An accessible website is a website that is designed and developed to ensure that people with disabilities can access and use its content effectively.
Making your Website Accessible!
Making your Website Accessible!
The goal of web accessibility is to create an inclusive online environment that accommodates users with a diverse range of abilities and disabilities. Key characteristics of an accessible website include:
- Perceivability: Information and user interface components must be presented in a way that users can perceive. This includes providing text alternatives for non-text content, ensuring sufficient contrast between text and background, and offering alternatives for multimedia.
- Operability: All functionality of the website should be operable through a keyboard interface. Users should be able to navigate and interact with the website using a keyboard or other assistive technologies.
- Understandability: Information and operation of the user interface must be clear and straightforward. Users should be able to understand and predict the behavior of the website.
- Robustness: Content should be compatible with current and future technologies, including assistive technologies. This helps ensure that the website remains accessible as technologies evolve.
Common elements of web accessibility include providing alternative text for images, using semantic HTML markup, ensuring proper document structure with headings, using descriptive link text, providing keyboard navigation, and testing websites with assistive technologies. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) developed by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) are widely accepted and followed standards for creating accessible websites. These guidelines are organized around the principles of perceivability, operability, and understandability. Creating accessible websites not only benefits people with disabilities but also enhances the user experience for all visitors, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. It promotes a more inclusive and diverse online environment.
Although not completely a new concept, having an accessible website is now becoming more important and in some states is legally required. There is some good news.
- If your website is organically optimized for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) you are halfway there but it is always good to double check! You can do that here for FREE: RUN SCAN
- Having an accessible website can give your business a competitive edge and even result in tax benefits?
- Making your website accessible can also increase your audience reach to include people with disabilities, leading to better customer loyalty as your brand becomes more inclusive.
- Finally, an accessible website can improve your SEO, potentially increasing your business’s traffic and revenue.
Considering these benefits, I’ve done extensive research and found a great solution with a company called accessiBe, which I believe is the best option for your website. If you are a Little Web Design Shop client, we have a great deal for you with no charge for the edits that may need to be made (I’m hoping that there should be very few!). Click HERE to get going! As a potential client, we have a great deal for you too…after a brief review of your website, we can give you a free quote for any work that needs to be done to make your website compliant.
Testimonials
“We’ve used The Little Web Design Shop on multiple occasions for web design as well as collateral creation. High recommend! “
Yvonne St Gelais
I’ve had the pleasure of working with The Little Web Design Shop for the past four years. They’ve designed multiple websites for my various businesses, and completely understood my vision and brought it to life with precision and creativity every single time. Their innate knowledge and expertise in web design is truly exceptional. It’s refreshing to see a web designer create detailed websites without relying on cookie cutter templates. Additionally, their outstanding communication, responsiveness, and collaborative approach makes every project stress-free for me and it’s why I recommend The Little Web Design Shop for anyone in need of a highly functional, personalized website design!
Willie Neivus
Clan Irwin Association was in need of a re-designed website, and we were referred to The Little Web Design Shop. We found Alyson was extremely knowledgeable about the Word Press products she uses in designing and implementing websites. She gave us the choice of themes — how we wanted the website to flow — and worked with us to meet all our needs. She exceeded our wildest expectations with her imaginative and innovative creativity. We utilize Square to accept memberships from our website and we have a Members Only section which requires members to login. Both of these were easily accomplished. She has provided guidance now that we are through the process. I heartily recommend The Little Web Design Shop to anyone in need of a new website or re-design. Checkout our website: www.clanirwin.org and see for yourself.
Mary Erwin
“Alyson is great to work with. She did an amazing job on our website. www.clearwaterofnewengland.com… Alyson is professional, knowledgeable and easy to work with. Alyson will go above and beyond for her clients. If you are looking for a redo or a new site, I highly recommend The Little Web Design shop. Thank you “
Karen Mattuchio
“Alyson is a wizard at Photoshop, generous with her time, and her website designs are flawless!”
JoAnn Donovan
My only regret is that I did not hire Alyson with The Little Web Design Shop before now. Alyson has diligently worked through issues that I brought over from a previous web design team. She has been patient with my lack of knowledge and always willing to make one more change that I came up with at the last minute, Alyson is professional and knows her business. I highly recommend Alyson and her team with The Little Web Design Shop.
Janet & George Mullen
“They are absolutely amazing! I couldn’t imagine better service anywhere else. I’m so grateful!”
Dwight Owens
“Alyson is an expert in web design, does great work, easy to work with and has a great understanding of what you need in terms of web design.”
Demetrius Powe
“I am enjoying working with Alyson refreshing MogoBox’s website. Very professional and efficient. I look forward to a continuing relationship.”
Debra Hussey
If you need help with your business online this place is 10 out of 10…In this journey I’ve encountered many many who say they can…The Little Web Design Shop is the first to get it done…Unmatched professionalism and particular care to even the finest detail, I can’t say enough good about them…Simply outstanding service.
Bob Perkins
“My various companies, AccessAerospace LLC, William Cress Corporation, Russell Cress Company Inc, Cress Photo and many others have been working with The Little Web Design Shop and Alyson Stasek for the past 20 years. I am not an easy client! Somehow Alyson and her team have managed to create outstanding sites complimented by very professional graphics in spite of my many changes and modifications. Patience is a virtue, and she has it. Thinking of a new website, give them a call!”