Accessibility of your website is a major determining factor that can have a great influence on every decision that your users will be making. Accessibility doesn’t just mean that when your user is clicking on the site URL, they can land on your website. Accessibility defines that all users, irrespective of their personal limitation, can access the website and perform the desired task that you want them to do without any glitches which in turn increases your ROI.
So, when you are thinking of making your WordPress website accessible, it is necessary that you consider not only the general section of the target audience but also the section that has limitations like visual impairment, speech and hearing issues, or other disabilities. Do you think that it is impossible to do so? Well, when you are relying on WordPress as the platform to develop the website, you have nothing to worry about. They have recently introduced a tool called Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool or WAVE to identify errors in the site that can affect accessibility. In the following points, you will get a glimpse of how you can make your WordPress site accessible to all with the help of expert developers from agencies that offer WordPress development services. Take a look.
Here are the 7 Tips to Increase Accessibility of Your WordPress Website
Opt for Accessibility Ready Themes
The first and foremost thing that the visitor notices on your website is the appearance. And the appearance depends on the theme. WordPress is a platform that is renowned for offering various free themes to the site developer to design and customize. However, there are certain complex themes that can pose difficulties for users with limited abilities. That is why WordPress Experts suggest that you need to use themes like Balasana, Mayland, Dalston, Maywood, and so on as they are free visual themes with accessibility-ready design and are preferred by photographers, storytellers and brands that have great pictures to share on their website. Hire WordPress developer to help you choose the theme that will be the right one according to your visual requirements.
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Display the Site Title and Tagline
With WordPress, there are themes that let you upload a custom header image that will display the site title or the brand name and help you promote the business. However, there are themes that might not support the alternative text or written copy especially if there is a loading issue on the website.
To deal with this issue, you can choose to display your site title and tagline. Go to “Manage” and click on “settings” and at the top, you will find “Site Profile”. Under it, fill out “Site Title and Site Tagline”. Now, go to the “Design” tab and click on “Customize”, then go to “Site Identity” and click on the box next to “Display Site Title and Tagline” to turn it on.
Use Apt Headings for Pages and Posts
Your job as the site-owner is to make it easier for your users to read or follow the content. So, go to the Heading Blocks and add headings while you are organizing pages and posts on your website. It is more important for longer pages and posts. Click the “I” icon on the block editor toolbar to find the errors and check if the heading size is correct or not.
Increase Legibility with Fonts and Colors
Font and color are two very important components of your WordPress website. They can add character to the site while enhancing the aesthetics of the design. At the same time, the font also helps in brand identity too. But all of these you already know and take into consideration. Now, there is another important point that often many people ignore. When you are using different colors on the site, it creates a contrast that helps to make the site more legible. The fonts not only stylize the text but also add up to the legibility as well. So, when you are hiring a company for their WordPress web design services, make sure that they are choosing the ones that are approved by WAVE and can make the site accessible to people with limited abilities. Pay attention to the block editors as they will display if there is an error in choosing colors and font.
Use Content to Clearly Describe Links
On your website, you will be using textual content to convey information to your potential and loyal customer base. Now, when you are doing so, often many end up using the “click here” phrase and just hyperlinking it. For example, if you are organizing a workshop next month on marketing, if you write “For a similar workshop next month, click here”,it might go unnoticed. But when you are describing it with content like “For our workshop on marketing next month” and hyperlink the whole line, it will become more visible especially to the users who might have limited abilities. Consider investing in such strategies for content too so that your inbound links can get clicks from this section of visitors.
Add Caption to the Image
When you are uploading images on the pages or the posts, you get a place to add caption beneath the image to describe it. Now, on WordPress, this is optional. However, the experts are of the opinion that you need to add a caption with the images while using them for your blog or website. It enhances the experience of the readers. And that will help you increase the accessibility of your site too according to the standard set by WAVE.
Add Alt Text with the Images
People with visual impairment generally use a screen reader that reads out loud the alt text of the image that is used. Also, if the image is disabled for speed or bandwidth reasons, the alt text can be visible. That is why WordPress strongly suggests that you use Alt Text for each image. Add image on the Image Block, Go to “Block’s Setting” on the Right. Now add text in the box under “Image settings”.
So, as you know about these ways to increase the accessibility of the website, what are you waiting for? Use these steps and enhance UX for everyone.