Creating accessible websites isn’t just a nice-to-have feature—it’s essential for building an inclusive digital world. With over 1 billion people worldwide living with disabilities, web accessibility ensures that everyone can navigate, understand, and interact with your content effectively. Whether you’re a developer, designer, or content creator, understanding these fundamental guidelines will help you create better experiences for all users.
1. Provide Alternative Text for Images
Every image on your website should include descriptive alternative text (alt text) that conveys the same information the image provides to visual users. Screen readers rely on alt text to describe images to users who are blind or have low vision.
Best practices:
- Keep alt text concise but descriptive
- Avoid phrases like “image of” or “picture of”
- For decorative images, use empty alt attributes (alt=””)
- For complex images like charts, provide detailed descriptions elsewhere on the page
Example: Instead of alt="graph", use alt="Sales increased 25% from January to March 2024"
2. Ensure Proper Color Contrast
Text and background colors must have sufficient contrast to be readable by users with visual impairments, including color blindness and low vision. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) specify minimum contrast ratios for different text sizes.
Requirements:
- Normal text: minimum 4.5:1 contrast ratio
- Large text (18pt+ or 14pt+ bold): minimum 3:1 contrast ratio
- Non-text elements like buttons and form fields: minimum 3:1 contrast ratio
Use online contrast checkers to verify your color combinations meet these standards before publishing.
3. Make All Functionality Keyboard Accessible
Not all users can operate a mouse or touchscreen. Many people rely on keyboards, switch devices, or other assistive technologies to navigate websites. Every interactive element must be accessible using only a keyboard.
Key considerations:
- Ensure all links, buttons, and form controls are reachable via Tab key
- Provide visible focus indicators so users know where they are
- Implement logical tab order that follows the visual layout
- Avoid keyboard traps where users get stuck in one area
4. Use Semantic HTML Structure
Proper HTML structure provides meaning and context that assistive technologies use to help users understand and navigate your content. Semantic elements like headings, lists, and landmarks create a logical hierarchy.
Essential practices:
- Use heading tags (h1-h6) in proper order without skipping levels
- Structure content with appropriate HTML elements (nav, main, article, section)
- Use lists (ul, ol) for grouped items
- Implement ARIA landmarks when semantic HTML isn’t sufficient
5. Provide Clear and Consistent Navigation
Users should be able to find and use navigation consistently across your website. This is especially important for users with cognitive disabilities or those using assistive technologies.
Implementation tips:
- Keep navigation menus in consistent locations
- Use descriptive link text that makes sense out of context
- Provide multiple ways to find content (search, sitemap, breadcrumbs)
- Include skip links to main content areas
- Ensure navigation works with keyboard and screen readers
6. Design Accessible Forms
Forms are critical interaction points that often create barriers for users with disabilities. Accessible forms help all users successfully complete tasks like signing up, making purchases, or contacting you.
Form accessibility essentials:
- Associate labels with form controls using the
forattribute - Provide clear instructions before form fields
- Use fieldsets and legends to group related fields
- Implement clear error messages that explain how to fix problems
- Make required fields obvious and programmatically indicated
7. Ensure Content is Readable and Understandable
Your content should be clear and easy to understand for users with varying cognitive abilities and reading levels. This benefits everyone, not just users with disabilities.
Content guidelines:
- Write in plain language appropriate for your audience
- Keep sentences and paragraphs reasonably short
- Use headings and white space to break up large blocks of text
- Define technical terms and abbreviations
- Provide summaries for long or complex content
8. Make Media Accessible
Video and audio content requires additional considerations to be accessible to users who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, or have low vision.
Media accessibility requirements:
- Provide accurate captions for all video content
- Include audio descriptions for videos with important visual information
- Offer transcripts for audio content
- Ensure media players are keyboard accessible
- Don’t auto-play media with sound
9. Avoid Content That Causes Seizures
Flashing or strobing content can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy. This is not only an accessibility issue but a serious safety concern.
Safety guidelines:
- Avoid content that flashes more than 3 times per second
- Keep flashing areas small (less than 25% of screen)
- Provide warnings for content that might trigger seizures
- Use smooth transitions instead of rapid changes
- Test animations and transitions across different devices
10. Test with Real Users and Assistive Technologies
The most important guideline is to test your website with actual users who rely on assistive technologies. Automated testing tools can catch many issues, but human testing reveals real-world usability problems.
Testing approaches:
- Use screen readers like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver
- Navigate your site using only a keyboard
- Test with users who have disabilities
- Conduct regular accessibility audits
- Use browser developer tools and accessibility extensions
Getting Started with Implementation
Implementing these guidelines doesn’t have to be overwhelming. Start with the basics like alt text and proper headings, then gradually work through more complex features. Remember that accessibility is an ongoing process, not a one-time fix.
Consider using accessibility testing tools, following established design systems, and staying updated with WCAG guidelines. Most importantly, keep your users at the center of your design decisions—when you create with accessibility in mind from the beginning, you build better experiences for everyone.
Web accessibility isn’t just about compliance; it’s about creating an inclusive digital world where everyone can participate fully. By following these guidelines, you’re not just making your website better for users with disabilities—you’re improving the experience for all your visitors.
At 7Shades Digital, we specialised in creating strategies that help businesses excel in the digital world. If you’re ready to take your website to the next level, contact us today!
