How to use HTML to increase website accessibility

When developing a website, it is always a best practice to ensure that the end user has a seamless user experience.

What is website accessibility?

Website accessibility involves designing and developing websites to enable the broadest possible range of individuals to use them. This includes people with disabilities, such as visual, hearing, mobility, and cognitive impairments.

HTML can significantly improve website accessibility. Below are some helpful tips you can use to improve website accessibility.

Semantic HTML

Semantic HTML refers to the practice of using appropriate HTML elements for their intended purposes whenever possible. Semantic HTML is particularly helpful to people who utilize screen readers to read the content of a page. By using semantic elements, such as <header>, <nav>, <main>, <section>, <article>, <aside>, <footer>, and others, the accessibility of your website can improve in terms of clarity and organization.

Now, let’s look at the difference between semantic and non-semantic HTML.

Code example 1

Explanation

• Line 7: The addition of the button element provides more succinct styling and allows screen readers to recognize it as a button.

Non-semantic HTML

Non-semantic HTML tells us nothing about its content. It is commonly viewed as a poor practice, because it can create difficulties for search engines and screen readers in comprehending the content.

Code example 2

Explanation

• Line 6: The div does not show the actual content that it should be used for.

Include alt text for the image

In HTML5, it is crucial to add alt text to image tags. This text helps individuals with visual impairments comprehend the website's content. Furthermore, alt text should be incorporated into informative images that assist in content comprehension.

Code example 3

Note: We have added a broken link intentionally to observe the concept practically.

Explanation

• Line 6: Here, we have an image tag <img> that has an alt and the source of the image.

The alt text used in the image effectively communicates the intended message to visually impaired users. When an image cannot be found by a browser, it will exhibit the content of the alt attribute.

Maintain the correct order of headings

The headings of web pages are utilized by search engines to organize and categorize their structure and content. If headings are not used correctly, screen readers will automatically read them as missing content.

Code example 4

Explanation

• Lines 5–12: Here, we have the heading hierarchy in HTML from <h1> to <h6>, the order from largest to smallest.

It's important to note that <h1> is typically used for the main title of the webpage, while <h2>, <h3>, and <h4> are generally used for subsequent headings of decreasing importance. Specifically, <h2> is used for the second-level headings, <h3> for subheadings, and <h4> for mini-headings.

Conclusion

To ensure that users, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, can access and interact with a website's content, it's essential to use HTML to increase website accessibility. This can be achieved by following best practices such as utilizing appropriate heading tags, adding alt text for images, and employing semantic markup. Implementing these techniques not only benefits a website's accessibility, but also enhances its search engine optimization and user engagement. By taking the time to incorporate these strategies into your website's development, you can create a more inclusive and accessible website for users.