Why Is an Online Accessibility Checker Important for User-Friendly Websites?

It​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ is not enough to only have a good-looking website. Websites must also be user-friendly and accessible to people with disabilities as well. An Online Accessibility Checker is a tool that assists the website owners and developers in locating the issues that make the website difficult to use. Locating such problems it gives way to making the site better for all ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌users.

Understanding Website Accessibility

Website​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ accessibility is the process of creating your website in such a way that users with different abilities can use it without any difficulty. Those are people with vision, hearing, movement, or learning disabilities. The World Health Organization states that more than 1 billion people around the globe have a certain type of disability.

In case your website is not accessible, a significant number of users may face difficulties in using it, thus resulting in their irritation and a decrease in the number of visitors. Websites that are accessible become safe for everyone to use, not just the persons with disabilities, but also very easy. Properly structured documents, fonts that are easy to read, good color contrast, and simple navigation are some of the ways through which a website becomes user-friendly for the elderly as well as people who are using their mobile ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌devices.

What Is an Online Accessibility Checker?

An​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ online Accessibility Checker is a software that examines a website for typical accessibility issues. It indicates which sections of your site could be hard for users to navigate or interact with. Some of the typical issues are: lack of image descriptions, low color contrast, wrong use of headings, and difficulties with forms or keyboard navigation.

A proper website accessibility checker should also be capable of performing beyond the mere indication of errors. It tells the errors and gives the recommendations on how to correct them. This helps developers and content creators to enhance the website experience more ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌comfortably.

How an Online Accessibility Checker Improves User Experience

Employing​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ an Online Accessibility Checker is beneficial to all users as it enables a hassle-free interaction with your website. In this way, users with screen readers can navigate through the content more efficiently if there are correct usage of headings and alternative text for images. Those who use only a keyboard will be able to move without any difficulty if there are proper and logical focus indicators.

Sites that resolve accessibility problems generally have more users that stay for longer periods of time and receive positive comments. Besides, making accessibility better can attract the attention of search engines which will find your site more understandable and hence, a slight SEO improvement can take ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌place.

Supporting WCAG Compliance

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 are broadly recognized standards for websites that are accessible. An Online Accessibility Checker implements these standards to verify the accessibility of web pages either online or offline. Although automated tools have limitations in identifying all issues, they are definitely a good first step. The use of automated tests along with manual checks makes sure that your website is accessible to all people and that it complies with the suggested ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌standards.

Time-Saving and Actionable Insights

It​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ may take a huge chunk of your time when testing for accessibility manually especially when you have a large website. An Online Accessibility Checker really speeds up the process as it scans the pages and creates the reports automatically. A lot of tools give you the possibility to check the issues locally in your browser’s developer toolbar thereby making it very easy to repair the faults.

Besides, reports enable the teams to understand which issues require their attention first and also, to monitor their progress. There are instruments that provide you with the option to save reports in Excel format thus, it becomes very easy to share the outcomes with developers and ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌stakeholders.

Building Trust and Credibility

Websites​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ with accessibility features are a clear indication of the company's concern for the users. In addition, they are trusted by both the visitors and the search engines. Accessibility to your site allows you to get more users, enhance your digital reputation, and make your content available to any visitor, without distinction of their ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌abilities.

Download a Chrome Extension for Easy Testing

The​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ simplest method to test your website is via accessibility checker for websites Chrome Extension. In a single click, you are capable of scanning pages, pinpointing issues, and receiving directions on the ways of fixing them. Accessibility Analyzer type tools permit you to check issues in the developer toolbar and also create Excel reports to monitor the progress which can be ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌saved.

Conclusion

An​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ online accessibility checker plays a major role in the process of creating user-friendly websites. Such tool identifies obstructions, delivers feasible instructions, facilitates compatibility with WCAG, and generalizes the betterment of user experience. Through the combination of automated audits and manual checks, website owners are able to guarantee that their content is accessible, inclusive, and that any user can easily navigate it. Get a Chrome extension now and take the first step towards making your website ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌accessible.