5 Most Common Website Accessibility Issues and How to Fix Them

Ensuring your website is accessible is not only a moral and legal obligation, but it also improves user experience and search engine optimisation (SEO). Many websites face common accessibility challenges that can be fixed with a few thoughtful changes. We’ll go over the five most common website accessibility issues we come across and provide practical solutions for each one.

1. Poor Colour Contrast

Issue: Colour contrast refers to the difference between foreground (text) and background colours. Poor contrast can make it difficult for users with low vision or colour blindness to read your content. Low-contrast colours may look sleek but can lead to poor accessibility.

Solution: Aim for a high contrast ratio. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for regular text and 3:1 for larger text. Use online tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker to see if your colour scheme meets accessibility standards. If it doesn’t, adjust your colours to improve readability.

2. Lack of Alt Text for Images

Issue: Alt text (alternative text) describes the content of images. When images don’t have alt text, screen readers can’t convey the visual information to users who are visually impaired. This can create a confusing and incomplete experience for them.

Solution: Add descriptive alt text to every image on your site. For example, instead of saying “photo” or “image1,” write something descriptive like “A woman using a laptop at a coffee shop.” Avoid using unnecessary keywords; keep it natural and clear. Many content management systems (CMS) have fields for alt text, making this an easy fix.

3. Missing Keyboard Navigation

Issue: Many people rely on keyboards to navigate websites, especially users with motor disabilities. If your website doesn’t allow keyboard navigation, these users may struggle to move through the site. This typically includes the ability to “tab” through menus, buttons, and links.

Solution: Ensure all interactive elements on your website—such as buttons, forms, and menus—are accessible via the keyboard. Test this by navigating through your website using the “Tab” key. Each interactive element should have a visible focus outline, so users know which item is selected. If some areas are not accessible, update your code to include keyboard-friendly controls.

4. Improper Use of Heading Structure

Issue: Headings (H1, H2, H3, etc.) provide structure to your web pages, helping screen readers and search engines understand the content’s hierarchy. When heading tags are missing or misused (like using H3 before H1), users can become disoriented as the content structure will seem confusing.

Solution: Structure your headings correctly. Use only one H1 tag per page for the main title, followed by H2 tags for major sections and H3 for subsections. Avoid skipping heading levels and try not to use headings for stylistic purposes only. This will improve readability for screen readers and benefit your SEO by enhancing content organisation.

5. Videos Without Captions or Transcripts

Issue: Videos are a great way to engage users, but without captions or transcripts, they become inaccessible to people with hearing impairments. This issue not only excludes a large audience but can also reduce your website’s searchability since search engines can’t index audio content without text.

Solution: Add captions to all videos. Platforms like YouTube and Vimeo offer auto-generated captions that can be manually adjusted for accuracy. You can also provide a transcript for audio and video files. Adding captions and transcripts makes your content accessible to all users and can boost your SEO by providing additional text for search engines to index.