Experts Reveals Where Businesses Are Going Wrong with Website Accessibility in 2022


As per a report, 2,352 web accessibility lawsuits were filed against the U.S. businesses in 2021, experiencing a rise of 14.3% from 2020.

Although website accessibility is a common procedure that every online business owner is familiar with, certain mistakes and errors continue to happen on a regular scale that ends up hurting businesses in different ways. Lawsuits can be expensive, tarnish a brand's reputation, and take up a lot of time and effort. 

In this post, we talk about some of the most overlooked and prevalent accessibility errors as per ADA website accessibility experts.

MISSING ALT TEXT IN IMAGES

Short for alternative text, alt text is a short textual description of a graphic or an image that depicts the message it conveys while offering a sensible explanation. It's beneficial for users suffering from visual impairments or color blindness. If someone accesses your website using a screen reader, alt text offers the user an alternative way to understand the image. Purely decorative images can be avoided, but ones with a purpose or containing links require to make sense to every kind of website visitor. Additionally, adding alt text is also good for your website’s SEO.

Likewise, captions and descriptions are important for dynamic content such as videos. If your website contains videos to explain your manufacturing process or client testimonials without any captions, people with hearing disabilities will find it difficult to understand your message.

IGNORING HEADING TAGS

Headings and subheadings offer structure to a content (Pretty much like the one you are reading right now). If this content piece had no heading, it would be difficult to understand the flow of the article and gain value from it. Headings provide a logical order while allowing readers to scan the page for the information they need.

IGNORING KEYBOARD-ONLY USERS

Up to 7 percent of working citizens in the US, Canada and UK have dexterity issues. This means they may find it difficult to use a mouse but are quite nimble with a keyboard. Broadly, keyboard-only users can be classified into three categories, namely, mobility-impaired, vision-impaired, and power users. If a website is designed to be accessed only via a mouse or any other “pointing” hardware, your business is excluding those that completely rely on keyboards for their virtual ventures.

ADA website accessibility experts advise doing a keyboard test to check your website’s user inclusivity. To do this, open your homepage and attempt to access a given page using a key (“Tab” key, in general). If it doesn’t work, your keyboard-using visitors aren’t going to spend much time figuring out your business. This also adds to a bad user experience.  

MISSING LINK TEXT

The best way to explain this is the “read more”, “learn more” or “click here” phrases commonly used within the webpage content body to hyperlink another page. If these links offer no textual information to users who might not understand or see the text, a user with assistive technology will only hear “read more” with any explanation or context. This way you will end up losing a customer while adding to a bad or unfulfilled customer experience.

MISSING INPUT LABELS ON FORMS

If one of the web pages requires a visitor to fill out a form such as signing up for a newsletter, contact details, or an assessment, input labels are a must. Satisfied by the HTML attribute <label>, adding input labels makes it easier for users with assistive technology to comprehend the instructions while improving your online business reputation.

Apart from averting your business from compliance issues, website accessibility is about inclusivity and introducing empathy in the business world while offering a holistic experience to every kind of user. There’s a reason why these mistakes are prevalent and go unnoticed even by webmasters. Having a carefully structured design plan is the first step to nullify the errors with a comprehensive compliance audit scheduled regularly to overcome further flaws and keep pace with the tech advancements.

Besides, a well-planned website accessibility process strengthens a business’s online presence while broadening its audience and reach while avoiding ethical issues. So, do seek expert assistance and keep your online business flourishing. 

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