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This tip is about the how to Enhance the Web Accessibility of Your Business Content for Screen Readers. So read this free guide, How to Enhance the Web Accessibility of Your Business Content for Screen Readers step by step. If you have query related to same article you may contact us.
How to Enhance the Web Accessibility of Your Business Content for Screen Readers – Guide
It is estimated that 15% of the world’s population has some form of permanent disability. There are also temporary impairments such as musculoskeletal injuries that hinder movement and age-related, degenerative impairments such as visual impairment. Disabilities can limit a person’s interaction with their environment, including the Internet. However, fully accessible websites, along with assistive technologies, can help people with disabilities to enjoy the Internet. Unfortunately, many sites have accessibility issues that prevent people with disabilities from interacting with the site’s content.
If you make your website accessible, you can have a big advantage over the competition. People with disabilities are likely to become loyal customers of sites that work well for them, and word of mouth can be significant for these groups. So, let’s look at some reasons why you should improve your website’s accessibility and what practical steps you can take to do so.
How to Improve the web accessibility of your business content for screen readers
Choose a content management system that supports accessibility.
There are many content management systems available to help you create your website. Common examples include Drupal and WordPress, but there are many other options. Once you’ve chosen a CMS that suits your needs, you should choose an accessible theme/template. Check the theme documentation for accessibility tips and advice on creating accessible content and layouts for this topic. Follow the same guidelines when choosing modules, plugins and widgets.
For elements like editing toolbars and video players, make sure they support creating accessible content. For example, editing toolbars must include options for accessible titles and tables, and video players must include subtitles. CMS management options (such as creating a blog post or publishing a comment) should also be accessible.
Use titles correctly to organize the structure of your content.
Screen reader users can use the heading structure to navigate content. The proper and strategic use of titles (
,
etc.) will keep your website content well organized and easy to interpret for screen readers.
Make sure you use the titles in the correct order and separate the presentation from the structure using CSS (Cascading Style Sheets). Don’t choose a title just because it looks good visually (which can confuse screen reader users); instead, create a new CSS class to style your text.
Include suitable alternative text for images
Images must have alternative text so that screen reader users can understand the message conveyed by using the images on the page. This is especially important for informational images (like infographics). When creating the alt text, the text must include the message you want the image to convey, and if the image contains text, that text must also be included in the alt text.
The exception to this rule is when an image is used for decoration only, in which case the alt text can be left blank (link is external) so that the screen reader user is not distracted by the most important content on the page. If an image is the only content of a link, the screen reader will read the filename if no alt text is specified. Always provide alternative text for images used as links.
Give your links unique and descriptive names
When including links in your content, use text that describes exactly where the link goes. The use of “click here” is not considered descriptive and is ineffective for screen reader users. Just as sighted users scour the page for linked text, visually impaired users can use their screen readers to search for links.
As a result, screen reader users often do not read the link in context with the rest of the page. The use of descriptive text adequately explains the context of the links to screen reader users. The most unique content of the link should be presented first, as screen reader users often search the list of links by their first letter.
Use colors with caution
The most common form of color deficiency, red-green color deficiency, affects about 8% of the population. If you ONLY use colors like these (especially to indicate required fields on a form), these people won’t be able to understand your message. Other groups of people with disabilities, especially users with learning disabilities, benefit greatly from colors when used to distinguish and organize their content.
To accommodate both groups, use colors, but also use other visual indicators such as an asterisk or question mark. Also, be sure to separate the content blocks by visually separating them (e.g. using white space or borders). There are several color contrast assessment tools to help you make your page as useful as possible for people with low vision or color blindness.
Make dynamic content accessible
When content is dynamically updated (that is, without page updates), it may not be recognized by screen readers. This includes screen overlays, lightboxes, page refreshes, popups, and modal dialogs. Keyboard-only users can get stuck on page overlays. Magnification software users may be magnified in the wrong area of the page. Those features can be easily accessible. Options include ARIA functions and alerts and front-end development frameworks that specifically support accessibility.
Make sure that video players do not automatically play (non-consensual audio) and that the players can be operated with a keyboard. In addition, all videos must have subtitles and transcripts options for the hearing impaired. If your site includes a slideshow, make sure each photo has alt text and can be navigated with a keyboard. If you use special widgets (like a calendar picker or drag and drop features), check them for accessibility.
Final note
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