The Importance of Accessible Websites
Great websites aren’t just beautiful and informative. They’re also easy to navigate and accessible for all visitors to find what they want. When you build a website for a client, one of your goals should be to help them reach the broadest audience possible. By designing with web accessibility in mind, people with different needs and preferences can engage with your client’s website and learn more about their brand.
Accessible websites are more inclusive. They use fonts and colors that are easy to read. Accessible websites are structured with contextual tags and elements, so webpages translate clearly on different devices. They also feature images with descriptive alt text, so people using assistive technology can appreciate and access the full range of content on the site.
By adhering to web accessibility best practices, your client’s website will be a welcoming place for every customer to visit. You can also enjoy additional benefits, like improved SEO performance and higher order completion.
Please note: This guide is available as a resource to help you get started, but shouldn't be construed or relied upon as legal advice. Squarespace can't provide advice about making your site compliant with any specific accessibility laws, regulations, or standards.Understanding web accessibility
When designing a project for a client, consider the multiple ways visitors access information on the site. Many people use screen readers, which translate webpages into braille or spoken audio. Others use screen magnifiers to make text bigger and easier to read. Additionally, many people don’t navigate websites with a standard computer mouse. Instead, they use keyboard inputs or voice commands to navigate the various pages and page elements on a website.
Web accessibility is about acknowledging these aspects of visiting websites—and trying your best to build for it.
When assessing the accessibility of a website, it’s not helpful to think of it in ‘all-or-nothing’ terms. Making the web more accessible is an ongoing project, and there’s often room to improve.
As you design and build websites, try to make thoughtful, clear, and inclusive choices. You should also aim to create a user experience that will resonate with everyone, not just the people who engage with the web the same way you do.
Learn about how to build more accessible websites on Squarespace.
Benefits of creating accessible websites
When the web is more accessible, everyone wins. Your websites can have greater reach, drive more connections, and help your client’s customers discover tools and products that transform their everyday lives.
Reach more people
When websites are inclusive, more people can enjoy what they have to offer. By following web standards for accessibility, your client’s website will have more impactful, no matter how it’s consumed. You can also show that your client cares: They’re invested in each customer’s experience, and they want everyone to be able to enjoy their products and services.
Improve the user experience for everyone
Many web accessibility best practices are best practices in general. You should use language that’s easy to understand, text that’s easy to read, and layouts that are easy to comprehend. You should also ensure that your webpages load quickly and that your website has a clear and comprehensible structure. Visitors in slow networks, such as those in some rural areas, may not have the bandwidth needed to download heavy image files and videos. This is just another great reason to include alt text on videos and images.
Boost SEO performance
Search engines reward websites that meet key web standards for accessibility. By following best practices, like adding alt text to images, you can make your client’s website more inclusive and more SEO-friendly.
Complying with accessibility regulations
Web accessibility standards vary from region to region, and it’s important that your client’s website adheres to relevant accessibility laws. We encourage you to work with your client to best comply with the applicable accessibility regulations. You can also consult accessibility or legal experts for further information.
Best practices for web accessibility
There are many ways to make your client’s website more accessible. By using accessibility checkers, you may get a sense of how inclusive the website currently is—and where there’s room for improvement. Then, you can implement web accessibility best practices to make the user experience more inclusive.
Use straightforward language
Inclusive websites are easy to read, understand, and navigate. Favor clear language over complicated jargon. Keep your content concise and contextually label links and buttons so it’s clear what they’ll do when clicked.
Design clear and consistent layouts
Accessible websites can be beautiful, but design shouldn’t interfere with understanding. Create webpages that flow from top to bottom. Format elements (like headings) to convey their importance. Structure your content using self-explanatory HTML tags. Then, check that your website looks clear when viewed on different devices, zoomed in, and loaded at different speeds.
Pick contrasting colors
Color can make your website more striking, but it should always be used with care. Ensure there’s adequate contrast between foreground and background colors so that text, links, and buttons are easy to see. Check that text overlapping photos and videos is clear enough to read. Lastly, never use color alone to signal hyperlinks, error messages, or notifications.
Offer alternatives to visuals
Ensure that everyone can enjoy the full range of media on your website by providing inclusive alternatives to photos, videos, and more. Add descriptive alt text to images, offer text alternatives for charts and graphs, add captions to videos, and provide transcripts for audio recordings.
Web standards for accessibility are always evolving. By designing inclusive websites, you can make the web more accessible and help your clients reach a wider audience. Staying up-to-date on accessibility best practices also ensures you’re delivering a best-in-class user experience for your clients and their customers.
Want more?
Check out Squarespace Circle, Squarespace’s program for professional web designers, developers, digital entrepreneurs, and creatives. Along with exclusive content, discounts, and other perks, Circle brings professionals together from all across the globe to exchange advice while connecting with new clients and collaborators.
