You’ve tested your website, read up on accessibility trends, and even trained your staff on digital accessibility best practices. You should be set…right?
Despite the best intentions, if any of the six mistakes below look familiar, you could actually be sabotaging your digital accessibility efforts.
Many people think accessibility is a one-time fix, but ensuring your site remains accessible is a continuous, ongoing process. Some changes are in the owner’s control, but others, like web browser updates and evolution of assistive technology, need to be monitored.
Here are a few tips to ensure you remain in compliance:
Planning for digital accessibility from the beginning can save a lot of time and extra work. It should be treated with the same sense of necessity as other parts of your business strategy — not as an afterthought.
It is also important to prioritize specific parts of your website design from the beginning. One of the biggest challenges web designers face is trying to rework their site for accessibility, when their design is otherwise finished.
A few tips for accessible web design include:
There are many benefits to automated accessibility testing, which scans web pages for accessibility violations. This includes speed, benchmarking, and catching obvious issues.
Automated accessibility has its limitations, though. Scans lack the subtleties and knowledge to identify all of the elements that can present accessibility challenges. Things like inadequate alt text, mislabeled elements, inaccessible off-page links, or failed color contrast ratios can fall through the cracks. Automated scans also can’t identify the most important use cases on a website.
Ultimately it is people, not machines, who are using websites. Automated scans are most valuable when combined with human testing, such as our four-point hybrid testing.
A common pitfall is only focusing on one aspect of digital accessibility, such as website or desktop accessibility. There are many digital platforms that need to be prioritized, including email, social media, and mobile devices.
Accessible emails honor diversity and inclusion — two fundamental values in today’s business world. And, as the most effective channel for revenue generation (according to 59% of B2B marketers), it’s essential from a bottom-line perspective, too.
Several tips include:
10 Tips to Optimize Email Accessibility offer additional more in-depth tips.
Since late 2015, mobile web traffic has surpassed desktop, with up to 70% of web traffic coming from mobile devices. This is especially relevant for email marketing, as 75% of Americans say they use their smartphones most often to check email, according to Blue Corona.
These three key points are helpful to remember:
You can download the Definitive Checklist for Mobile Accessibility, or visit iOS and Android Testing for a free 30-minute consultation.
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram can raise some specific access issues. Addressing these challenges not only helps broaden your customer base — but helps build your brand reputation as a company that cares about accessibility.
Here are resources to get you started:
It can be challenging to integrate knowledge of a specific subject area throughout an organization. As a result, sometimes important information becomes siloed in departments or within specific roles. This can cause issues with consistency and follow-through — not to mention confusion among staff members.
Digital accessibility is no exception to this challenge. Here are a few important things all employees should know about accessibility:
For some additional tips, read What Project Managers Need to Know About Accessibility and 8 Things the C-Suite Needs to Know About Accessibility.
Many organizations seem to have adopted a “wait it out” strategy in response to accessibility. They’ll deal with the issue of accessibility if and when it arises — which could eventually come in the form of an ADA demand letter.
Digital accessibility is not a passing fad. Each year, the percentage of Americans with disabilities continues to rise (now at 26%), as well as the number of Americans using the internet. An estimated 90% of Americans used the internet in 2019 — up from only 83% a few years before. Moreover, with the rise of ADA lawsuits, more and more organizations are feeling the heat to ensure digital compliance.
Ignoring digital accessibility not only goes against an important trend, but could put your organization in jeopardy.
Talk to us to learn all the ways we can help customize an accessibility strategy to meet your unique business needs. Or, get started with a free and confidential website accessibility scan. We look forward to being your accessibility partner.