an option to make your website more accessible. If you only do one thing after reading this blog - do this one! 

Capitalise your Hashtags

This one is such an easy win, go through your hashtags lists and capitalise them, this helps anyone using a tool to read the screen. It will understand that each capital letter is a new word and read it as so. Otherwise, it will read it in the tangled mess.  It doesn’t really matter which platform you are working on, this change will work for all formats. #CapitiliseYourHashtags

Provide Captions and Transcripts

For multimedia content like videos and podcasts, offer captions or transcripts. This makes the content accessible to users who are deaf or hard of hearing and provides an alternative for those who cannot view videos. You can easily extract transcripts from your videos using Otter.ai, all you need to do is give it a proofread and post it. Your transcripts will help to boost your SEO as well.

Don’t forget that web accessibility is an ongoing process, so make some time to check in and make sure you are happy with the options on offer.  Regularly audit your website to identify new accessibility challenges and ensure that any new content or updates maintain the same level of accessibility.

Create an Accessibility Statement

An accessibility statement, lets your users know what features you have included on your website to make their experience better. This is a place where you can also invite users to give you feedback if they had a poor experience on your website. Be open to suggestions and how you can improve. If you want to read more about how I’ve been working to improve the accessibility of my website, check out my accessibility statement here or if there is something I can be doing better - please reach out. 

Get across the guidelines

Before embarking on your accessibility journey, familiarise yourself with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provided by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). These guidelines offer a comprehensive framework for creating accessible web content. The WCAG is organized into four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). Each principle contains specific guidelines that address various aspects of accessibility.

Making your website more accessible isn't just about compliance—it's about creating an inclusive digital space that welcomes all users. I urge you to start your own journey to make your website more accessible. Investigate the guidelines and adopt an accessibility-first mindset, you can ensure that your website is usable by everyone, regardless of their abilities. 

Remember, the effort you invest in improving accessibility not only enriches the experience for users with disabilities but also enhances the overall usability and reputation of your website. Special thanks to Simone Eyles from Disinfluncer, you can check out the incredible work she is doing to take disability mainstream, by visiting disinfluencer.co. Here you’ll find Australia's first and only online platform solely to help people with disabilities, neurodiversity and chronic illness not forgetting the family, carers, community and support workers who also exist in this space. They create content, provide talent, write news and produce podcasts. Drop her a follow.

Slide into my DM’s if you make some changes to your website on the back of this. I’d love to hear about it.