10 Essential Web Accessibility Tips for Content Editors

Although a web developer may have created an accessible website, it’s not a guarantee that it actually is accessible. Adding content to a website can greatly impact the user experience in terms of accessibility. Consider an architect designing a building to accommodate people with disabilities — they would include basic elements like handicap accessible doors and ramps. However, if someone covers the handicap button with decorations or debris accumulates on the ramp, these basic elements become inaccessible. Similarly, the way you add content to your website can either help users find the information they need or hinder their ability to do so. Incorporating web accessibility tips can greatly improve the user experience and make your website more inclusive to individuals with disabilities.

If you are new to the concept of web accessibility, don’t worry as it is possible to make significant progress quickly by following some useful web accessibility tips. Structuring your content to make it accessible benefits all users, and you can begin by implementing the top 10 tips provided.

10 Important Web Accessibility Tips

1. Develop Content with Empathy in Mind

Before jumping into the practical advice for developing accessible content, it’s essential to empathize with your users and understand their perspective. Reflect on the following facts and take a moment to consider them. This is one of the important web accessibility tips!

• It’s important to acknowledge that a significant portion of your potential audience, roughly 25% of adults in the US, live with a disability that can create difficulties in their daily lives. Disabilities may include visual, auditory, cognitive, or physical impairments that require accommodations to facilitate access to content. Therefore, it’s crucial to consider whether your website caters to the unique experiences and requirements of this audience.
• It’s important to realize that temporary disability can affect anyone at any time. For example, consider the scenario of breaking your arm, which might make it difficult to navigate a computer without a mouse or keyboard. This highlights the significance of identifying which elements of your website may become inaccessible due to temporary disabilities and finding ways to address those issues.
• When you’re a content editor, it’s essential to keep in mind that your audience has diverse needs. Every time you add or modify content on your website, ask yourself how someone with different abilities might experience it. Consider ways to eliminate frustration and improve their overall experience.

All of these practical tips are intended to assist you in achieving that goal.

2. Structure Content to Enhance Wayfinding

The users visit your website with particular objectives, and it’s your responsibility to assist them in locating the information they require as fast and effectively as possible. Similar to how signs guide visitors in the proper direction so that they don’t have to roam around aimlessly looking for their destination, you must provide directional cues to assist users in navigating through your content.

Implementing web accessibility tips is crucial to ensure that your website is user-friendly and accessible for all individuals, regardless of their abilities.

• Utilize Headings & Subheadings to Make Content Readable

Many individuals find it challenging to read lengthy paragraphs, especially those with cognitive impairments or using assistive technologies like screen readers. To make your content more accessible, it’s essential to use headings and subheadings that divide your content into manageable sections and inform readers of what to expect. Planning an outline before writing can help you organize your content logically and populate headings with keywords and descriptions to assist users in skimming, scanning, and scrolling to locate the information they need.

• Implement a Rich Content Structure

By implementing a rich content structure on your website, you can guide your users towards the most important information on each page. This is crucial for those who may have difficulty distinguishing the most relevant content, such as those with cognitive impairments, or those who rely on assistive technologies. Use headings, subheadings, and section breaks to help organize your content and make it easier to navigate. These web accessibility tips not only help users find what they’re looking for quickly, but also create a more inclusive user experience for all.

3. Write in Simple and Direct Language

Improving the readability of your content is essential for making it more accessible. Similarly, for those relying on assistive technologies, making the content listenable is crucial. Long, confusing sentences and paragraphs can make it difficult for anyone to understand the message being conveyed. For people with disabilities, this challenge can be even greater, and it may take them longer to understand the information they need.

To create content that is both readable and listenable, you should adhere to certain rules.

• Keep your sentences as concise as possible, ideally 25 words or less.
• Use active voice instead of passive voice.
• Use plain language instead of complex vocabulary.
• Avoid jargon and acronyms that may not be well-known.
• It is also important to edit your work carefully, checking for errors and making necessary corrections.

The language used in your website’s content should not be overly complex or academic. This is one of the most important web accessibility tips.

4. Remember to Convert PDFs and Other Documents to HTML

When creating content for your website, avoid using PDFs or other document types such as spreadsheets or PowerPoint presentations as they are not user-friendly for those with disabilities. They are inaccessible and difficult to navigate, especially on mobile devices. Additionally, using a mouse is necessary to access the content, which can be a problem for those with limited mobility. It’s important to consider web accessibility tips and create content that is easily accessible for all users.

One way to ensure web accessibility for all users is to transform documents such as PDFs into HTML pages that are accessible.

5. Contextualize Your Images Using Alt Tags

Alt tags are descriptions of non-text content like images, which can be added to the HTML <img> tag. They provide important information to users with visual impairments who may not be able to see the image. It is recommended to use the alt tag to convey relevant details about an image. Your content editor or image manager may have a field to edit the alt tag value. You don’t need to add an alt tag for decorative or filler images that don’t provide any extra information. However, it is essential to add a descriptive alt tag for images that add value to your content.

6. Add Captions and Transcripts for Audio/Video Content

Including closed captions and transcripts for video content is a common practice among content editors to increase accessibility. While closed captions benefit users with hearing impairments and those who have difficulty processing auditory information, transcripts are essential for users with visual impairments. Transcripts also improve searchability and provide a quick way for readers to scan for key information. By providing both, you can ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can access and benefit from your multimedia content. These are important web accessibility tips to keep in mind when creating content.

7. Make Sure That Controls Within Media Content are Accessible

To ensure accessibility of multimedia content, it is important to consider the experience of impaired users. If an impaired user accesses a video or audio file, they should be able to control their experience without relying on a mouse. They should be able to perform basic functions such as play, pause, adjust volume, rewind/fast forward, and stop, using alternative controls such as keyboards, switches, or other assistive devices. Failing to provide alternative controls can result in an inaccessible resource. Therefore, it is crucial to review multimedia content and ensure that all users, regardless of their abilities, can navigate the media experience.

8. Remember to Make it Clear Where Your Links Lead

To improve web accessibility, it is crucial to avoid using vague language like “Read More” and “Learn More” when linking to internal and external resources. While these links can be unclear to any user, they can be particularly challenging for differently-abled users who rely on screen readers to navigate the web. Without context, such users may skip over ambiguous links and miss important content. To address this, it’s recommended to use specific descriptions that clearly indicate where the link leads. One way to do this is to use keywords from the destination page’s title within the link or simply use the title in its entirety. These web accessibility tips can help make the online experience more inclusive for all users.

9. Ensure the Accessibility of Embedded Resources

When building a website, vendors often offer tools to customize features such as photo carousels and interactive maps. However, these third-party resources may not be designed with accessibility in mind, potentially blocking content from users with disabilities. It’s crucial to evaluate whether these elements are inclusive and accessible to all users before incorporating them. If not, consider alternative solutions that are accessible to everyone. Ensuring accessibility is essential for web design.

10. Utilize Third- Party Tools to identify Accessibility Gaps

Various tools and checklists are available to assist in identifying and addressing accessibility gaps on websites. While some are aimed at meeting the minimum legal requirements, others take a comprehensive approach to improve the user experience for everyone. These resources can be helpful in ensuring that a website is accessible and inclusive for all users.

Siteimprove, CKEditor Accessibility checker, Lighthouse, and axe by Deque are a few of them.

Identifying the areas where issues exist is crucial for resolving them and providing users with an improved overall experience.

Conclusion

When you work as a content editor, your primary objective is to convey your organization’s message to your target audience. To accomplish this effectively, it is essential to structure your content in a manner that is easily comprehensible to everyone. Initially, this task may appear daunting, but in reality, usability and accessibility go hand in hand. By implementing web accessibility tips, you can ensure that your site is accessible to users with varying needs, making it a powerful tool for disseminating your message to a broader audience.

You could also partner with a proficient software development company with the best digital marketing services to help you out with this!