Web Accessibility: Why It Matters and How to Get Started

Web accessibility ensures everyone can use your website, including people with disabilities. It's not just about compliance—it's good business that expands your audience, improves user experience, and demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity.

What Is Web Accessibility?

Web accessibility means designing and developing websites so people with disabilities can use them. This includes visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor disabilities, cognitive disabilities, and more. Accessible websites work with assistive technologies like screen readers, keyboard navigation, and alternative input devices.

Why Accessibility Matters

It's the Right Thing to Do

Approximately 15% of the world's population experiences some form of disability. In the United States alone, 61 million adults live with a disability. Making your website accessible ensures these millions of people can access your content, products, and services. It's about digital inclusion and equal access.

It's Good for Business

Accessible websites reach a larger audience. People with disabilities represent significant purchasing power—estimated at over $1 trillion globally. When your site is accessible, you tap into this market. Additionally, accessible design often improves usability for everyone, not just those with disabilities.

It's Legally Required

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires equal access to goods and services, including websites. Courts have increasingly ruled that websites are places of public accommodation. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide the standard for accessibility compliance. Non-compliance can lead to lawsuits, fines, and reputational damage.

It Improves SEO

Many accessibility best practices align with SEO best practices. Proper heading structure, alt text for images, descriptive link text, and semantic HTML help both screen readers and search engines understand your content. Accessible sites tend to rank better in search results.

Getting Started with Accessibility

Don't feel overwhelmed by accessibility requirements. Start with the basics and iterate. The most impactful changes are often the simplest: proper heading structure, alt text on images, sufficient color contrast, and keyboard navigation. Once you've addressed the basics, use our accessibility audit checklist to identify more advanced issues and ensure WCAG 2.1 AA compliance.

WCAG 2.1: The Standard for Accessibility

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 is the internationally recognized standard for web accessibility. It's organized around four principles:

Perceivable

Information must be presentable in ways users can perceive:

• Provide text alternatives for non-text content (alt text for images)
• Create content that can be presented in different ways (audio descriptions for video)
• Make it easier for users to see and hear content (contrast ratios, resizable text)

Operable

Interface components must be operable:

• Make all functionality available from a keyboard
• Provide users enough time to read and use content
• Don't design content in ways that are known to cause seizures
• Help users navigate and find content

Understandable

Information and operation must be understandable:

• Make text content readable and understandable
• Make web pages appear and operate in predictable ways
• Help users avoid and correct mistakes

Robust

Content must be robust enough to be interpreted reliably by assistive technologies:

• Maximize compatibility with current and future user agents
• Use valid HTML and proper semantic markup

Getting Started with Accessibility

1. Use Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML provides meaning to your content. Use proper heading levels (h1 through h6), use <nav>, <main>, <article>, <section>, and <aside> for structure. Use <button> for buttons and <a> for links. Screen readers rely on semantic HTML to navigate and understand content.

2. Provide Alt Text for Images

Every image needs descriptive alt text. Decorative images should have empty alt text (alt="") so screen readers skip them. Informative images need descriptive alt text that conveys the image's purpose and content. Complex images like charts and graphs need more detailed descriptions.

3. Ensure Keyboard Accessibility

Test your site using only a keyboard. Can you navigate to all interactive elements? Can you use all functionality? Keyboard users include people with motor disabilities and power users who prefer keyboard navigation. Ensure focus indicators are visible so users know where they are on the page.

4. Check Color Contrast

Text and background colors must have sufficient contrast. WCAG AA requires a 4.5:1 contrast ratio for normal text and 3:1 for large text. Use tools like WebAIM's Contrast Checker to verify your colors meet standards. Don't rely on color alone to convey information—use text labels, icons, or patterns as well.

5. Make Forms Accessible

Every form input needs a label. Use <label> elements associated with inputs using the for attribute. Provide clear error messages and instructions. Ensure form validation doesn't prevent users from completing forms without understanding errors.

6. Create Accessible Tables

Data tables need proper headers. Use <th> for header cells and the scope attribute to indicate whether headers apply to rows or columns. Complex tables may need scope="colgroup" or scope="rowgroup". Provide captions or descriptions for tables when needed.

7. Ensure Video and Audio Accessibility

Videos need captions for deaf and hard-of-hearing users. Audio content needs transcripts. Videos with important visual information need audio descriptions. Provide controls that allow users to pause, stop, and adjust volume for all media content.

8. Write Descriptive Link Text

Avoid "click here" and "read more" as link text. Instead, use descriptive text that indicates the link's destination and purpose: "Learn more about our web development services" or "Download our accessibility guide." Screen readers often navigate by links, so descriptive text helps users decide which links to follow.

Testing Your Accessibility

Use a combination of automated and manual testing:

• Automated tools: WAVE, axe, Lighthouse accessibility audit
• Screen reader testing: NVDA (Windows), VoiceOver (Mac), JAWS
• Keyboard-only navigation
• Color contrast checkers
• User testing with people who have disabilities