Accessibility · 18 Apr 2023 · 2 min read

Website accessibility: why it matters and how to improve it

Accessibility is usually treated as a compliance item, added late and checked once. It is worth more than that, and it is cheaper to build in than to retrofit. Here is the case for it, and the fixes that actually change how a site behaves.

Why a site needs accessibility support

• The law asks for it. Many countries require websites to be accessible to people with disabilities. In India, government-facing sites are checked against accessibility guidelines as part of review — which is why every departmental portal we build carries the controls that check calls for, from an accessible masthead to text-resize.
• It reaches a wider audience. People with disabilities are a significant share of the population. An inaccessible site excludes them by construction.
• It improves SEO. Alt text, heading structure and readable contrast are accessibility practices and ranking practices at the same time — the same work counts twice.

Content and visual fixes

• Use high-contrast colours, so text and interface elements are easy to see for people with low vision.
• Use a legible font size. Small type is hard to read for many visitors, not only those with a visual impairment.
• Write in clear, concise language so people with cognitive disabilities can follow the content.
• Avoid blinking or flashing content, which can be disruptive and can trigger seizures.
• Add alt text to every image, so screen reader users know what they are missing.
• Test with an actual screen reader. Markup that looks correct and markup that reads correctly are different things.

Structural fixes

• Use semantic HTML, so assistive technology can understand the page’s structure rather than guess at it.
• Keep navigation consistent across pages, so nobody has to relearn the layout.
• Label every interactive element clearly, so its purpose survives without the visual cue.
• Avoid frames — they are difficult to navigate with assistive technology.
• Keep the site fast. Slow load times hit users on older assistive technology and slower connections hardest.

The part that gets skipped

Accessibility is not a setting to switch on. It is a set of habits covering both what a page contains and how it is built, and the only reliable way to know a site has them is to test it with the tools people actually use.

We run accessibility checks as part of delivery rather than as a change request afterwards — see how we work, or read this site’s own accessibility statement.