Hey, is my website accessible?

With our service lineup here at Momentify we’ve been getting asked a lot- how do i know if my website is accessible? While the answer is usually complex there are a few general checks you can do to see if you’re site follows web standards and is able to be accessed by the broadest possible audience.First, lets define web accessability. What is it and why should you care…

Web accessibility is the internet equivalent of a wheel chair ramp or prescription glasses. With an accessible website there are considerations taken into the design that will be apparent to certain users and make it possible for them to use your website. By designing the web accessibility guidelines you will also present your site as intended to the search engines- who look for certain behavior in the code of a site to rank you above or below your competitors. If you’d like to chat more about accessibility feel free to give me a call- for now let’s get on with the list!

Does your site use flash?

Flash is an inherently inaccessible  part of a website.  While it is great for large brands like Nike of Pepsi to offer interactivity to their brand, it is a poor and expensive choice for most businesses and will effectively serve as a barrier to search engines, blind users, and the elderly who commonly will scale text larger so they can view it comfortably. Google currently claims to see some of the code in flash and their are ways to optimize it for search engines, but as a general rule if you want an accessible website. Stay away from flash, ask your developer for HTML5 alternatives.

Is your text contained in images?

Many small businesses we consult with are completely content with how their site looks, what they hate is how it performs. One of the biggest offenders to a client with this problem is text contained in images. It doesn’t scale properly, it adds to page load times, and is not  seen by search engines. You can tell if your text is contained in images by clicking and dragging around it. If you can select the text character by character, you’re most likely in the clear. If you select  large squares or rectangles- it’s time to talk to a developer about having your site reworked. This is most  commonly found in navigation elements where a designer has attempted  to beautify a site, and inadvertently made it inaccessible.

Is your navigation standardized?

Maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout the design of a site is very important. If your site changes navigation from page to page then you have created a confusing layout for your visitors to navigate. Imagine walking around a house where the walls were constantly moving, it would take you quite a while to get where you wanted. Pick  either vertical or horizontal navigation and stick with it, your visitors will thank you.

How does your site fare?

After taking a look at these three quick checks how does your site look? Leave a comment here and we’ll point you in the right direction if you need help!