Blogging can take countless hours of hard work, editing, and research dedicated to each and every post. For optimal exposure and inclusion, you need to consider how best to structure your blog posts for accessibility.
You put in the effort and now want everyone who comes across your blog to be able to access the information. Check out these extra steps you should take to ensure that your audience is able to engage with your blog content.
Accessibility Goals to Strive For
Reading a blog post requires screen time and an important demographic to consider when it comes to accessibility are people with a visual impairment. Understandably, if your blog is not accessible to someone with a visual impairment, they will immediately click away from your website.
Researching ways to build a better blog led us to these 6 helpful ways to ensure accessibility for all.
Keep the Font Clear and the Colors Contrasting
Some fonts are easier to read than others. One characteristic that makes a text easier to read is whether the font is sans-serif, meaning without serifs, which are little extended strokes off the main letter. Sans-serif fonts include Arial, Georgia, Merriweather, and Lato.
Utilize the Headings Feature
A header is a great way for screen-reader users to navigate a web page. Breaking up the content, especially in longer blogs and articles, is key.
Alt Text
What is an alt text?
This is the hidden description of a photo on your blog post. The idea behind an alt text is that the screen-reader user can still understand what is in the photo, which adds that much more to the blog experience.
Labels, Labels, and More Labels!
Strive to have all of your buttons and links feature a clear description of where it will take your visitor. This is helpful when it comes to navigating your page, as well as any external or internal links published on it. Taking the time to include labels like these assists everyone and creates trust.
Hashtag Fix
Capitalizing the first letter of a hashtag is a big help to the screen-reader. This is because it makes it that much easier to distinguish and then pronounce correctly. From a visual perspective, capitalization makes reading hashtags easier for everyone.
Exhibit A: #accessbility #disabilityawareness #instaaccessibility #instawebdesign
versus
Exhibit B: #Accessibility #DisabilityAwareness #InstaAccessibility #InstaWebDesign
Obviously, Exhibit B is the winner.
Multiple Font Options
Perhaps your easiest font to read is someone else’s hardest. To solve this problem, allow your content to be read in multiple font options. Another thing to be mindful of is that on some social apps, photos are not supported by the alt text feature. For this reason, it’s a good idea to share your information in another format.
Embrace accessibility in your content creation by following these easy blogging tips to reach a wider and more appreciative audience. Contact our team for assistance with this or any other blogging need for your business.
