Web Accessibility Standards and How Can They Enhance E-commerce?
You've worked hard to get your website up and running. It's polished, it's professional, and the design is stunning. Before you hit that launch button, however, you should really stop to consider how accessible your site is.
Why should you care about web accessibility standards? To put it simply: creating an accessible site ensures every customer who visits your web pages can navigate, read, and understand them. If you don't follow accessibility standards, you're losing out on potential customers and higher search engine rankings.
The Basics of Web Accessibility
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) were developed by accessibility experts to address recommendations for best practices. What you'll want to remember is the acronym POUR, which stands for Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust.
- Is the content on your site perceivable to everyone, even if they have visual, hearing, or cognitive impairments?
- Is your user interface operable for someone with a disability who can't use a mouse or touch screen very well?
- Are you providing content that is understandable to people of all education levels and cognitive function?
- Can your website be viewed by a robust variety of browsers and devices?
5 Ecommerce Web Accessibility Tips
Use high contrast colors
One of the biggest complaints any web developer hears about a site is that it's difficult to read. Most often, this is because the text on the site doesn't differentiate enough from the background color. This issue affects all kinds of people – those with low vision, blindness, colorblindness, light sensitivity, and more.
Test your site on a variety of browsers and devices
A digital storefront that looks amazing in Google Chrome might look terrible in Mozilla Firefox. Something built for desktops may fall flat when viewed on an iPad. It's vital in this commercial landscape to have a website that meets the needs of shoppers on all devices.
Consider the reading level of your content
Most adults prefer to read at a lower reading level than they can comprehend. The average user will be most comfortable reading content at about a middle school level (7th-8th grade). That means less jargon and multisyllabic words, shorter sentences, and fewer nitty-gritty details.
Keep assistive technology in mind
Some of the assistive technology customers may be using includes:
- Screen readers
- Text readers
- Speech input software
- Screen magnification software
- Mouse-less technology (eye or motion trackers, hands-free devices, etc.)
Your media may require additional information
By describing images using ALT text, you're giving customers who use screen readers access to those images. As we move ever more into web commerce, many sellers are also relying on video or animation to grab customer attention. However, many still fail to include closed captioning or a transcript for customers who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing.
How Enhanced Ecommerce Helps Your Site Succeed
When you make sure all users can access your site and what you're selling, you're making sure every single visitor can purchase from you. Taking the extra necessary steps to make your site accessible will improve your viewership, your search engine ranking, and your business.
If you need any assistance setting up an accessible Shopify storefront, we're here to help. Drop us a line any time to receive our expert guidance.