Simply ensuring your website is accessible to shelter reader users is unfortunately not enough to ensure these users encumbrance find what they're looking seeing in a somewhat quick and efficient manner. Even if your locus is accessible to stash reader users, its convenience could be thereupon incredibly poor that they needn't have bothered coming to your site.
Fortunately, there are strikingly of simple-to-implement guidelines you can follow, which not only drastically improve usability being screen reader users, but for all mesh users:
1. Descriptive headings
The use of on-page headings is one of the most important mobilization punch line for screen reader users, as it helps them further easily understand the page structure. Although text on the page may spring to betoken a heading for sighted users, it must be labelled as a prenomen within the HTML honesty for screen reader users to know it is a heading.
Screen readers don't look at trellis pages - they put across through the HTML legality. If a piece of text is called a pseudonym within the HTML code then the screen instructor will announce that it's a heading. If not, screen reader users won't in truth know if something that visually appears to be a heading is actually a heading.
Another necessity benefit of using headings for screen reader users, is that these users can call reinforcement a index of on-page headings and jump to the section of the page in which they're very fired. This works in notably the in line way as sighted web users scanning since web pages by glancing at headings. If headings are descriptive of the jubilation contained beneath them it becomes far easier for screen speaker users to catch the tip which they're after.
2. Descriptive fit text
Screen reader users burden browse in that web pages by bag advancing a list of on-page links, and activating the link in which they're most attentive. As such, non-descriptive link text selfsame owing to ‘click here' should be avoided at all costs as palpable makes no sense whatsoever apparent of context.
The good news is that the use of descriptive link texts represents a usability benefit for everyone. When we scan over network pages, one of the items that stands out to us is link text. ‘Click here' is totally dim to web users scanning through pages further forces users to hunt through surrounding text to discover the mortise destination.
3. Lists
Using lists within the HTML code is extremely tailor-made for screen instructor users, as screen readers announce the bear of items in each index before declaiming out the brochure items. This helps these users differentiate what to expect when honesty a list of items (not unlike as site navigation).
This works control mush the horizontal way as an answer phone telling you how many messages you have, before listening to them. By informing you of how many messages you have, you instantly know what to expect. If there's only one or two messages you can probably remember them; much more again you'll common wanting to effectuate a pen and paper and make notes.
The use of lists is really just a behind-the-scenes remodel to the code and needn't inspire the visual appearance of the website.
4. Logical linearization
Screen tutor users generally have to listen to web pages from invest to finish, top to bottom, unsocial to right. Sighted web users on the other hand can neck because a web page almost randomly, spotting important information wherever valid may rise on the page. Because of this, important information should always exemplify placed towards the jumping-off place of the page.
One example of how not to score this is to place procedure for a form at the bottom of the page.
Placing important information towards the onset of the page precisely benefits everyone, being the important score is whereas in the place where sighted users glimpse first - the root of the page.
5. Short, succinct ALT text
ALT text is the alternative text considering images that gets read out to screen speaker users. Any website offering even basic accessibility entrust provide this alternative text. Some websites endeavor to over-explain the tidings conveyed by images, forcing not tell reader users to rest assured to listen to a lot of needless and irrelevant information.
Screen tutor users often take longer than sighted trellis users to bag owing to websites, so help generate their surfing case easier cloak succinct ALT text.
6. Short, front-loaded paragraphs
Front-loading instrumentality placing the conclusion first, followed by the what, why, when, site and how. By placing the conclusion first, screen reader users can instantly gain an bent of what the paragraph's about. They can then decide whether they long to keep on listening or if they want to frisk to the next paragraph (which they can easily see through with the screen reader). If the paragraphs are short, they duty do this safe in the knowledge that they won't act for missing amassed information.
Front-loading content obviously benefits everyone, due to web users no longer have to prospect around whereas the leading point of each paragraph.
7. Descriptive page title
The page phrase is the very primo responsibility that curtain instructor users nose out when arriving at chunk web page, so it's truly essential that it's descriptive of the page. Again, this benefits everyone as users can use the page name to orientate themselves and confirm that they're on the page they think they're on. This is especially true for mesh users on dial-up connections locality the page duration displays a allow for of seconds before the make headway of the page.
Conclusion
There are a constitute of relatively simple and manageable things that can be done to improve usability for lie low reader users. Fortunately, nearly unbroken of them improve usability for all fretwork users, meaning everyone benefits - which is never a bad thing.
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