Website Accessibility Basics Every Business Should Know

Website accessibility means making sure people can use your site regardless of disability, device or situation. It’s the right thing to do, it widens your audience, and it usually makes the site better for everyone.

Who benefits

• People with low vision who zoom in or use screen readers
• People who can’t use a mouse and rely on a keyboard
• People with color blindness
• Older visitors who prefer bigger text
• Anyone using a phone in bright sunlight

The basics that make the biggest difference

• Good color contrast: text should stand out clearly from its background.
• Readable font sizes: body text that’s comfortable to read on a phone.
• Alt text for images: short descriptions so screen readers can explain important images.
• Clear headings: a logical structure with one main heading per page.
• Keyboard support: everything should work with the Tab and Enter keys, with a visible focus outline.
• Descriptive links and buttons: “View our pricing” instead of “Click here.”
• Labels on form fields: so everyone knows what to type where.

Extra touches

• A “Skip to content” link for keyboard users
• Respecting the “reduce motion” setting on phones and computers
• An accessibility toolbar for bigger text and higher contrast

My own site includes these, including an accessibility panel you can try at the bottom-left of any page.

Start small

You don’t need to fix everything at once. Start with contrast, text size, image descriptions and form labels. Those four changes help the most people.