Become a website professional with digital accessibility and SEO! (part 1/2)

Almost 10 % of all people worldwide have a disability and may have problems surfing the web as a result. What if your website was accessible to accessible to all these people were?

Search engine optimization (SEO) and digital accessibility are two indispensable criteria for a well running website. The fact is that itself the compliance with the guidelines for accessibility on the Internet has a positive impact on your SEO strategyt and vice versa. This is not only a social aspect, but also offers many advantages for website owners. In this article we will explain how these two elements are interrelated so that your website can also benefit from it and become more accessible to all.so that your website can benefit from them and become more accessible to everyone.

1. Accessibility web design

Use visual elements that are easily accessible to people with disabilities, such as good contrast ratio, simple language, easy-to-read font and size. There are criteria set out in WCAG, the Digital Accessibility Guidelines, to help with this.

Impact on SEO: If users can more easily navigate your website, fill out contact forms, and use FAQ questions, your website is more relevant, which often leads to better placement in search results.

2. Use of alternative texts

Alternative texts are descriptions of images and animations on your website, in text form. They can be output in audio format by users of so-called "screen readers" and help to understand the content of your page.

Impact on SEO: Accurate ALT text allows search engines to understand the context of the image more accurately. This helps search engines rank your website, which can drive additional traffic to your website.

3. Title tags

The "Title-Tag" is the first thing that is read out by the screen reading software and gives the user an overview of the content of the page. Additionally, it is also the default text when setting a bookmark and helps navigating back later.

Impact on SEO: Title tags are one of the most important ranking factors (i.e. how high up you appear in search results), as the title of the page appears in search results and in the browser tab.

4. Meta descriptions

Meta descriptions are the text below the link that appears on the search engine results page. Screen readers read the metadata to screen reader users and help persuade them to visit your site.

Impact on SEO: The meta description primarily influence the "CTR" of a page. This is the number of clicks on an element in relation to the impressions achieved. These give you the opportunity to convince users of your unique selling points (USPs) and motivate them to click through to the search result.

5. Readability

Another fundamentally important element of website accessibility is readability. It is also mentioned in the WCAG and includes, for example, that the reading level matches the style of your readers and that the text is written in plain language.

Impact on SEO: Easy-to-read content keeps visitors' attention longer, reduces the likelihood that they will leave the page immediately (bounce rate), and signals to search engines that your page is relevant and informative.

6. Enumerations and lists

The use of lists and bullet points are an aspect of readability and help summarize content in an easy to understand format.

Impact on SEO: Search engines try to predict what content is best for users. Considering that most people skim web pages rather than read word for word, lists and bullet points are often beneficial.

Digital accessibility and search engine optimization go hand in hand and are relevant for all website operators. relevant for all website operators. We hope that we have have been able to help with this article and look forward to seeing the above criteria implemented, because: Digital accessibility benefits not only some, but all people!