Taking the Mystery Out of Website Accessibility: Making Your Site Work for Every Customer

When you open a physical shop or a restaurant, you make sure the door is wide enough for everyone to enter and the aisles are clear of obstacles. Your website should be no different. Website accessibility simply means building your site so that people with various abilities can navigate it, read your content, and buy your products without frustration.

Many business owners worry that accessibility sounds like a complex technical chore, but it is actually about good customer service. When your site is easier to read and navigate, it performs better for everyone, including people using older phones or those in a hurry. Here is how you can make your site more welcoming for all visitors today.

Use High Contrast for Easier Reading

One of the most common issues on small business websites is low color contrast. This happens when you have light grey text on a white background or yellow text on an orange button. While these might look trendy, they are incredibly difficult for many people to read, especially if they are outside in bright sunlight or have vision impairments.

To fix this, stick to high-contrast combinations like dark text on a light background. If you are using a button, ensure the text color stands out sharply against the button color. If you are unsure, there are simple free tools online that can check your color combinations for you to ensure they meet standard readability guidelines.

Give Your Images Helpful Descriptions

People who are visually impaired often use screen readers to browse the web. These tools read out the text on the screen, but they cannot see an image. This is where alt text comes in. Alt text is a short written description of an image that is tucked away in your website settings. If you have a photo of your signature cheeseburger, the alt text should say exactly that.

• Describe what is actually in the photo clearly and briefly.
• Avoid using phrases like image of or photo of because the screen reader already knows it is a picture.
• Include important details like the name of a specific product or a menu item.
• If an image is just for decoration like a swirl or a line, you can leave the alt text blank so the screen reader skips it.

Make Your Links and Buttons Descriptive

We often see websites where every link says Click Here or Read More. While this is common, it is not very helpful for someone using assistive technology. When a screen reader scans a page, the user might just hear a list of links. Hearing Click Here five times in a row provides zero context about where those links lead.

Try to make your link text specific. Instead of saying Click Here for our menu, simply make the words View Our Lunch Menu the link. This tells the customer exactly what to expect and makes your site feel much more professional and organized.

Organize Content with Proper Headings

Headings are not just for making text bigger or bolder; they provide a structural map of your page. Using headings in a logical order, like starting with a main title and then using subheadings for different sections, helps everyone scan the page quickly. It also helps search engines like Google understand what your page is about.

Avoid skipping heading levels, such as jumping from a main title to a very small sub-section title. Think of it like a Table of Contents in a book. This logical flow keeps users from getting lost and ensures that anyone using a keyboard or screen reader can jump to the section they need without having to read the entire page from top to bottom.

Test Your Site Without a Mouse

A quick and free way to test your website's accessibility is to try using it without your mouse or trackpad. Use the Tab key on your keyboard to move through the links and buttons on your homepage. You should be able to see exactly where you are on the page at all times, usually indicated by a small outline around the selected item.

If you find that you get stuck in a menu or cannot reach your contact form using only the keyboard, your customers might be having the same trouble. Fixing these small navigation blocks ensures that your site is functional for everyone, regardless of how they interact with their device.

Making your website accessible does not have to happen all at once. Start by checking your text contrast and adding descriptions to your most important images. By making these small changes, you are showing your customers that you value their business and their experience, no matter how they access your site.

The Ready AI Digital Team

Strategy & Growth