When you are putting together a website, there is more to consider than the layout and the pictures that are placed on the home page. Of course, that is still notably important, but it is the subject of another article!
Website accessibility is crucial for ensuring that people with disabilities can use and interact with a website effectively. It is also something that is more and more important to search engine algorithms, so failing to address accessibility may get you actively penalized. Therefore, you have to address the issue rather than think you can just ignore it and still have a successful website.
To make your website accessible, you need to follow the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) issued by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). There are many professionals that you could talk to and have discussions online about the best way to implement the guidelines. Getting advice and ideas from experts is never a bad idea and might give you some inspiration on how you can tackle accessibility on your own website.
Naturally, it can be challenging to know where to begin, especially if you lack experience in web accessibility or even website design. Fortunately, several website accessibility tools can help you improve your website’s accessibility. By using tools made for accessibility, you can start to address the problems on your website and gain feedback from users.
In this article, the best website accessibility tools every site owner should use will be explored, so you can ensure that everyone who clicks on your site can use it.
AChecker
AChecker is an online accessibility checker that allows you to test your website for accessibility issues. It provides detailed reports that highlight any accessibility violations, which is crucial for website functioning, according to many accessibility tools reviews. These reports also include recommendations for how to fix any errors too!
AChecker is a free tool that supports multiple checkpoints, including WCAG 2.0, WCAG 2.1, and Section 508. Starting with a check on your website is the best place to begin, as it means you will not invest time and energy (and possibly money) into fixing a problem that doesn’t exist while leaving large issues unfixed.
WAVE
WAVE is another online accessibility checker that provides detailed reports about any accessibility issues on your website. It also includes a toolbar extension for Google Chrome that allows you to check individual pages as you browse. WAVE is a free tool that supports WCAG 2.0 and Section 508.
You might find checking as you browse through the website an easier system than an overall website audit. It also means that you can constantly check while doing other tasks.
Axe
Axe is an accessibility testing tool that integrates with several popular web development tools, including Google Chrome, Firefox, and Visual Studio Code. It identifies accessibility issues and provides suggestions for how to fix them. Axe is a free and open-source tool that supports WCAG 2.1 and Section 508. Having a checker which provides solutions can be incredibly helpful, particularly when starting out to judge the accessibility of your website – you will be able to see what works and what doesn’t for your site.
Chrome DevTools
Chrome DevTools is a set of website development tools that includes an accessibility audit feature. The feature allows you to run an accessibility audit on your website and provides a detailed report that highlights any accessibility issues. It also provides recommendations for how to fix them. Chrome DevTools is a free tool that supports WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. You might have already used this toolset for other issues and appreciate having a one-stop shop for various website needs.
UserWay Accessibility Widget
UserWay Accessibility Widget is a plugin that you can add to your website to improve its accessibility. The plugin provides a range of accessibility features, including text resizing, color contrast adjustments, and keyboard navigation. It also includes a screen reader widget that can read out the content of your website. UserWay Accessibility Widget is a paid tool that supports WCAG 2.1 and Section 508.
This tool gives you some methods to move towards correcting your website and fixing some of the accessibility problems that the tester tools have flagged up. Redesigning your entire website is not always feasible, so having something that can be added to improve accessibility is helpful. You are able to move in the right direction and help customers and website users have more access and interaction with your business, even if you cannot do all that you would like to at the moment. When the time comes to update your website, it might give you an idea of what will work for your business and what won’t as well.
Accessible
Accessible is an online accessibility checker that provides a comprehensive report of any accessibility issues on your website. It also includes a dashboard that allows you to track your website’s accessibility progress over time. Accessible is a paid tool that supports WCAG 2.0 and 2.1. The benefit of this tool is the ability to track progress, as it is important that accessibility is kept track of. Having a push toward accessibility for your website is great, but it is likely to be forgotten about (unless central to your business core beliefs) as time moves on and more and more content is created and added on.
It might be that everyone has good intentions to keep up with the idea of accessibility, but rushed deadlines mean that it will be added on later when there is more time – only there never is more time, and the idea gets completely lost. Having a quick check to make sure progress is maintained is important.
Tenon.io
Tenon.io is an accessibility testing tool that uses artificial intelligence to identify accessibility issues on your website. It also provides detailed reports that highlight any accessibility issues and recommendations for how to fix them. Tenon.io is a paid tool that supports WCAG 2.1 and Section 508. Paid tools give you access to more features and greater abilities – they’re important to consider if you are serious about improving accessibility for your users.
