The goal of any effective online content campaign should be in allowing to reach as many viewers as possible. Now, this includes people with disabilities. Even today, many businesses think that web accessibility is limited to making their content responsive across different platforms like mobile, tablets or desktop. But there is a need for businesses to include people with disabilities in their target audience for online content campaigns. Whether it is a blog they are running or the content on their website, accessibility is important.
Creating web content that is accessible to those with physical or cognitive disabilities goes hand in hand with creating effective, SEO-optimised content. The basic components of disabled-friendly web content include making it meaningful, concise, clear, and easily findable. These are also the principles behind creating SEO-friendly content.
Why Web Content Accessibility Is Important
According to the Global Economics of Disability study conducted by the Australian Network On Disability in 2014, almost 1.2 billion people in this world had some type of physical or cognitive disability. This is almost 18 per cent of the total world’s population. And as people continue to age, this number would probably increase due to age-related disabilities. In today’s inclusive world, it is incomprehensible that companies would ignore such a large target demographic. As a business you can always engage content writing services to make your web content more disabled-friendly. To start with, businesses can use the Web Content Accessibility standards set by the World Wide Web consortium.
Explained below are a few ways that companies can tailor their online content to make it more accessible to the disabled.
Structure Your Content Properly
Having written content that is effectively structured makes it easier for those with cognitive impairment to read. It also benefits the visually-challenged who might be using an on-screen reader to access your content. The content must be simple, flow well and easy to comprehend.
Some of the ways to structure web content to make it more disability-friendly are:
- Providing alt-text for images that convey what the picture is trying to depict
- Using header tags so that users might understand the flow of the content and the structure of the article
- Breaking up long paragraphs into shorter ones that are limited to two or three sentences. Most reputed SEO content writing services create optimised content with the help of text optimiser tools available online.
- Using tables sparingly as the on-screen reader used by the visually-challenged audience cannot tell whether it shows data or is used to create a layout on the page.
- Avoiding very long and wordy sentences that can confuse those with visual or cognitive impairments. Using jargon, fancy words, or keyword stuffing makes for a tedious read and makes things difficult for not just the visually-impaired but also for those whose first language isn’t English.
- Using a site map: A site map has more than just one benefit. While it is especially helpful for those using on-screen readers and allows easy navigation of your site, a site map also helps the search engine algorithm scan and index your website. Even those without disabilities can find a site map useful.
Make It Easier For Keyboard Users
If someone has a mobility-related disability, then it might get difficult for the person to navigate the content on your website with a mouse. Reconsider putting your content into slideshows or pop-ups that require the regular clicking of the mouse if designing for someone with mobility challenges.
Keep It Accessible For The Auditory and Visually-Impaired
As those with visual impairments tend to use on-screen readers to access the content, websites should be careful about barriers. These include:
- Using colour to convey data: This can be a hindrance to those with colour blindness. Furthermore, an on-screen reader will not be able to differentiate the information just because it’s in a different colour. Those who are working on web content should also be careful while selecting the background and text colours for better visibility.
- Make audios and videos accessible: Nowadays, websites use all kinds of formats to upload fresh content. These can be videos, webinars, podcasts, infographics, and much more. People with visual and hearing impairments cannot access this type of content. Therefore, it is essential to give captions to all videos, transcripts for audio content, alt-text for images, etc. so that visually or auditory-challenged individuals can access your content. Businesses can use free accessibility software that automatically adds alt-text to multimedia.
- When you are adding links to your web content, avoid vague descriptions like ‘click here’ or ‘read me’ as those using on-screen readers would get confused. Make the links descriptive. These descriptions should contain information on what the link is about and be actionable to entice the audience to visit them. Not only is this more accessible to the disabled, it is a good search engine optimisation practise.
Final Words
By implementing the above mentioned best practises and using simple tools (available free online), companies can create websites that are tailored to suit the needs of those with disabilities. It is not just the requirement of the day but also a smart marketing move, as including people with disabilities will widen the reach of their content. In fact, some countries insist on having accessible websites and failing to make them so can result in a lawsuit.
Some of the specifications required for a disabled-friendly website also makes your content more robust and effective. It is also safe to say that providing accessible web content is a vital exercise that not only increases your target demographic but also makes your website more Search Engine friendly.
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