It’s no secret that WordPress is one of the most popular website content management systems (CMS) in the world. According to W3Techs, as of March 2022, 29.2% of all websites are powered by WordPress. That’s a lot of websites! With such a large user base, it’s not surprising that accessibility is an important issue for the accessiBe WordPress community.
Fortunately, the WordPress team takes accessibility seriously. In fact, they have made it a core principle of the project. As the WordPress Accessibility Team states on their website:
“WordPress is committed to accessibility, diversity, and inclusiveness. We want to provide a platform that is accessible to as many people as possible, regardless of ability, language, or culture.”
While the WordPress team is doing a great job making the platform accessible, there are still many ways that individual WordPress users can make their websites more accessible. This article will share ten no-fuss ways to make your WordPress website more accessible.
Use Accessible Themes
Several WordPress themes have been designed with accessibility in mind. These themes follow the guidelines set forth by the WordPress Accessibility Team and aim to make your website as accessible as possible.
Some of our favorite accessible WordPress themes include:
· Accesspress Lite
· A11YTheme
· Parallax Some
· WP-Forge
· Stargazer
If you’re unsure if a theme is accessible, you can always check the WordPress.org theme directory for the “Accessible” tag.
Install an Accessibility Plugin
Many plugins can help you make your WordPress website more accessible. These plugins add features that help people with disabilities navigate and use your website.
Some of our favorite accessibility plugins include:
· Accessible Fonts
· WP Accessibility
· WebAIM WCAG 2.0 Checklist
· a11yFirst Keyboard Navigation
Use Alt Text for Images
When you upload an image to your WordPress website, add alt text. Alt text is a short description of an image displayed in place of the image if it can’t be displayed for some reason.
It’s also important to note that alt text is not only used for people who are visually impaired. It can also be used by people with cognitive disabilities, people who are using screen readers, and even search engines.
Alt text is important for accessibility because it allows people to understand what an image is about even if they can’t see it. It also allows people to share your images on social media platforms like Twitter, where images don’t display by default.
To add alt text to an image in WordPress, click on the image and enter your alt text in the “Alt Text” field.
Use Descriptive Links
When you add a link to your content, use descriptive link text. Link text is the actual text of a link. It’s important to use descriptive link text because it helps people understand where the link will take them before they click on it.
For example, if you were to add a link to an article about WordPress accessibility, your link text might be something like “Learn more about WordPress accessibility.”
To edit the link text in WordPress, simply highlight the text and click on the editor’s link icon. This will bring up the “Insert/edit link” popup, where you can edit the link text.
