Five tips for writing accessible content

You can have the best content in the world, but if people visiting your website cannot access it, it won’t matter. One way to ensure that everyone can engage with your content and interact with your brand is by writing accessible content.

Accessible content ensures that anyone visiting your website can enjoy your great content no matter their needs.

At ALHAUS, we believe very strongly in the cause of accessibility, so here are our top recommendations for writing accessible content.

1. Focus on readability

Readability is important for making your content accessible for two main reasons. The first is that it makes it easier for anyone to read. So when organising your content make sure to use subtitles, bullet points, and numbered lists. Do not write long paragraphs because they are hard to read. Also make sure you pick an easy-to-read font like Helvetica, Arial, or Courier New. The second reason is that automated readers have an easier time with well organised content. So more people can access it easily.

2. Use proper tags

Using proper tags is also important for helping automatic readers. Tags like header, subtitle, and body help automatic readers know where the content is and what order to read. So when you publish make sure to always add the correct tags.

3. Understand hyperlink best practise

When adding hyperlinks, it is important that you make the links easily accessible. The best practise for using hyperlinks is to link the entire sentence (Knowhow Nonprofit). This makes the hyperlink easy to click on with any tool from a mouse to a trackpad to voice control software.

4. Give readers options

The best way to make your written content accessible is by giving your readers a variety of options. Options like downloadable pdfs and audio can help ensure everyone can access your content no matter their needs. So consider converting your content into a couple different formats before publishing.

5. Don’t forget the rest of your content

Writing accessible content includes writing for all your content. Make sure that you caption pictures and graphics and add subtitles on your videos. Adding written content to your other types of content can help more people engage with your full range of content.

Making sure that you write content everyone can access is crucial to building your brand, driving traffic, and ensuring that you can truly engage all readers. If you’d like to learn more about how to make your content accessible, check out the services at ALHAUS. We believe strongly in making sure everyone can enjoy the great content online and can help you make all of your content accessible.