Improving your website’s accessibility can be effectively managed with some thoughtful adjustments to your standard operating procedures. Even small teams with limited resources can make a significant impact on accessibility without sacrificing efficiency or dramatically increasing costs. Once your team understands the importance of accessibility, they will be more receptive to changes that enhance inclusivity.

Enhancing Text Content Accessibility

To improve website accessibility, it’s essential to tailor content for diverse audiences, considering factors beyond just visual elements. Key considerations include:

1. Clear, Plain Language: Communicate in straightforward terms. Tools like Grammarly or the Hemingway App can help ensure your language is simple and easy to understand. Aim for a reading level of 9th grade or below, using tools like the Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker.
2. Short Sentences: If an idea can be expressed in fewer words, do so. Ideally, sentences should be less than 21 words to maintain clarity and conciseness.
3. Simple Instructions: When giving directions, such as clicking a button, be clear and explicit without using positional or color references (e.g., “Click the green button” or “Click the button on the right”). These types of instructions can be inaccessible to blind or low-vision users.
4. Avoid Jargon and Idioms: Use clear, direct language rather than slang, idioms, or jargon. If such terms are necessary, provide explanations or links to help all readers understand.
5. Front-Load Information: Place the most important information at the beginning of sentences and paragraphs to ensure the key message is immediately clear.
6. Use Headings: Break up long sections of text with headings. This not only helps everyone read more easily but also allows screen reader users to navigate quickly to specific sections.

Enhancing Non-Text Content Accessibility

Making non-text content accessible is equally important. Here are best practices for images, videos, and audio:

1. Alternative Text for Images: Provide concise and accurate descriptions of important images, considering their context within the surrounding content. Decorative images can have empty alt text values.
2. Text Alternatives for Videos: Provide closed captions and written transcripts for all videos. Ensure accuracy by having a human review and correct any automated speech-to-text conversions.
3. Text Alternatives for Audio: For audio files, such as podcasts, provide written transcripts. These should also be reviewed and corrected by a human for accuracy.

Enhancing Links and Navigation Accessibility

Effective hyperlinks and navigation are crucial for accessibility. Follow these best practices:

1. Descriptive Link Text: Use meaningful text that clearly describes the link’s purpose or destination. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
2. Differentiate Link Text: Ensure links are underlined or visually distinct through color and an icon to indicate their clickable nature.
3. Consistent Structure: Maintain a consistent navigation structure to help users predict the location of items and understand the layout.
4. Warn About New Tabs/Windows: Clearly indicate if a link will open in a new tab or window, and consider using the Equalize Digital New Window Warnings WordPress plugin to automate this process.
5. Check Navigation Code: Ensure your navigation menus use proper HTML elements (e.g., , , ) to facilitate screen reader interpretation.

By adopting these best practices, you can significantly enhance your website’s accessibility, making it more inclusive for all users. Regular updates and continuous learning about accessibility will help maintain and improve these standards.

This guide has been created based on The Small Business Accessibility Playbook for WordPress by Equalize Digital.