SEO has long been one of the core aspects of website build and maintenance. Even if you’re one of the few brands not producing original content, chances are you understand the importance of optimisation. But there’s also a good chance you’ve not considered accessibility within this— something any digital marketing expert will tell you is now essential.
What does website accessibility mean?
We’ll give you two guesses. Or perhaps just skip to the answer…
Website accessibility is the same as ‘real world’ accessibility. It’s about making sure everyone can access your website and get the same level of experience.
Currently the UK only has laws that dictate government websites should be 100% accessible. But this doesn’t mean every business shouldn’t take steps to ensure anyone can find, search, understand and learn from the domain.
Roughly 1/6 of the British population is registered with some form of disability. That’s a huge demographic, many of who could be shut out without good website accessibility but could be potential customers and clients. And even if they’re not, it’s 2019 and inclusivity should be a defining principle for all of us.
How does a website become accessible?
As any digital marketing expert will be quick to point out, website accessibility often involves the same steps you need to take to improve SEO. Here are a few pointers…
Responsive Design
If you don’t have a responsive website design by now then it’s probably time to have a long, hard look at where the business is going. Responsive design mean the site will look as it should no matter what device someone uses to view it. This is a fundamental principle of accessibility.
Text resizing
Adding a text resizing tool means people can choose how big or small the words are. That’s essential for those who struggle with eyesight. An easier way to achieve the same thing is by building-in responsiveness to browser zoom level. Again, responsiveness is key.
Alternative text
This might mean very little if you’ve never posted a blog, so let’s explain. Alternative text and caption fields are available for any picture on a blog or web page. Filling these in can really help people who struggle to see images. Adding these elements can also hugely benefit SEO if you include keywords useful to your site— something every digital marketing expert wants to see happening.
Simple messaging
One of the most basic rules of writing for a digital audience. Keep it simple. Attention spans are not what they were in the days of Tolstoy, so write concise, sharp and to the point.
Organised text
Large, clear titles should appear at the top of pages. Within the body text, use sub-headings and section breaks. It’s not just people with disabilities that will appreciate this— every reader responds better when bulk content is easy to segment, and search engines LOVE a good sub-heading that uses a keyword.
Clear navigation
Dwell time is really important to your search engine results ranking. The longer people spend on a website the better it is ranked. Making your site clearly navigable is incredibly effective at improving dwell time, and also vital for accessibility as it helps people find what they want.
Internal search
People are not going to trawl through your pages to find things that might be relevant, but they might type in a quick search phrase to see what they can find. This is also really helpful for people that struggle with the standard navigation, especially if you offer voice search.
All clear on how website accessibility can also improve SEO? Maybe it’s time to check out our infographic on the best types of content for SEO.
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