Business Website Accessibility: 5 Helpful Inclusions
Any business website must seek to meet two specific goals. The first goal is to impart information; anyone visiting your site needs to be able to learn more about your company and the products or services that you provide. The second goal is to encourage customers to choose your company over your competitors. As a result, a good business website could best be described as an “infomercial”; useful information combining with conversion tactics.
However, the twin goals as described above can only be achieved if your website is accessible. If you’re going to have the chance to explain your business and convince customers to buy, then you’ll need to ensure customers are comfortable using your website – if they’re not, then even the most alluring images and engaging web copy simply won’t be able to do their jobs. Below, we’ve listed five accessibility tips that any entrepreneur should consider implementing if they want their business website to deliver the best possible results for their business…
#1 – Minimal image usage
Images are important to any website design, but for those browsing via mobile data, images are little more than an expensive nuisance. It’s therefore important to limit the number of images you use on your site, seeking only to include images that are essential as part of the core design. If you want to showcase more images – for example, a portfolio of previous work – then ensure that customers have to directly click to access an image gallery, rather than including the images on a standard page.
#2 – Readable fonts
Beautiful fonts are undeniably tempting, adding an eye-catching look to your business’ website – but it’s best to reserve these fonts for design elements only. When it comes to the core copy of your website, avoid the temptation to use more elaborate fonts and stick to readable options every time.
#3 – Quick load time
The speed at which a website loads influences so much about the success of that website, so ensuring that your site displays quickly – and especially on mobile browsers – is essential. If your site takes more than two seconds to load, implement a few common fixes to rectify the problem once and for all.
#4 – Translated copy
Translating your website copy is a wonderful way to ensure your text can be read comfortably by all prospective customers – and could potentially open up new marketing opportunities in future. However, if you do opt to translate your copy, be cautious to ensure the translation is effective; computer-generated translations tend to be hit and miss. It’s therefore best to use human-based translations from professional agencies; as the Para Plus Translations reviews demonstrate, professional agencies can produce outstanding results that are sure to help bolster your business.
#5 – ‘Static’ design
Finally, a quick note regarding design elements such as flashing features, such as blinking text or rapidly-changing images. These features can cause serious problems for people with epilepsy, so it’s always best to ensure your entire site is as ‘static’ as possible.
In conclusion
A focus on accessibility is the cornerstone of any good business website, and by following the tips above, you should be able to ensure that your customers can use your site with ease – which should result in higher conversion rates, and greater profitability, in future.
