Are You Giving Customers Effective Access?

Take a moment to wonder how many potential customers leave your website because of accessibility issues. It is not an unknowable statistic, and it’s not just a guess. AbilityNet highlighted a UK Click-Away Pound survey performed by Europe’s leading disability and diversity consultancy, Feeney Williams, which found that 69% of disabled internet users leave websites that aren’t accessible. For small and medium businesses, this represents a significant missed opportunity.

In the area of general goods and services, the online shopping mindset doesn’t waver depending on whether one is disabled, so the above statistic reflects all consumers. So, how do you make your website and documents digitally accessible? This guide will show you simple, actionable steps to make your website and documents welcoming to everyone.

According to CDC data, approximately 70 million, or over 1 in 4 (28.7%), U.S. adults live with a disability. If you first address people with disabilities, you also make your website more accessible to all.

How do I make my website accessible to everyone?

Fortunately, there are definitive steps that will help:

1: Find Out How People Use Your Site

Knowledge is power: While you may think your website is intuitive just because it works for you, that doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Some people use a keyboard instead of a mouse. Others rely on screen readers that read text aloud or use voice commands to navigate a page. Testing how real users with or without disabilities interact with your website can show you things you might never notice.

Real users provide the most valuable insights. Invite feedback from people who use assistive technologies. Watch how they navigate your site, where they get stuck, and how they interpret your content. You’ll often find that small design or content changes can remove significant barriers.

2: Create Accessible Visuals for All

websites often overlook visual accessibility. Millions of people have some degree of visual impairment and rely on different aids to access digital content.

Avoid murkiness: Text should clearly stand out against its background, even for people with low vision or color blindness. A contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text is considered accessible. Use free tools like the Contrast Checker from WebAIM to make verification easy.

3: Create User-Friendly Documents

It’s common for businesses to share important information through downloadable documents like PDFs, Word files, or PowerPoint presentations. Unfortunately, many of these documents are inaccessible by default.

make sure that a PDF is tagged when you create it. Tagged PDFs have structural information such as headings, paragraphs, and tables, which makes the PDF more readable for screen readers. Make sure to include alt text for images and organize content so it reads correctly for users relying on assistive technology. A simple test for accessibility before sending or uploading the document can make sure that it can be read by everyone.

4: Reduce Mental Effort by Make Reading Easier

Pay attention to users who may learn in a different way or have cognitive disabilities that affect how they read and interpret information. Even those without diagnosed disabilities enjoy plain and uncluttered content.

Speak in plain language. Put your 50 cent words away and avoid using complex, long sentences or jargon where a straightforward explanation will do. Break your writing up into short paragraphs with explanatory subheadings. This is easier for everyone to read and find what they require in a short amount of time. In business, they say that 5^th grade English works best.

It’s also important to choose the right fonts. Arial, Calibri, Verdana, and Sans-Serif, are easier to read on the screen. Choose a font size of at least 14 points for body text and never use all caps or italics because they are harder to read.

5: Address People with Hearing or Mobility Needs

Aging can cause accessibility issues that are as crucial as disabilities. Going beyond visual or cognitive needs, millions of people have hearing or physical disabilities that affect how they use technology.

Always provide captions or transcripts for any video and audio content to support deaf or hard-of-hearing visitors. Consistently adding these is important, as many viewers watch videos on mute, especially at work or in public. Transcripts also help search engines index your content, giving your site a slight SEO boost.

To help users with limited mobility, ensure that your website is completely accessible with only a keyboard. All links, buttons, and form fields should be accessible using the Tab key. Avoid features requiring fine motor control, including small click-tooltips or drag-and-drop interfaces.

6: Improve Your Website Through Feedback and Data

Just like most things in the digital world, accessibility isn’t a one-time project, it’s an ongoing process. Each time you update your site or add new content, don’t take short cuts. Take the time to test to ensure that everything remains accessible. Encourage visitors to provide feedback if they encounter issues, and consider including an accessibility statement on your site to show your commitment and provide contact information for support.

Analytics tools can also provide insights into accessibility gap issues. When you notice users abandoning pages or forms, it is usually an indication of an accessibility or usability issue.

7: Make Accessibility Part of Your Brand

Don’t make accessibility just another item on an already long to-do list. It’s a smart investment in your reputation and customer relationships. When your website and documents are accessible, you’re showing your audience that your business is thoughtful, inclusive, and professional. You’re also protecting yourself from potential legal risks, as accessibility standards like the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) apply to many websites.

Beauty and accessibility can go hand in hand. You can have a modern, visually striking website that’s also accessible, by thoughtfully choosing colors, design elements, and language that welcome everyone.

Are You Ready to Make Your Website More Accessible?

Remember that accessibility is not a technical requirement: It’s about people. It’s about ensuring everyone, no matter what their ability, can read your content, fill out your forms, or download your documents. For business owners, that’s the essence of good service: meeting customers where they are and including everyone.

When you invest the time to make your documents and site accessible, you’re opening doors and removing barriers. Whether you’re doing your color contrast check, adding alt text to images, naming PDFs, or performing keyboard navigation testing, each step brings you closer to a more inclusive online experience.

If you’d like help making your website accessible, user-friendly, and welcoming to all visitors, give IT Support LA a call today. Let us help you transform your site into a powerful asset for your business. Contact us to get expert guidance and start creating an accessible, modern website that works for everyone.

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