Website Wednesday: ADA Accessibility FTW
Build an ADA accessible website and leave no visitor behind.
Before I posted on Friday, my last post was in April. That is just a damn shame, you know, for someone who used to pump these things out twice a week on the regular for 10 years in a row. So, I’m going to change that up now. Wednesday’s are going to be for website and workflow tips, and we’re going to start with a few things I learned about making your website more ADA accessible.
I’m the leader of a local networking group, The Rising Tide Society. Our monthly meeting was this week, and the topic was Inclusivity in Business, and how you can make sure you’re not only open to diversity, but acknowledging and welcoming of it. RTS provides a really helpful guide, and it was an easy research tool. So, what did I learn?
One in Four American Adults Live With a Disability
That’s a lot. And many of those are disabilities that aren’t readily apparent. Building accessible, ADA compliant websites has become a thing in the past couple of years, especially as more tools are being developed to help visitors who have visual, auditory, speech-related or neurological disabilities. They need your services, too!
ADA Website Compliance is Mutually Beneficial
You’re catering to a wider range of clients, and it also boosts your SEO (search engine optimization) which opens you up to an even wider range of clients. Win-Win.
All of the tips I’m giving you will benefit whoever comes across your site, because they’ll provide more clarity. And as we already know, a confused customer doesn’t buy.
This also came at a good time for me, because I re-design my website every August, so you’re going to see some changes around here, too. These are the most current “rules”, and fairly quick tweaks:
Accessibility isn’t just Alt Tags Anymore
But that’s a good place to start. Use them on all your images. They should be descriptive and add context, and no more than 150 characters. The Alt text for the photo above is “ADA accessible entry sign” which mirrors the caption. An extra step would be to re-name your image files so they’re more descriptive, too.
No Directional Language
THIS is the tip that blew me away. If a visually impaired visitor is using a screen reader, they won’t be able to see what your CTAs “Click here” or “Learn More” refer to. Make your text links - and the text links on your buttons more descriptive - “Next Page”, “Services” “Gallery”, etc. Be consistent throughout your website. This is literally the thing I’m re-doing first.
Optimize Your Videos
Any video on your site should have closed captioning and/or link to a transcript. Vimeo, Youtube, Zoom and Loom all provide both. No excuses!
If you use a CRM to manage your clients, you can use this tips there, too - Caption your videos, re-name your buttons, and change the alt-text and file names on your photos. Every little bit helps..everyone.
For more tips (I left out some stuff about contrasting colors and flashing image), click here to download the Rising Tide Society guide and head to page 15.
And speaking of CRMs, I’m teaching a Webinar on Thursday, August 18 about Honeybook’s newest feature, Smart Files and how you can use to streamline booking and onboarding your clients. Click here to register.
What else do you need to create a business that supports you while you’re supporting your clients? Click here to schedule a free consultation and we’ll get started.
I’ll talk to you soon,
Elizabeth
