Five top tips for building accessible websites

Building an accessible website means making sure everyone, including people with disabilities, can use your site easily. Here are our five top tips to help you build a website that works for everyone.

Table of Contents

1. Make sure your site works with screen readers

Screen readers are tools that help people who are blind or visually impaired navigate websites by reading the content aloud. To support screen reader use, developers need to use proper HTML tags, including heading levels, form labels, and navigation landmarks. If you need help with web design in Surrey, you will find plenty of agencies that specialise in accessible, modern websites.

2. Add alternative text to all images

[Alternative text, often called alt text, is a short written description of an image that appears in the HTML code. This text helps people using screen readers understand what an image is showing, especially if the image contains important content such as charts, infographics, or instructions. Alt text should be clear and specific so it provides the same information that a sighted person would get from the image.

If accessibility is important to your organisation, working with specialists in web design Surrey, such as https://www.akikodesign.com/design/web-and-digital/, ensures your site is inclusive.

3. Full keyboard accessibility

Some visitors cannot use a mouse and rely entirely on a keyboard to move through a website. To support this, all interactive elements, such as links, buttons, and form fields, should be reachable using only the tab, enter, and arrow keys .

4. Provide user controls for moving content

Flashing, blinking, or auto-scrolling content can be distracting or even dangerous for users with conditions such as epilepsy or ADHD. Websites should provide users with a way to pause, stop, or control the speed of moving elements.

5. Offer options for timed content

Timed content, such as quizzes, forms, or logins that automatically expire, can be challenging for people who may need more time. Accessible websites should either remove time limits or give users a clear warning and the ability to request more time.