How can we make our website more accessible?

Start with a few important things people need to do

Choose two or three things visitors need to do on your website, such as finding support, making a referral or applying to volunteer. Reviewing these first gives you a manageable place to begin before checking the rest of the site. Go through every step a visitor would need to take. Read the instructions, follow the links and check any forms, including messages explaining mistakes or confirming that a submission has succeeded. If the process takes people to another website to book, donate or apply, include that part too. Record any difficulties you find. Note which page you were on, what you were trying to do and what went wrong. This gives your team or website provider something specific to investigate. You do not need to understand the technical cause before reporting the problem.

Check that pages work without a mouse and when enlarged

People use websites in different ways. Some use a keyboard instead of a mouse. Others enlarge the page or use a screen reader, which presents information through speech or braille. Begin by trying to use the page without your mouse. Press Tab to move between links, buttons and form fields, and Shift+Tab to move backwards. You should see an outline or another visible indicator showing where you are on the page. Check that you can use each item you reach. Enter usually opens links, and buttons commonly respond to Enter or Space. Some controls, such as lists of options, also use arrow keys. Note anything you cannot reach or use, or anything you become stuck in, and ask your website provider to investigate. Next, increase your browser’s zoom to 200%. Check that you can still read the content and use menus, buttons and forms. Look for anything that overlaps, disappears or becomes difficult to use. Check whether text stands out clearly against its background. A colour contrast checker can measure this more reliably than judging by eye. Ask your designer or developer to check buttons, form fields and other controls too. W3C’s Easy Checks provides further instructions for these initial checks. They can help you find problems, but completing them successfully does not mean the whole website is accessible.

Make your content easier to understand and access

Use headings that tell readers what each section covers. Apply heading styles through your website editor, using levels that show how sections and subsections fit together. Making text larger or bold changes its appearance but does not necessarily identify it as a heading. Correct heading structure helps screen-reader users find and move between sections. Write links that explain where they lead or what they do, such as “View volunteering opportunities”. Keep instructions clear, explain unfamiliar terms and set out the steps someone needs to follow.

Make sure people can also access information they cannot see or hear:

• Images: Add alternative text, often called alt text, that communicates the information or purpose of an image. Consider what the surrounding text already explains so you avoid unnecessary repetition.
• Decorative images: If an image adds no information and has no function, use your editor’s option to mark it as decorative so screen readers can ignore it.
• Charts: Explain the main findings in nearby text and provide the data in an accessible table where needed.
• Video and audio: Check that captions accurately convey speech and important sounds in videos. Provide a written transcript for audio recordings. If a video shows important information that is not explained aloud, provide an appropriate description of it.

Your team can often make these changes through the website editor. If you cannot find the options or are unsure how to use them, ask your website provider for help.

Check that people can complete and submit forms

A problem with a form can stop someone from requesting support, making a referral or contacting your team. Check the whole process, including what happens when someone makes a mistake and after they submit it. Each field should have a clear label explaining what to enter. Identify which fields must be completed and explain any required format, such as how to enter a date. Ask your website provider for a test version where you can try the form without sending real enquiries. Leave a required field empty or enter information in the wrong format. Check that the error message identifies the problem and explains how to correct it. After a successful submission, the form should confirm that the information has been received and explain what happens next. Your provider should also check that screen readers can identify each field and its label, and that people using assistive technology are notified of errors and successful submissions. A form may look clear on screen while these technical connections are missing. If your website sends people to another service to book, donate or apply, check those forms too. Report any difficulties to the organisation responsible for them.

Agree what needs fixing first and who is responsible

Start with problems that prevent people from doing something important, such as requesting support or submitting a referral. These need attention even if the affected page has relatively few visitors. Ask your website provider whether the same problem occurs elsewhere. A menu or page layout may be used throughout the site, so correcting it once could remove difficulties from many pages. Agree who will make each change. Your content team may be able to improve wording and instructions, while a designer or developer may need to adjust colours, layouts or how buttons and forms work. Content changes can move forward while technical problems are being investigated. Keep a simple record of what needs changing, who will do it and when it will be checked. After the change, try the task again using the same method that revealed the problem. Confirm that the original difficulty has been resolved and that the task can now be completed.

Combine technical checks with testing by disabled people

Automated accessibility tools can flag some problems, but they cannot tell you whether people can understand your content or complete the tasks they came to do. A result showing no detected errors does not mean the website is accessible. For a more thorough assessment, ask someone with accessibility expertise to review your site against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, known as WCAG. These set out criteria for accessible web content. The assessment should include manual checks and testing with tools such as screen readers. Also involve disabled people in trying important tasks on your website. Observe where they encounter difficulties and discuss what would help. W3C’s guidance on involving users explains how this can reveal problems that technical checks alone may miss. Include people with different access needs where possible, rather than assuming one person’s experience represents everyone. Repeat relevant checks when you add content or change how the website works. Make it easy for visitors to report a problem, and agree who will respond and arrange any necessary changes.