Key takeaways
- An accessible website is one people with disability can use. That includes people who are blind, deaf, or can’t use a mouse.
- The standard to work to is WCAG. Level AA is the usual target.
- The Disability Discrimination Act covers providing goods and services. WCAG itself isn’t a law.
- Start with alt text, colour contrast, keyboard use, clear headings, and labelled form fields.
- Free automated checks only find some problems. Try the site yourself too.
What is website accessibility?
Website accessibility means people with disability can use your website. Someone who is blind may use a screen reader that reads the page aloud. Someone with a tremor or an injured hand may use only a keyboard. Someone who is deaf needs captions on a video. Someone with low vision needs text they can actually read.
It’s a bigger group than you might think. The Australian Bureau of Statistics reports that 21.4% of Australians, about 5.5 million people, had disability in 2022. Some of them are your customers.
The standard: WCAG
The standard for web accessibility is the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, or WCAG, published by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). The current version is WCAG 2.2. It sets out testable success criteria at three levels: A, AA and AAA. It’s built around four ideas. Content should be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.
Level AA is the one most people aim for. You’ll hear “WCAG 2.2 AA” a lot.
What the law says in Australia
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of their disability when providing goods, services or facilities. That can include how a business provides its services online. The Australian Human Rights Commission has published advice on websites that points to WCAG. That advice has been under review, so check the Commission’s website for its current position.
WCAG itself isn’t a law. We’re not lawyers either, so if you’re worried about your own situation, get legal advice.
What to fix first
You don’t have to do everything at once. These are the common problems and they’re mostly simple to fix.
Alt text on images
Alt text is a short description of an image that a screen reader reads out. The W3C’s guidance is that if an image adds meaning, describe it briefly. If it’s purely decorative, give it an empty alt so a screen reader skips it. For a photo of a finished deck, “New timber deck with black balustrade, Bulimba” is better than “IMG_4412” or nothing.
Colour contrast
WCAG AA asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 between normal text and its background. Large text, which means 18 point or 14 point bold and up, needs 3 to 1. Light grey text on white, or white text over a busy photo, often fails. Free contrast checkers will tell you the ratio.
Keyboard use
Put your mouse aside and press the Tab key. Can you get to every link, button and form field? Can you see where you are? Menus that only open when you hover over them are a common problem.
Headings and links
Use real headings in order, so a screen reader user can jump around the page. Write link text that makes sense on its own. “Read our guide to business email” is better than “click here”.
Form labels
Every field on your contact form needs a proper label, not just grey placeholder text that disappears when you start typing. Say which fields are needed.
Video and sound
If you have a video with speech, add captions. Don’t start sound playing automatically.
How to check your own site
- Try the keyboard test above.
- Zoom the page in your browser to 200%. Is everything still readable and usable?
- Run a free automated check. Lighthouse in Chrome includes an accessibility audit, and WebAIM’s WAVE is a free checker. Automated tools only find some problems, so they’re a start, not a pass.
- Look at the site on your phone, in bright light.
Website builders and themes
A lot depends on the theme and the page builder your site uses, and on how images and text were added. If your site was built by someone else, it’s fair to ask them what they’ve done about accessibility. A good choice of platform helps, but it doesn’t do the job for you. Alt text, headings and contrast depend on what you put in.
Questions people ask
Is my small business website legally required to be accessible?
The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful to discriminate against someone because of disability when providing goods or services, which can include online. WCAG is the benchmark usually pointed to, but it isn’t a law itself. For your own situation, get legal advice.
What is WCAG?
WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It’s published by the W3C, and the current version is 2.2. It has three levels, A, AA and AAA.
Which WCAG level should I aim for?
Level AA is the usual target.
Can a free tool tell me if my website is accessible?
Not fully. Automated checks find some problems, such as missing alt text or low contrast, but they can’t judge everything. Test with a keyboard and on a phone too.
Want a second pair of eyes on your site? Ask for a free website check and we’ll tell you what we can see. If you’re thinking about a new site, have a look at our website services.