Have you ever walked into a coffee shop or restaurant and just knew deep down you wouldn’t be back? 

Maybe the menu board was impossible to read, and the staff working did little to help guide the experience. Maybe the music was so loud you could barely hear yourself think. Or maybe you were crammed into a corner table with harsh lighting that was so uncomfortable you were secretly counting down until your food and check came so you could hurry up and get out of there.

Now imagine creating *this kind of experience on your website* without even realizing it. 

Maybe your font is so small or hard to read that your visitors have to squint or zoom in just to see it. Maybe the colors or animations on your site are so busy, it’s giving sensory overload. Or maybe your site is so hard to scan and navigate that you’re making people bounce before they can discover you hold the key to what they’re looking for.

With 1 in 6 people worldwide living with a disability (according to the World Health Organization), there’s a good chance that 1 in 6 people visiting your website is experiencing it differently than you are when your site isn’t written or designed with accessibility in mind. 

That’s why I’m excited to team up with Designer & Digital Accessibility Expert, Chloe, to share 10 ways you can make your website more accessible.

How to make your site more accessible  

1. Use language that’s easy to understand 

Accessibility starts with the words we use. 

When your website is filled with jargon, acronyms, or overly complicated language, your readers have to work that much harder to make sense of what you’re trying to say. 

To make it easier, imagine relaying your message to a friend over a cup of coffee. What words would you naturally use, and how does your audience tend to speak? Chances are those same words probably belong on your website.

2. Make your text easier to read 

Even the BEST of the BEST website copy probably won’t hit home if your text is too small, the fonts are difficult to read, or every paragraph is centered across the page.

Choosing clean, easy-to-read fonts like Arial, Helvetica, Open Sans, or Lato, using a body copy size between 16-18 pixels, and left-aligning your copy throughout most of your site can go a long way toward making your content easier to read for everybody.

3. Structure your content so it’s easy to skim 

I hate to break it to ya, but most visitors aren’t curled up on the couch reading every word on your website like it’s their favorite novel. What they are doing 9/10 times is quickly scanning it for answers instead. 

So, make it easier for them by adding clear headings before your body copy, shortening your sentences, and breaking up long paragraphs.

4. Clearly tell people what happens next  

Whether someone is booking a call, downloading a guide, signing up for an event, or exploring your services, they should know exactly where a link or button will take them before they click.

That’s why generic phrases like “Click Here” and “Learn More” can often create confusion—especially for people using screen readers, who may navigate a page by listening to links out of context.

Instead, make your calls to actions (CTAs) specific and descriptive so they can stand on their own, like “Explore Services,” “Download Free Website Checklist,” or “Book a Virtual Coffee Chat.” 

5. Choose inclusive words that welcome all people 

Words have the power to make people feel welcomed and seen, or unintentionally left out.

That’s why it’s worth taking a closer look at the language you’re using in your website and beyond. Small word choices can sometimes create an “us versus them” feeling without us even realizing it. For example, consider using “older adults” or “older people” instead of “elderly people,” or “folks,” or “friends,” instead of “you guys,” just to name a few.

6. Check your color contrast

Make sure all text has enough contrast with the background. People who are color blind or vision-impaired will have a hard time reading your content if there isn’t enough contrast between colors. Black and white have the most contrast, while all other colors fall somewhere in between.

It can be really hard to tell if there is enough contrast just by looking at your site, so you can use tools like Web AIM contrast checker for free to check the color contrast of your color palette. You want large text to have a ratio of at least 4.5:1 and normal text to have a ratio of at least 7:1. For large text, think headings, and for normal text, think everything else, including body copy and buttons. 

Pro tip: write down which combinations of colors pass at what size to create a guide of approved pairings for your color palette.

7. Don’t forget about alt text

People who are blind or have low vision use a tool called a screen reader to navigate the web. The screen reader will read everything on the screen out loud. If your images don’t have alt text, there will be a group of people unable to consume your content. Alt text also helps if someone has a bad internet connection; if they can’t load the images, the alt text will show on screen to give context.

Alt text is a short description of an image. Just think about how long you spend looking at images when you scroll on the internet—not long, right? Now imagine if you had to stop and listen to a paragraph or two instead of taking a quick glance and moving on. You don’t need to describe every single detail, but you’ll want to describe the most important parts of the image first and explain why they matter in the context of the website.

8. Limit your animations

Animations can seem super fun and exciting, but too much movement can be overwhelming and overstimulating. You want to make your website experience as welcoming and user-friendly as possible. Because if your website makes people nauseous or overwhelmed, they’ll likely click away (and not come back).

So, try to limit your animations. 

If you do want to add an animation, do it in moderation. Try to limit it to one per page, slow the speed down, and enable the viewer to pause, stop, or hide it. For example, on Squarespace, the scrolling banner animation has an option for “pause on hover,” so users can pause the animation to read it.

9. Add “Live” text wherever possible

You want to avoid having text in images on your website. It’s really important for accessibility and SEO to have all of your copy “live” on your site. That means it is built into your site using a text box or code. Many disabled people use assistive technology that can adjust font, color, and size to make it easier to navigate. If you lock your text into an image format, they will not be able to use this tech.

If you absolutely must include an image with text, remember to add alt text!

10. Pay attention to heading structure

Heading labels (h1, h2, h3, etc.) aren’t just for styling. Screen readers and other assistive technology rely on proper heading structure to navigate a website.

Best practice for both accessibility and SEO is to use only one h1 per page. And definitely don’t skip your h1. You can always adjust the sizes if needed for styling purposes. 

You also want to use the labels in order; you wouldn’t want to go from h2 to h4 to h3 in one section. However, you can skip ranks in a new section. For example, if the last section ended with an h4, you can start the new section with an h2.

Ready to make your site more accessible?

Before you go and scrap your whole site, pour yourself another cup of whatever you’re sipping on and take a deep breath (or two). 

Accessibility is NOT about getting everything perfect overnight. It’s about making small, thoughtful improvements over time and getting in the habit of stepping back to ask, “How can I make this experience a little easier, more welcoming, and inclusive for people of all abilities, ages, and backgrounds?”

Because sometimes the difference between someone bouncing from your website and becoming your next client comes down to whether you made them feel welcomed enough to stay a while. 

Let’s fuel your business further with an Espresso Website Copy Review

If you’re wondering whether your messaging is clear, your customer journey makes sense, or there’s an opportunity to create a more accessible and welcoming experience, you’re in the right place. 

That’s exactly what the Espresso Website Copy Review is designed to uncover. Together, we’ll take a close look at your website to improve your website copy and customer journey, with design and accessability in mind.

Need a professional perspective? Book a virtual coffee chat to start the conversation about improving your site today.