- Hey, welcome to "The Journey."
Today, we're talking about getting
WordPress accessibility right, every time.
Many of us have the luck and privilege
to never have to worry about
needing to have a website be accessible while we browse.
We just fire up our laptops,
scroll on TikTok on our phones,
and just carry on about our day.
But you'd be amazed at the vast array of hurdles that
some users have to take to just browse an everyday website.
And as a website designer or developer,
it's imperative that you create a website
that's accessible to all.
And when you consider WordPress websites make up
37% of the Net, it makes sense to be mindful of that build.
So what is WordPress accessibility,
and why is it so important?
As we mentioned, WordPress accessibility
is really about creating a website
or just a platform that everyone can use.
The more people that can use your website,
the more accessible it is.
And again, as a designer or developer,
if you're building these websites for clients,
this needs to be at the forefront of your design thinking
and just the websites that you create.
So by creating an accessible site,
you're gonna do a few things.
You're going to make the site more user-friendly.
So the user experience of building trust and loyalty.
You will also avoid some fines and lawsuits.
And in addition to that, you're gonna
better optimize your site for Google listings.
That being said, there's a lot more that goes into
creating a website than just being compliant.
Before we dig into this any further,
it's worth noting that there's a couple different aspects
when it comes to usability,
that play an equally important role
to making a website accessible.
So there's the accessibility of a website theme,
i.e. how it looks,
and then there's the plugins and custom coding
or really what the site does.
And to offer your visitors a truly accessible experience,
it's worth noting that
you'll need to make sure both of these
are at the forefront when you're developing your website
for usability and accessibility.
Let's get into the types of accessibility.
You got auditory, motor, cognitive, and visual impairments.
So it's predicted that about 15% of the world's population,
so that's like 1 billion people, live with a disability.
So by making websites more accessible,
you're able to reach a larger audience.
Another type of accessibility is economic status,
and many people around the world don't have
the latest and greatest smartphone that could run
4G networks or the latest browser operating systems.
So you want to make sure that
the websites that you create are backwards compatible
with some of the older generations of
phones, computers, laptops, all of the like,
and also the browsers themselves, like Internet Explorer.
Also, when thinking about types of accessibility,
you'll want to make sure that it can operate
on multiple devices.
And these days, WordPress themes are responsive
from the get go, so shouldn't be a problem,
but it's definitely worth an audit.
And like we said, website elements need to be accessible.
And if you've never considered
WordPress accessibility before,
it might feel a little overwhelming,
but there's a core set of features
that you want to really keep top of mind
when you're developing these websites.
And let's really jump through
each of these pieces and make it a little less overwhelming.
The first one is just images and alt text.
So the visually impaired can't necessarily see the images
on your website, so they rely on the alternative tags
that really describe what that image is about.
If you've been in WordPress
and you've uploaded an image before,
you'll see that box, the alt text.
And if you're leaving it blank,
you're not making your website accessible.
And really, you just want to describe
what the image is about.
Most of the time, the title will do a good enough job,
but if it's a picture of a man playing the saxophone
say, "Man playing saxophone" so they can really,
they start to visualize what that image might look like.
So let's talk about acronyms.
I know screen readers can struggle with these.
So you'll want to use any subtext
to avoid any incorrect interpretations.
For example, SEO, search engine optimization,
might be interpreted as seo.
So again, add any subtext to avoid that miscommunication.
Yeah, and continuing the conversation with
those screen readers, contact forms are a big issue
for those screen readers,
which is why we typically recommend keeping the labels.
So the text above the actual input field
versus just inside, as the placeholder text.
It helps the person understand,
first name is why I have to put my first name.
Last name, last name.
And if that's not there,
some screen readers have difficulty
understanding what those fields are,
which doesn't create an accessible experience for them.
Also, when thinking about accessibility,
think about your links.
If the text of the hyperlink is "click here,"
where? What's happening?
Give me more description there.
So for example, if it said,
"Click here for your free ebook,"
I know, when I'm going to, in fact, click on that link,
I know what's gonna happen.
There's no mystery there.
The last part we want to talk about has to do with fonts.
So unusual fonts might look good,
but those fancy fonts are really challenging
for these visually-impaired users or screen readers.
So it's usually best to go with simple fonts,
such Open Sans, Oswald,
or even Poppins, my personal favorite,
and avoid those cursive, wacky fonts.
And not necessarily with this category
avoid Comic Sans, but make sure your font is easy,
and clear to understand and read.
So now the really fun part,
we're gonna talk about legality and Section 508
with regards to the accessibility guidelines.
This is important to
reflect on because we talked about breaking laws earlier,
not breaking laws, and we're also talking about
including all consumers in that user experience.
So it is important to get into the legality portion here.
And I have an example of this.
Beyonce's company, specifically Beyonce.com,
became a defendant in a class-action lawsuit
because the site was not accommodating
to the visually impaired.
That is leaving out
2 million people with vision impairments.
And so, therefore, they're unable to get the news
or into the portal of news of all things Yonce.
And hey, if you're unsure
how accessible your website might be,
there's a free solution.
You can go to aCe accessibility checker, find out.
Let's talk about the human and SEO benefits
for WordPress accessibility.
And now, it's easy to become cynical
when we think of web accessibility
as just another hoop to kinda jump through
to enhance your website's SEO.
However, at the heart of
website accessibility strategy and SEO
is all about providing your end users
the best possible experience
that they can have with your website.
Catering to specialized needs is
not just an act of generosity.
It's also good for your client's bottom line.
And by doing this, you're really showing
and leading the example that your web design,
their development or management company,
is all about impacting the world in a positive way.
Accessible content is more than just SEO.
It's about leveling the playing field for all users.
So for those living with disabilities,
Internet shopping could be the easiest way
for them to interact with your brand.
So as you go to make your site more accessible,
think about the general usability of the site.
And with that, you know, you're going to improve
the overall customer experience.
And a couple of ways to do that,
simplifying overly complicated code,
also creating a clean and easy navigation tool.
And then don't forget to add the alt text to those images.
Hey, while we're on the topic of SEO,
not only are these adjustments really crucial
for the overall accessibility of your WordPress site,
it's also a great opportunity to potentially boost
higher in search engine rankings
by adding a couple extra keywords.
So are you ready to start getting your
WordPress accessibility right for your clients?
And hey, let's be honest.
It's not gonna be a walk in the park.
Especially when you consider the incredible freedom
that WordPress gives you by allowing you
to download whatever plugins and themes
that you want to put on the website,
not to mention the sheer breadth of coding
that you can write to make the site your own.
Although a bit of effort is gonna go into this
to ensure that your site is,
in fact, accessible to everyone,
regardless of their disability, their device,
their economic status.
I can guarantee you it will be worth it.
Now I hope this helps you
make your client's WordPress sites that much more accessible
because when it's accessible, we all win.
And if you've gotten any value out of this video,
make sure you give us a like, and drop us a comment below.
Also, be sure to subscribe
so you know what our next video is out.
This is "The Journey."