Great UX starts with accessibility
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Why accessibility matters
Accessibility reaches wider audiences
Almost 20% of the UK population are challenged in their digital presence. That’s around 13,671,917 people. If you're not engaging effectively, you’re locking out millions of people from your website.
Accessibility equals satisfaction
Nowadays, users measure their satisfaction relative to the quality of the digital experiences your business provides. So, the better and more accessible your user experiences, the more satisfied your customers.
Accessibility increases SEO
When your content is more organised, understandable and accessible, it’s much easier for Google to assess and evaluate your website. This not only increases your website’s accessibility, but also makes it more SEO friendly.
Accessibility is the law
Complying to the latest web accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.1) is already a legal requirement for public organisations. This covers all public mobile apps, and from June 2025, will include all private companies.
How can we help?
We work with many aspects of web accessibility and are familiar with all three WCAG levels. We look holistically at the web accessibility field to understand its connection with user experience, traffic and performance to optimise your investment. We offer:
- Web accessibility audits
- Guidance on WCAG compliance
- Web accessibility implementation
- Accessibility training for key staff (editors, designers etc.)
Checklist for editors working with web accessibility
Format your text correctly
• Use H1, H2, H3, bullets, numbering, and other formatting to make your pages easy to overview and scan.
Readability
• Write short and simple sentences. • Use headings and subheadings to create structure and meaning in your texts.
URLs and tags
• Give all pages a meaningful title and description so that it is easy to understand what the page is about. • Ensure that all URLs on the website have a meaningful title.
Links
• Avoid links with titles like "Read more" or "Click here." • Keep the descriptive link text within 100 characters or less.
Instructions
• Do not provide instructions solely based on the location on the page.
Images
• Provide images with descriptive and meaningful alt-text that explains the image for blind and visually impaired users. • For example, avoid text on images as digital assistants cannot read them.
Video and audio
• Provide transcriptions for videos and audio on your website. • Ensure that all videos have subtitles.
Documents
• Ensure proper formatting, for example, in Word or InDesign, before exporting to PDF. • Check that the PDF is not locked in a way that prevents a screen reader from rendering it to a user.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) checklist for designers
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Semantic structure
• Ensure that all design and content follow a logical semantic structure. • Pay attention to the reading order, which should be the same as the visual order on the page.
Colours and contrast
• Ensure sufficient contrast between foreground and background. • The foreground text should have enough contrast with the background colours. This includes text on images, background gradients, buttons, and other elements.
Text and fonts
• Use actual text instead of graphic text, as screen readers can read it and can be resized more effectively. • Always use CSS for styling.
Line length
• Avoid lines that are too long or too short, as it reduces readability. • The optimal line length for body text is between 50-60 characters per line.
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Links
• Ensure that links stand out visually in ways other than just using colour. • Design indicators that make it easy for keyboard users to identify links.
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Animation, video, and audio
• Draw attention to image and media alternatives in your design. • Avoid flashing animations and content that auto-plays.
Fields and forms
• Ensure that input fields and forms have descriptive labels and instructions. • Always display validation errors, error messages, and provide instructions for users to correct any errors.
Interactive elements
• Make it easy to identify interactive elements such as links and buttons. • Ensure consistent styles and naming of interactive elements throughout the website.
Navigation
• Make it easy to navigate the site in more than one way. • Provide features such as website search and a sitemap. • Help users understand their location on a website or page by providing orientation cues such as breadcrumbs and clear headings.
Download our free web accessibility webinar
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Speak to us about
web accessibility
With our initial assessment, you'll receive several suggested accessibility optimisations for your website from one of our expert web accessibility consultants.
The simplest way to get in touch is to complete the form.
We aim to get back to you within a couple of working hours.
If you'd prefer to call +44 (0)20 8144 8142
Or we can chat via email hello@novicell.co.uk
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