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Verifying Your Website’s Accessibility

August 18th, 2010

By Matt Cook
Point Click Media

Accessibility includes many functions and many forms. So how can you tell if your website content is indeed accessible to everyone? There are more than a few tests and methods that one can and should take to ensure that their website is not leaving anyone out in the cold.

1. Drop that mouse, mister…

The very first test is the keyboard test. Not everyone has a mouse or it’s quite possible that they may have trouble using one. Try navigating your website with only your keyboard and see how you make out.

2. The screen reader feeder

A screen reader is a piece of software that reads the contents of a web page and provides speech for those with visibility problems. A screen reader can be a costly piece of technology to acquire just for testing your website, but most have free trials that should suffice.

3. Magnify this!

Loading seo etc.

Try viewing your site using the magnification tool. This tool is available on both Windows and Mac. The magnification tool does exactly what it suggests, allowing the user to zoom in on parts of a page like a magnifying glass.

4. Check your website for validation

If you’ve hired a web development firm to design and/or build your website, then chances are this should have been done for you during the process. If you’d like to check it out for yourself, most browsers have additional plug-ins and add-ons that allow you to check for valid website code. You can also try the W3C’s Markup Validation Service. Invalid code can interfere with the ability of assistive technologies to properly interpret your site.

5. Watch your language

Sort of, but not really...

Sort of, but not really...

Not everyone is a Harvard graduate with a 4.0 Grade Point Average. There are a variety of different languages and reading levels among the population so it’s important to take this into consideration. Now, it’s not very realistic to expect your website to have translation for every language on earth, but the main part of this exercise involves identifying your main demographics to make sure they aren’t ignored. If you’re concerned about how your content is written or how it may be interpreted by your visitors, it may be a good idea to hire a copywriter. Often, copywriters are experienced in appealing to different audiences and a good copywriter should have no problem verifying your content or making adjustments for you.

If your website can stand up to the above tests then you should remain confident that your site is quite accessible. Of course, how far you take your usability study is up to you. There are no definitive checklists that outline exactly what you need to do to be labeled “certified accessible”. All one can really do is take the proper precautions to ensure that every user gets the most out of their visit to your website.

If you’d like to chat more about accessibility and how you can improve your website, contact Point Click Media.

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Posted in Web Tools on August 18th, 2010

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