And why it matters more than you think
Have you ever tried to read a website on your phone and found the text too tiny to click on or read?
Or you’ve sat in a noisy cafe and tried to watch a video but there weren’t any captions?
They’re examples of inaccessible content.
Web content accessibility is about making sure everyone, no matter their ability, age, device or circumstances, can access and understand your website.
What exactly is web content accessibility?
Web content accessibility means designing and writing your digital content so it’s usable by everyone. This includes:
- People with physical disabilities, like those who have low vision, are deaf or have mobility issues.
- Those with cognitive or learning differences that means they find it harder to read or understand content.
- People who aren’t fluent in the website’s language.
- Those who have situational barriers such as having a broken arm, who are trying to view a website in low light or in a noisy environment.
- People who are new or infrequent users of digital material.
In short, it’s many of us.
Why does it matter?
The internet is for everyone. If your content isn’t accessible, it’s excluding people whether or not you mean to.
It’s not just a compliance thing (although that’s important too). It’s about respect, equity, and good communication. Plus, accessible content helps:
- People using screen readers
- People with low literacy or who speak English as a second language
- Older users who need simpler navigation
- Anyone on a slow connection or mobile device
It’s also helpful for SEO as I explain in a previous blog.
What does accessible content look like?
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are like a roadmap to making digital content inclusive.
There are lots of things a developer needs to take care of. Things like making sure the website is readable when a user increases or decreases the text, and making sure the website loads quickly so screen readers can access it.
However, there are many things good copywriters should consider as well. Here are 7 ways I make content more accessible.
1. Write in plain language
Text content needs to be readable and understandable. Some users with disabilities or English as a second language might find complex text hard to understand.
By writing shorter sentences, avoiding jargon and simplifying words, we can make text more easily understood.
The WCAG guidelines recommend text should be no more advanced than a lower secondary education level. That’s about a grade 8 or 9 level.
However often a lower grade is better, particularly if you want to appeal to a wider audience.
How do you work this out? There are lots of tools, such as Hemingway App.
For example, this blog has been rated as a grade 6 level. By writing at a lower grade level, you don’t need to worry you’re making the writing childish. As they wrote on their website:
“A common mistake is thinking that grade level defines your target audience. This couldn’t be more wrong. In fact, writers like Ernest Hemingway produced novels for adults that score at a 5th-grade reading level. After all, straightforward writing appeals to everyone, regardless of their education level. Skilled authors prioritize accessibility without sacrificing depth or sophistication.”
2. Structure content with headings to make it easy to navigate
Another way to improve web content accessibility is to break up text using headings. Section headings organise content and can make it easier to read for both humans and screen readers.
However, it’s important that headings are used in a logical way. I’m going to get a bit techy here…
In HTML, headings are broken up using tags, called h1, h2, h3, h4, h5 and h6. Headings should follow the logical order and be properly nested.
That means:
H1: This is your main heading—the title of the page. You only use one H1 per page.
H2: These are the major sections of your content, like chapter titles. Each chapter title is an H2 tag.
H3: Sub-sections under each H2. Think of them as the finer points within a chapter.
H4–H6: These aren’t used as often, but they’re for further breakdowns if needed.
3. Have a title that describes what’s on the page
This seems obvious but good page title should describe what is on the page, not say something generic like ‘page one’ or repeating the page title on every page.
Good page titles help people know where they are when they move between pages.
Choose a descriptive title and try to front load if you can. For example, this page title is ‘What is web content accessibility? Blog by Caitlin Wright from TheWrightWords’
4. Add alt text to images so screen readers can describe them
Alt text stands for alternative text. It’s the writing you can add to image to describe what the image is about. This helps screen readers describe the image for people with low vision.
You should provide a 1-2 sentence describing the image. For example, the alt text I wrote for the image above said: “Laptop and hand touching a smart phone with the text saying ‘What is web content accessibility'”
On a website, there should be an area where you upload the image that allows you to put in the alt text. If you’re uploading to social media, you can usually also add the alt text.
If this option isn’t available, you can add the alt text/image description to the end of your post. If you’ve put the description in the inbuilt section, you don’t also need to write an image description in the caption too.
5. Provide captions and transcripts for audio and video
There are plenty of reasons you might want captions for audio and video content. You might be deaf or hard of hearing. You might be in a noisy environment and can’t hear what’s going on. Alternatively, you might be somewhere really quiet like a library and don’t want to bother the people near you with noise.
Whatever it is, captions on audio and video content are a must.
All major video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo support captions. If you choose automatic captioning, review the text to make sure what they’ve generated are accurate.
It’s also important to note that captions shouldn’t be confused with subtitles. Subtitles provide dialogue text, but captions include descriptions of important sounds that might be relevant to the user watching the video.
6. Avoid colour combinations that are hard to read
It’s important to make sure there is enough contrast between the colour of text and background colour. This is because some people can’t see colour contrasts as well as others. We need to make sure the design is communicated well enough without depending on colour.
There needs to be a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, except for large text which can be 3:1. Logo text don’t have contrast requirements.
How do you work that out? Use a tool like Accessible web checker to put in your colours and make sure they’re accessible.
7. Make links descriptive (no more “click here”)
Links need to make sense without the surrounding sentences or context, which is why ‘click here’ should never be used on its own in the link text.
Why? People using screen readers sometimes scroll through the links to find what they’re looking for. If they just come across a bunch of ‘click here’ words, they won’t know what link to click on.
A link should be descriptive and up to a full sentence long but not longer. It should include an underline as a non-colour indicator to help users who may not be able to see colour.
Web content accessibility isn’t just up to the developers
As a writer and content marketer, I believe we all have a role in accessibility. When we create content that’s clear, inclusive and thoughtfully structured, we’re not just ticking a box. We’re building a better experience that can help more people learn, understand, and feel included.
Web content accessibility isn’t about making things less creative or interesting. It’s about making sure your message can reach the people who need it, whoever and wherever they are.
Communication only works when it works for everyone.