How to Fix the 5 Most Common Web Accessibility Mistakes

16% of the global population are living with some form of disability. However, as the world population continues to increase, so does the number of people with a disability. It is becoming more important for website content to be fully accessible for people with sight loss, cognitive, and physical disabilities.

What is web accessibility and why is it important?

You may already understand accessibility in terms of the physical environment, but accessibility in digital spaces is proving to be just as essential. Web accessibility is the design practice of making websites, mobile applications, and digital documents usable for as many people as possible, including those with disabilities.

With the rise in popularity of remote working, learning, and e-commerce, disability acts have begun enforcing the need for accessibility compliance. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), upheld as the worldwide standard for digital accessibility, are named in legislations around the world. If public-facing organisations want to operate in places like the USA or European Union, they must meet the WCAG or face legal repercussions.

Digital inclusion is also a growing issue in the minds of users. With 16%, or one in seven, people worldwide experiencing some form of disability, that is a huge demographic who may miss out on information or online services because a website or mobile application is not accessible. The developers, designers, and content creators of today must learn how to identify areas on their website with poor accessibility and implement fixes.

Solutions to the 5 Most Common Web Accessibility Mistakes

To help your website become more compliant with accessibility guidelines (and less likely to receive a lawsuit), we’ve compiled a list of the top five most common web accessibility mistakes and how you can fix them:

Missing or Inaccurate Alt Text

WebAIM’s 2023 study found that over 58% of web pages have missing or inaccurate image alternative (alt) text. Putting alt text descriptions on images is the only way visually impaired users can interpret the purpose of the visual content.

When uploading images to your website or digital document, look out for an input field labelled ‘alt text’ – many content management systems and document editors have one built in. Fill in this input field with a brief, one sentence description of the image you are uploading, and you will have made your image more accessible to all.

You May Be Making More Accessibility Mistakes…

Preventing or correcting these five accessibility issues will bring you closer to your users, but they will not make your website 100% digitally accessible. Contact Vially today if you would like to conduct a full audit of your website, mobile app, or digital document and find out exactly where you can improve your digital accessibility and open doors to more users.

Vially Can Help

If you are ready to make your company more accessible, are unsure if your company complies with required laws, or just have questions you’d like answered, Vially is here to help

Email hello@Vially.io and we’ll be happy to lend a hand.

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