Vicki

Accessibility can have an impact on SEO, in this article we’ll dive into the details of web accessibility and how making improvements to your accessibility can have a positive impact on your search rankings. But first, let’s cover these two terms to be clear about what we mean by SEO and Accessibility.

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By Vicki Mace, Fractional Digital Strategist & Founder, Insight Digital Co

Web accessibility refers to websites and other technology that are designed in a way that people with disabilities can use them. 

Examples of people that web accessibility can help are those with vision and or hearing impairment, those who are blind, deaf, have a physical disability or a learning difficulty.  

SEO or Search Engine Optimisation is the process of optimising a website to appear higher in search engines for given search terms.

SEO helps your web pages get found by more people, as websites that appear at the top of the search engines get more clicks.

Here are the sections in this article:

• Why Should We Care About Web Accessibility?
• What Is It Like To Navigate A Website With A Disability?
• What Are The Guidelines For Web Accessibility?
• Which Accessibility Improvements Impact SEO?
• What Are Some Common Web Accessibility Issues That Also Impact SEO?
• What Tools Can Help With Web Accessibility?

There are numerous reasons why we should prioritise web accessibility, including the following:

For one, it’s simply the ethical thing to do. Imagine someone who has a disability and requires your product, service, or the information on your website, but can’t access it due to a lack of accessibility features. This would be a frustrating experience, and they would most likely abandon your website altogether.

Moreover, as we all age, it’s likely that we will experience some form of disability or know someone who does. Whether it’s a need for glasses, hearing loss or developing a medical condition like Parkinson’s that affects coordination and vision, accessibility becomes increasingly important.

Given these potential scenarios, it’s important to consider accessibility to ensure that everyone has equal access to information and services online.

An estimated 1.3 billion people experience significant disabilities. This represents 16% of the world’s population or 1 in 6 of us.

Online retailers and service providers are losing money because visitors with disabilities can’t use their websites.

In 2019, a company called Click-Away pound conducted a survey in the UK, they found that three-quarters of disabled online consumers will click away from websites that they find difficult to use.

The economic impact of this is huge, considering in the same survey they found that these shoppers had a collective purchasing power of £17.1 billion!

Source: Freeney Williams

When a person with a disability has a positive experience with a website, they are more likely to sing the praises of that brand. Conversely, if they have a poor experience they may share that experience with their network, which may damage the brand and customers’ trust in that brand.

First impressions count, so if we can get web accessibility right from the start it makes a big difference to how people perceive the brand.  

The Law protects people with disabilities, if they are unable to access certain features on a website this could result in legal action.

There are many countries with Laws and Policies surrounding web accessibility, here is a list of countries and policies compiled by the W3C.

The Australian Human Rights Commission provides advisory notes for online providers to support the Disability Discrimination Act. 

Navigating a website with a disability can be a challenging experience. Different disabilities can affect how individuals access and interact with digital content, including websites, in various ways. 

People with visual impairments may have difficulty reading small text, distinguishing between foreground and background colours, or interpreting complex images.

Screen readers and text-to-speech tools can help, but some websites may not be optimised for these tools, making it difficult for users to navigate the site.

Example of a screen reader working through an accessible website:

People with hearing impairments may not be able to hear audio or video content on a website.

Closed captioning and transcripts help by providing a written version of the audio.

If they are not provided, it can be frustrating for deaf users who are unable to access the information.

Here are some comments from a deaf person on web accessibility and why it’s so important:

People with motor impairments may have difficulty using a mouse or keyboard to navigate a website. 

Devices such as the Sip and Puff switch can be used to navigate websites and other technology and can even help the owner control their wheelchair.

The user either sips or puffs, which creates pressure, triggering an electrical signal to a computer which may allow them to access elements on a web page and click on buttons. 

Using this technology means it takes more time to access different elements on a website, therefore as web designers or website owners, we need to make our websites as easy to navigate as possible. 

In this video, you can see Jason, who has Cerebral Palsy using the Sip and Puff to access programs on his computer.

Websites that are not optimised for keyboard navigation or that require precise mouse movements can be difficult to use for people with motor impairments.

Joseph who has Cognitive Motor Impairment says: 

“If I can’t easily navigate a website with my keyboard, I often just leave the website”.  

People with cognitive impairments may have difficulty processing information, understanding complex language, or following multi-step instructions. Websites that use simple language and provide clear instructions can be easier to use for people with cognitive impairments.

In general, navigating a website with a disability can be frustrating and time-consuming if the website is not designed with accessibility in mind. However, with proper accessibility features, including clear language, descriptive images, and compatibility with assistive technologies, websites can be made more inclusive and accessible to all users.

By making websites accessible to people with disabilities, we can reach a wider audience which may mean more traffic and returning visitors. 

Now we know what sort of issues people with disabilities face when they use websites and other technologies, let’s look at some of the guidelines around web accessibility.

The W3C, also known as the World Wide Web Consortium, is responsible for developing the International Standards for the Web. 

Within the W3C, there is an Initiative named WAI, or Web Accessibility Initiative, which has established the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.

This set of guidelines has been developed by a working group currently referred to as the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG).

The WCAG, or Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, offer webmasters a set of principles, guidelines, and success criteria at three distinct levels: A, AA, and AAA. These guidelines provide the necessary information for making web pages, applications, documents, and software accessible.

Each success criterion is associated with a different level of standards. Level A represents the most basic changes required, while level AAA represents the highest conformance level.

When striving for accessibility compliance, webmasters must take into account the needs and requirements of their customers. In an ideal scenario, achieving AAA compliance would be optimal. However, for large businesses with multiple websites, applications, and documents, this can pose a significant challenge.

Therefore, it is essential to carefully evaluate the practicality of meeting AAA compliance levels while ensuring that the highest level of accessibility is still achieved.

It’s worth noting that certain elements of a website can be categorised as AA, while others may need to meet the AAA compliance level. It ultimately depends on the type of content and functionality involved.

Improving website accessibility can have a direct impact on SEO, as it involves implementing various elements that can improve user experience and engagement on the website.

Here are some specific items that relate to both improving accessibility and SEO.

Having a descriptive page title is crucial for accessibility as it provides users with a clear indication of the page’s topic or purpose, helping them to decide whether to click on that link from the search engine results page. Equally, if the user has a few pages or tabs open in their browser, they may navigate from tab to tab. The page title helps them identify which tab they are on. 

In terms of SEO, page titles are an important factor that search engines use to understand and rank web content. Search engines rely on page titles to determine the topic and relevance of the page, and they use this information to display relevant results to users when they search for a particular keyword or phrase.

Clear and descriptive headings presented in a hierarchical structure play a crucial role in assisting users with screen readers to navigate web page content. The headings allow users to grasp each section of the page and determine whether they wish to have the content below it read out loud. To achieve this, headings must be descriptive and indicative of the content below them.

The hierarchy should begin with H1, which is the main heading, followed by H2, which is the most frequently used heading, and then H3, and so on. To ensure a proper structure, it is important to adhere to this hierarchy and not skip headings. For instance, it would be incorrect to have an H4 following an H2 as the order should follow H2, H3, H4, and so on.

Using headings appropriately can benefit your SEO efforts as they provide context to both users and search engines about the content of that part of the web page. Headings act as signposts for search engines, providing clues about the relevance of the web page for specific search queries.

Alt text (alternative text), also known as “alt tags” or “alt descriptions”, is a text-based description of an image or other non-text content that is used to convey the content of the image to users who may not be able to see it. This includes users who are visually impaired, as well as those using screen readers or other assistive technologies that may not be able to interpret the image.

By providing descriptive alt text that accurately conveys the content of the image, search engines can better understand the context of the website’s content. This information combined with the text that surrounds the image can help improve the chances of both the web page and the image itself appearing in search results. 

It’s important to note that alt text should be descriptive and accurate, and should not be used for keyword stuffing or other SEO tactics. The primary purpose of alt text is to provide a useful and accurate description of the content for users with disabilities, and any SEO benefits should be considered a secondary benefit.

Captions are text-based transcriptions, sometimes referred to as subtitles, of the audio content in a video or other multimedia presentation, which are displayed on-screen while the video is playing. Captions are an important accessibility feature because they provide a way for users who are deaf or hard of hearing to access the content of the video.

From an SEO perspective, captions can also provide benefits by giving search engines context about the content of the video.

It’s important to note that captions should be accurate and descriptive, and should be synchronised with the audio content of the video. Captions that are out of sync or inaccurate can actually hinder the accessibility of the video and reduce the quality of the user experience.

Additionally, it’s important to provide captions in the same language as the audio content or to provide translations if the video is in a language other than the user’s preferred language.

Transcripts are textual versions of pre-recorded audio or video content. By providing transcripts of audio or video content, webmasters can make their website more accessible to individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as those who have trouble understanding spoken language or accents.

Transcripts can also improve SEO by providing additional text-based content on the web page. Search engines can index the transcript text, which can potentially increase the relevance of the web page to specific search queries.

This is particularly important for audio or video content that may not be easily indexed by search engines. In addition, transcripts can be optimised with relevant keywords, which can also contribute to better SEO.

Anchor text refers to the visible and clickable text within a hyperlink. Anchor text is important for both accessibility and SEO.

In terms of accessibility, anchor text provides an additional way for users to navigate a website. Screen reader users, for example, can navigate a web page by browsing a list of links on the page, and the anchor text provides a brief description of the content they can expect to find by following that link. Therefore, it is important to use descriptive and meaningful anchor text that accurately describes the content of the linked page.

In terms of SEO, anchor text is an important ranking factor for search engines. Search engines use the anchor text to determine the topic of the linked page and to help determine the relevancy of that page to the search query.

Using relevant and descriptive anchor text can help improve the visibility of a website in search engine results in pages for specific keywords or phrases. This is particularly important for internal linking or linking to other pages on the same website. The linked page should also be relevant to the content on the web page. 

Providing clear and consistent navigation across all web pages is a crucial aspect of web accessibility, as outlined in Item 2.4 of the WCAG 2.1 guidelines. This involves ensuring that the website interface remains uniform and easy to navigate, with a menu that allows users to move seamlessly from one page to another.

The placement of links within the navigation menu should be consistent throughout the website and easy to use for individuals with disabilities, who may rely on keyboard navigation instead of a mouse. Each menu item should be clearly labelled to reflect the content of the corresponding page.

From an SEO perspective, navigation menus can provide search engines with valuable information about the website’s structure and content. They can indicate the primary or most important pages on a website, as well as provide insights into the topics, industries, or type of information the website contains.

Ensuring that the text on a web page is clear and easy to read can help :

• make the content more accessible to users with cognitive and learning disabilities
• benefit users with visual impairments who may be using screen readers or other assistive technology to access the content
• make information accessible to a wider range of users

Things that can make content easier to read:

1. break the content up into sections with headings
2. keep paragraphs short, where possible
3. use bulleted or numbered lists to group related information

Content presented in long paragraphs with no headings or clear organisation makes it difficult for a user on a screen reader to quickly find the specific information they are looking for.

However, if the content is broken up into shorter paragraphs with clear headings, it becomes much easier for the user to quickly scan the content and find what they need.

Users Scan Content

Equally from a user experience viewpoint, we know that the majority of users ‘scan’ web pages, to easily locate the information that is most relevant to their needs.

Improved layout and readability help users scan the web page.

Source: The Neilson Group

When using a screen reader, it’s often helpful to be able to adjust the speed at which the content is being read back. This is because some users may have difficulty processing information at a slower speed or may simply prefer to consume content at a faster pace.

By improving the readability of web page content, it becomes easier for users on a screen reader to quickly scan and understand the information being presented. This is especially important when playing back content at a higher speed, as users may have less time to process the information being read back.

WCAG Information On Readability

WCAG 2.1 Section 3.1 specifically addresses readability, stating:

• content should be written in a way that is understandable by the target audience
• text should be written at a level that is no more advanced than lower secondary education
• if more complex language is used, supplemental content should be provided to assist with understanding

SEO and Readability

From an SEO perspective, improving readability can also have benefits. Search engines may analyse the readability of a webpage as a factor in determining the relevance and quality of the content.

Pages that are easier to read and understand may be viewed more favourably by search engines and may rank higher in search results. Additionally, pages with clear and concise content are more likely to be shared and linked to by others, which can also improve their search engine rankings. Other attributes that fall under readability are:

• Colour contrast (at least 4:5:1)
• Line height (line spacing) to at least 1.5 times the font size;
• Spacing paragraphs to at least 2 times the font size;
• Letter spacing (tracking) to at least 0.12 times the font size;
• Word spacing to at least 0.16 times the font size.

HTML sitemaps can improve website accessibility by providing a clear and organised overview of a site’s content, which can be particularly helpful for users with disabilities. For example, users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers can use sitemaps to navigate a website more efficiently.

Here is an example of an HTML sitemap:

Source: WAI Sitemaps

Sitemaps can help users find content that may not be easily accessible through the site’s main navigation menu. This is especially useful for larger websites with a lot of content, as sitemaps can provide an alternate way to find important information.

Sitemaps and SEO

Sitemaps can also benefit SEO by making it easier for search engine crawlers to index a website’s pages. When a search engine crawls a sitemap, it can quickly identify the most important pages on the site and the relationship between different pages. This can help search engines understand the structure of a site and index pages more efficiently, which can lead to better search engine rankings.

Structured data can help improve website accessibility by providing additional context about the content on a page.

For example, if we need to present data, a good way to present this would be in a table. We can include important information about the table in the HTML such  as defining the column headings and the purpose of the table. This information helps users with disabilities such as visual impairments or cognitive disabilities understand the content more easily. 

Structured data can also benefit SEO by providing search engines with additional information about the content on a page. This can help search engines understand the context and meaning of the content, which can lead to better search engine rankings.

Structured data example Source: Google Search Central

For example, structured data can be used to provide information about a product, such as its price, availability, and reviews. This can help search engines display rich snippets in search results, which can make a listing more attractive to potential customers and improve click-through rates.

In addition, structured data can also be used to provide information about a business, such as its location, opening hours, and contact information. This can help improve local search rankings and make it easier for customers to find and contact the business.

Breadcrumbs are helpful on larger sites as they can help users with disabilities navigate a website more easily. Users who have visual impairments or cognitive disabilities may find it challenging to understand the structure and hierarchy of a website. Breadcrumbs help these users understand where they are on the site and how to move between pages. By using breadcrumbs, designers, and developers can create a more accessible website that is easier for all users to navigate.

From an SEO perspective, breadcrumbs can help search engines understand the structure of a website and how different pages relate to each other. Search engines use website structure to determine the relevance of a web page to a user’s search query. If the website structure is unclear or disorganised, it can be more difficult for search engines to understand the content of the website and rank it appropriately in search results.

Breadcrumbs can also improve the user experience of a website by providing users with a clear way to navigate and find the information they need. By using breadcrumbs, users can quickly and easily see where they are on the site and how to navigate to related pages. This can improve user engagement and reduce bounce rates, both of which can positively impact SEO.

The Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS) metric measures how much the page layout shifts during loading. This is part of the Core Web Vitals which determines a website’s friendliness and usability and impacts SEO. 

This metric is closely related to the accessibility guideline, Success Criterion 3.2.5 Change on Request, which requires that significant changes, such as changes in focus, should only occur when the user explicitly requests them.

Changes in the content or user experience of a web page that occur without user awareness can be disorienting for users who are unable to view the entire page simultaneously.

These changes may include alterations to the user agent, viewport, focus, or any content that could change the meaning of the web page. For users with disabilities, such changes can be particularly disorienting and make it difficult to navigate and use the website. Therefore ensuring CLS is 0.1 or lower and ensuring no other changes appear on the web pages without the user initiating that change will help SEO and accessibility. 

Here are 4 common web accessibility issues that also impact SEO:

Images that convey information, such as charts, infographics, logos, and buttons with embedded text, should be included in the HTML of a web page with appropriate ALT text for screen readers to access.

Conversely, if these types of images are added to the CSS, they will not be accessible to non-sighted individuals, who will miss out on the information they convey.

Screen readers struggle to work with PDFs unless they are tagged correctly by the editor. In instances where the PDF has not been made accessible, then it’s best to provide an HTML alternative (a web page). 

This can also be beneficial for SEO, because, although search engines such as Google can read PDFs, it may be harder for them to index content due to the lack of markup that helps them contextualise the content. Re-writing the content in HTML allows the publisher to format the page with a structure that Google can interpret and rank. 

Naming two similar images with the same ALT text might seem like a time-saver, but it’s not beneficial for screen reader users.

If both images contain important information, it’s best to provide each with a unique and descriptive ALT text that accurately conveys the content.

Using distinct variations in ALT text can also improve your website’s SEO.

You can use a range of descriptive keywords that help search engines better comprehend the image content.

When related content is not organised in a list, it can be confusing for screen reader users. A common example of this is a series of social media icons. If these icons are marked up in a list, a screen reader can inform the visitor of the total number of items in the list and easily navigate to other lists or headings.

On the other hand, if the icons were simply presented as a series of links and images, it could be frustrating as the visitor would have to click through each icon to reach the next section of the web page.

Using lists can enhance the readability of a web page, enabling users to scan through the content quickly. Additionally, lists may improve the likelihood of the content being featured in snippets, which can increase clicks to the page.

Providing a clear and descriptive page title is crucial in helping visitors determine if the content on the page is relevant to their needs. This is especially significant for users who rely on screen readers and cannot quickly scan the page for relevant information.

It’s essential that the page title accurately reflects the contents of the page to avoid confusing readers and causing frustration. Moreover, it’s equally vital for search engine optimisation (SEO) purposes. Search engines rely on page titles to understand the search intent of the user and match it to the most relevant page title, among other factors.

In web design, labels are used to identify form elements such as input fields, checkboxes, and radio buttons. Labels provide text that describes what information should be entered or selected in a form element.

Labels are important for web accessibility because they help screen reader users understand what information is being requested in a form. Without a label, a screen reader user may not be able to properly complete a form, which can create a significant barrier to website access. 

Sometimes designers use placeholder text instead of a label, to achieve a minimalistic look, however, this makes the form inaccessible. Placeholder text tends to have less contrast and often disappears once the user clicks on the form field, which can cause issues for all users. 

Labels can also have an impact on SEO because they provide more descriptive text on the webpage. Search engines use this descriptive text to better understand the content of the page and to determine the relevance of the page to a given search query. Adding labels improves the user experience for all users and increases the likelihood of conversions. 

There are a few different types of tools you can use to improve or test web accessibility:

Accessibility overlays sit on top of the website and typically use Javascript to fix accessibility issues. These often come as plugins or apps that can sit within a Content Management System (CMS) or Learning Management System (LMS). To learn more about accessibility overlays including the benefits and warnings, take a look at the article from siteimprove called a Guide to Accessibility Overlays. 

There are providers who will do both automated and manual testing of websites and provide you with detailed reports on how to fix the issues on your website. 

In Australia, a prominent provider is Vision Australia, however, there are many companies that provide this service.

A quick search for ‘web accessibility’ within Chrome extensions brings up 3 accessibility testing checkers. WAVE is a widely used tool that provides a graphical overlay to show you where the issues are on your web page. 

There are web accessibility apps that can help you design accessible websites, for example, the Colour Contrast Analyser tool, provided by Vision Australia.

This tool allows you to test the contrast between background and foreground colours on your website, or within other programs. It’s also helpful when you need to quickly identify the Hex colour code on your website.

Lighthouse is a Google app within the Chrome browser and contains a web accessibility testing feature.

You can access it by opening chrome, and then pressing F12. It’s the easiest tool to use as you don’t need to install anything and it’s free. 

To sum up, different facets of web accessibility can directly or indirectly influence search engine optimisation (SEO).

As web accessibility aims to promote inclusivity, it allows for a greater number of people to access our websites.

This can result in more opportunities, whether it be getting our message in front of more people or getting leads and sales.

Therefore, both business owners and SEO experts should prioritise accessibility enhancements to benefit both themselves and their website visitors.