Your Website May Be A Victim Of A Lawsuit: Do This 1 Thing

Your website may be a victim of a lawsuit: do this 1 thing to save yourself and your business.

U.S. companies have been inundated with lawsuits in the past several years alleging that their websites do not comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and various state laws, including the California Unruh Act. Plaintiffs claim that the websites do not meet the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) created by the nonprofit World Wide Web Consortium because visually impaired consumers allegedly cannot access the sites using screen-reader software. National Law Review

Is your website a potential liability? Yes, it probably is

According to the Inquirer “Over the last three to four years, there has been an “explosion” of lawsuits and claims by disabled people, asserting that businesses’ websites (and, increasingly, their mobile apps) were not accessible to them because they were not up to code with Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act, or ADA”

The issue according to the Inquirer received national attention after a decision in October by the U.S. Supreme Court to let stand a lower court ruling that opened the door for blind people to sue Domino’s Pizza for not making its website accessible. The lower court ruling decided that the ADA not only applies for making a company’s brick-and-mortar establishments accessible to disabled people, but covers their online properties, as well.

Today, we’re talking about getting your website 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 Facebook 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.

Website Accessibility Right

And as a business owner, it’s imperative that your website is accessible to all. The more people that can use your website, the more accessible it is.

So, by creating an accessible site, you’re going to do a few things. You’re going to make the site more user-friendly – this user experience will build trust and loyalty. You will also avoid some fines and lawsuits.

And in addition to that, you’re going to 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 of different aspects when it comes to usability, that play an equally important role to making a website accessible. 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.

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Types of Accessibility

Remember that, website accessibility right is for all not the privileged.

You got auditory, motor, cognitive, and visual impairments. According to the World Bank, It’s predicted that about 15% of the world’s population – that’s like one 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 that 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.

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And let’s really jump through each of these pieces and make it a little less overwhelming.

Images and Alt Text

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, start to visualize what that image might look like.

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.

Placeholder Texts

Next, is 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.

Hyperlinks

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 going to happen. There’s no mystery there.

Fonts

The last but one 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.

Colors

Lastly, it is very important to consider the colors of your website. The visually impaired who would be using your site would need to be able to distinguish between the colors on your site. You color contrasts should meet at least the AA contrast level.

Section 508 and WCAG

Let’s now talk about the really fun part – legality and Section 508 with regards to the accessibility guidelines. Website Accessibility Right is for all not just a few.

This is important to reflect on because we talked about breaking laws earlier, 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 CONTACT US for a FREE Audit.

Benefits of Accessibility Website

Let’s talk about the human and SEO benefits for Website 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.

Conclusion

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, 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 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 website accessibility right for your clients? And hey, let’s be honest – it’s not going to be a walk in the park.

Although a bit of effort is going to 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 sites that much more accessible because when it’s accessible, we all win.

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