4 min read#accessibility#alt-text#website-basics

Website Accessibility for Small Businesses: A Starter List

A practical, non-legal starter list for making a small business website easier for everyone to use: alt text, contrast, headings and more.

Field note: an accessible website is one that more people can use, including people who rely on screen readers, use a keyboard instead of a mouse, have low vision, or are simply in bright sunlight with a cracked screen. The same fixes tend to make a site clearer for everyone. This is a practical starter list, not legal advice.

Why it helps everyone

Many accessibility habits are plain good writing and good layout. Clear headings help a screen reader user and a person skimming on a phone. Readable contrast helps a visitor with low vision and a visitor outdoors. Descriptive links help someone using assistive tools and someone scanning quickly.

You do not need to master every guideline to improve. A short list of fixes already makes a noticeable difference.

The starter list

Alt text for meaningful images. Alt text is a short written description that a screen reader speaks in place of an image. Describe what matters about the picture, in plain words. A decorative image can have an empty description so that it is skipped.

Readable contrast. Text should stand out clearly from its background. Pale grey on white and text laid over a busy photograph are the usual offenders. Many free tools can check a color pair.

Real headings in order. Use headings to mark the structure of the page, from the main title down to sections, rather than just making text bigger. Screen reader users often jump between headings to navigate.

Link text that makes sense alone. A link that says “click here” tells a screen reader user nothing. Prefer words that say where the link goes.

Keyboard use. Try moving through your page with the Tab key. You should be able to reach every link and button, see where you are, and activate things without a mouse.

Captions and transcripts. If you publish video or audio, provide captions or a transcript so that people who cannot hear it, or are in a quiet place, can still follow.

Labels on forms. Each field should have a visible label, and error messages should say what to fix in plain words.

A worked example

This is an invented before and after, shown only as wording. Example Bakery improves a few details.

Image of a cake. Before, description: “image1”. After, description: “A two-tier lemon cake with white icing on a cake stand.” Link. Before: “Click here”. After: “See the cake menu”. Form field. Before: a box with only placeholder text. After: a visible label reading “Your phone number”.

None of these changes alters the design, and each makes the page easier to use.

Start small and keep going

You do not have to fix everything at once. Choose one page, usually the homepage or the contact page, and work through the list there. Each improvement is permanent, and what you learn makes the next page quicker. Revisit the list when you add new pages or images, so that good habits become part of how you publish.

Common mistakes

  • Writing alt text that repeats the file name or stuffs keywords.
  • Using color alone to show something, such as red text for errors with no wording.
  • Using headings only for their size, and skipping levels.
  • Removing the visible focus outline that shows where the keyboard is.
  • Treating accessibility as a one-time project instead of a habit.

Try this today

  1. Put the Tab key through your homepage and note anything you cannot reach or cannot see.
  2. Rewrite the alt text for your five most important images in a single clear sentence each.
  3. Replace every “click here” or “read more” link with words that describe the destination.

Field notes

  • Accessible habits help many kinds of visitors, not only a few.
  • Alt text, contrast, headings, link wording and labels cover the basics.
  • Try your site with the keyboard alone.
  • Provide captions or transcripts for video and audio.
  • Treat it as a regular habit rather than a one-off fix.

Prefer to hand the work off? Describe your business to websiites and review the finished site before choosing a plan. The pricing page lists what each plan includes.