Accessible Websites: Why It Matters, and Five Easy Wins

An accessible website is one that everyone can use, including people who are blind or have low vision, people who can't use a mouse, people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and people with cognitive or learning disabilities. About one in five Australians has a disability, and many more of us have tired eyes, a cracked phone screen or a slow connection.

Why it matters

• It's the right thing to do. Your customers, members and volunteers include people with disability.
• It's expected. Australia's Disability Discrimination Act applies to websites, and the international standard is WCAG (the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines).
• It helps everyone. Clear headings, readable text and good contrast make a site easier for all visitors.
• Search engines like it. Many accessibility fixes, such as describing images and using proper headings, also help Google understand your site.

Five easy wins

1. Describe your images

Every meaningful image should have "alt text": a short description read aloud by screen readers. "Volunteers sorting fresh vegetables at the Wednesday food table" is much more useful than "IMG_4521".

2. Check your colour contrast

Light grey text on a white background is hard for many people to read. Your text should stand out clearly from its background. Free online contrast checkers will tell you if it passes.

3. Use real headings

Headings should be set as headings (Heading 1, Heading 2…), not just bold, larger text. Screen reader users jump between headings to find what they need, the way sighted people skim.

4. Make links say where they go

"Click here" and "Read more" mean nothing out of context. "Read our volunteer guide" or "See opening times" tells everyone what to expect.

5. Caption your videos

Captions help people who are Deaf or hard of hearing, and everyone watching on a phone with the sound off, which is most people.

Test it yourself

Try using your site with only the keyboard: press Tab to move through links and buttons. Can you see where you are, and reach everything? Then try it on your phone at arm's length. If you're squinting, so are your visitors.

Every site we build has accessibility built in from the start. If you'd like us to check yours, book a free chat.