Web accessibility, why it matters and the bare minimum

Web accessibility means making sure your site works for everyone, including people who see poorly, hear badly, don’t use a mouse, or browse on a phone in bright sunlight. It isn’t charity, it’s plain business sense: people who can’t use it, don’t buy.

Why it matters

Much of the accessibility you build for some people helps everyone. Strong contrast reads better on the bus. Captions help when you’re somewhere noisy. Big buttons are easier to hit with a thumb. On top of that, Google likes well-structured sites, so the effort also helps you show up in search.

The bare minimum

You don’t need to fix everything at once. Start here:

• Enough contrast between text and background, so text reads without effort.
• Alt text on images, so screen reader users know what’s there.
• Everything reachable by keyboard, without depending on the mouse.
• Buttons and links with clear names, no “click here”.
• Captions on videos, which also help people watching with the sound off.

Where to start

Walk through your own site using only the keyboard and with the zoom turned up. Wherever you get lost, your visitor gets lost too.

If you’d rather we looked for you, test your site for free and we’ll tell you what to fix first.