Accessibility means making your website usable by people with different abilities, including those with low vision, colour blindness, hearing loss, motor difficulties or cognitive differences. The same changes help everyone: clearer text, better contrast, simpler forms and captions make a site easier to use on a sunny day, on a small phone or with one hand holding a coffee. It is also increasingly a legal expectation in Europe.

Accessibility helps far more people than you might expect.

It is easy to think of accessibility as something for a small group of users. In practice, nearly everyone has moments when they need it. Someone with a broken wrist using only a keyboard. A parent holding a baby, scrolling one-handed. A commuter watching a video without sound. Anyone over forty squinting at small grey text.

Designing for the hardest situations tends to make the everyday ones smoother too.

Europe now expects it from many businesses.

The European Accessibility Act has applied since 28 June 2025 to many businesses selling products and services to consumers online, including e-commerce, banking and transport services. Very small businesses have some exemptions, and the details vary. Even where it is not required, following the main accessibility guidelines is good practice and makes your site future-ready. If you are unsure whether the rules apply to you, get proper advice.

These fixes make the biggest difference.

Make text readable.

• Use a body text size that is comfortable on a phone. Small, light text looks elegant in a design file and frustrates people on a real screen.
• Keep enough contrast between text and background. Pale grey on white and white on light photos are common failures. Free contrast checkers will tell you in seconds whether a colour pair passes.
• Allow people to zoom in on mobile without the layout breaking.
• Keep line lengths and spacing comfortable, and use real headings to break up long pages.

Describe your images.

Add alt text to images so screen readers can describe them. Write what the image shows and why it matters on the page, briefly. "Chef plating grilled halloumi with herbs" is useful. "Image1.jpg" is not. Purely decorative images can have empty alt text so screen readers skip them.

Never rely on colour alone.

If a form field turns red to show an error, also add a message that says what went wrong. If a chart uses colour to separate lines, add labels. Colour vision deficiency is common, especially among men, so this matters more than people assume. A quick way to test is to view your page in greyscale and see whether anything important disappears.

Make everything work with a keyboard.

Try using your site with only the Tab and Enter keys. Can you reach every menu, button and form field? Can you see where you are on the page? Many people use a keyboard or switch device instead of a mouse, and a clear focus outline is essential for them.

Write clear links and buttons.

"Click here" and "read more" tell screen reader users nothing when they hear a list of links. Use labels that make sense on their own, like "Book a table" or "Read our menu".

Keep forms simple.

• Every field needs a visible label, rather than placeholder text that disappears as soon as someone starts typing.
• Ask only for what you need.
• Explain errors in plain words, next to the field.
• Avoid timers that log people out while they are still typing.

Caption your videos.

Captions help deaf and hard-of-hearing visitors and the large number of people who watch with sound off. They also help search engines and AI tools understand what the video is about. Most editing tools and platforms now generate captions automatically, which you should then check for errors.

Go easy on motion.

Animation can make a site feel alive, but heavy motion can make some people feel unwell. Respect the "reduce motion" setting that phones and computers offer, and avoid flashing effects.

Here is how to check your own site.

1. Run a free automated checker such as WAVE or Lighthouse in Chrome. It will catch missing alt text, contrast problems and missing labels.
2. Navigate your key pages with only a keyboard.
3. Turn on your phone's screen reader for five minutes and try to complete a booking or purchase.
4. Zoom your browser to double the normal size and see whether anything breaks or overlaps.
5. Watch your videos with the sound off.

Automated tools catch some issues, so the manual checks matter. They take less than an hour and are very revealing.

Build it in from the start.

Fixing accessibility after a site is built is possible, but it is cheaper to plan for it from day one. When Digiredo designs a website, contrast, type size, focus states and alt text are part of the design, checked in every state, including hover and dark mode. You can see examples of our web work on the our work page.

Frequently asked questions.

Does accessibility make a website look boring?

No. Good contrast, readable type and clear structure fit beautifully with strong design. Many of the best-looking sites are also very accessible.

Is an accessibility overlay plugin enough?

Usually not. Overlays can help a little but often miss real problems or create new ones. Fixing the site itself is more reliable.

Where should I start if my site has many issues?

Start with contrast, alt text, form labels and keyboard access on your most important pages, then work outwards.

Want an accessibility check on your website? Get in touch with Digiredo.