What Is Accessible Content And Why Should You Be Using It?

Is inclusivity a top priority for you? It should be. Adding barriers to your website only adds to the limitations which many disabled people face, impacting their ability to participate fully in society. But according to research from Click-Away Pound, 82% of customers with access needs say they would return and spend more with companies that provide an accessible online experience.

At Visions, we pride ourselves on taking a UX-first approach. We can always guarantee a website that looks amazing, but to get the most out of it, your site should appeal to the masses. Using accessible features like video captions, clean fonts and colours, alt-text for images and improved text readability all contributes to a user-friendly site.

And accessible content isn’t simply limited to your website. By translating your accessible objectives over to your social media content, you also create more opportunities for people to engage with your content, potentially increased traffic, likes, shares,comments and other measurable engagement metrics.

Now let’s dive into online accessibility best practices in a little more detail…

1. Alt Text for Images - Alt text offers a text description of your images to be read by screen readers. This allows people with visual impairments to understand the content of your images.

2. Descriptive Headings - Improving your site’s readability with descriptive headings helps people with cognitive disabilities to navigate your content. The headings should give a clear indication of the content that follows and should break up large blocks of text that some may struggle to read.

3. Captions and Transcripts for Videos - By using captions and transcripts, you offer another way to communicate with people who are deaf or hard of hearing. This can also help to engage users who are not fluent in the language which your video is in.

4. Keyboard Accessible Websites - Not all users are able to seamlessly scroll through your site with their mouse, trackpad or fingers. With keyboard accessibility, you can still provide full functionality and simple navigation for users with physical disabilities.

5. Clear, Easy-to-Read Font - While some of this may come down to your overarching branding, you should always be using clean and simple fonts to improve the accessibility of your text-based content. This can also include use of colour for both text and backgrounds, avoiding any clashes that might be ineligible for users with visual impairments.

We can all do our bit to make the online space more accessible to everybody. These conscious choices can help people with disabilities access the same information and services as those without, leading to a better user experience for everyone.

If you want support in developing a more user-friendly website, we’re always passionate about projects that can make a difference. So why not get in touch and see if we’re the right fit?