Website accessibility: why it matters and how to start

Around one in six people worldwide lives with a significant disability. Many more have temporary or situational limits: a broken arm, a small phone screen in bright sunlight, or tired eyes at the end of the day. An accessible website works for all of them, and it usually works better for everyone else too.

Why accessibility matters for your business

• More customers: if people can't read, navigate or buy on your site, they go to a competitor.
• Better SEO: clear headings, descriptive links and image descriptions help search engines understand your pages.
• Legal requirements: in many countries, including the EU under the European Accessibility Act and the US under the ADA, websites that sell to the public are increasingly expected to be accessible.
• A better brand: an inclusive website shows that you care about every customer.

The standard to follow

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the international reference. Most businesses aim for WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 at level AA. The guidelines are organised around four ideas: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

Quick wins you can check today

1. Text alternatives: every meaningful image has a short description (alt text). Decorative images have empty alt text so screen readers skip them.
2. Colour contrast: text is dark enough against its background to read easily. Avoid light grey on white.
3. Headings in order: one main heading per page, then logical section headings, so screen reader users can jump through the page.
4. Descriptive links: "Download the price list" instead of "click here".
5. Keyboard use: every menu, button and form can be used with the Tab and Enter keys, with a visible focus outline.
6. Forms with labels: each field has a visible label, and error messages explain how to fix the problem.
7. Zoom and text size: the page still works when zoomed to 200 percent.
8. Captions: videos have captions, and audio has a transcript.

Common mistakes

• Text inside images, which screen readers can't read and which doesn't scale.
• Pop-ups that trap keyboard users or can't be closed.
• Buttons that are only icons, with no accessible name.
• Using colour alone to show something, like red for an error with no message.
• Relying on "accessibility overlay" widgets instead of fixing the site itself. They rarely solve the real problems.

How to test your website

Start with free tools like Google Lighthouse or WAVE to find obvious issues. Then try your own site with only a keyboard, and with the screen reader built into your phone or computer. Automated tools catch about a third of problems, so a manual review by someone experienced is worth it for important pages like checkout and contact forms.

Make it part of the process

Accessibility is easiest when it is built in from the start: in the design, in the code and in every new page you publish. Fixing it afterwards is possible, but it costs more.