Website accessibility basics for local businesses

Use clear and descriptive headings

Think of your website like a newspaper. People skim the headlines to find what they need. For someone using assistive technology, these headings are the map of your page. If you skip from a main title to a tiny subhead without a logical order, the software gets confused.

Use your headings to tell a story. Your main page title should be the big idea. The sections underneath should explain your services or products. This helps customers find your store hours or your menu quickly. It also helps search engines understand what your business is all about.

• Use only one main H1 heading per page
• Keep your headings in a logical 1, 2, 3 order
• Make sure the heading text actually describes the section below it

Choose colors with high contrast

We see many beautiful websites that are almost impossible to read because the text is light gray on a white background. As we get older, or if we are outside in the bright Houston sun, low contrast makes words disappear. You want your text to pop off the screen.

The goal is to have a sharp difference between the color of your words and the color of the background. If you have a dark blue background, use white text. If you have a white background, use black or very dark gray text. If you have to squint to read it, your customers will likely just leave.

• Avoid placing light text over busy images
• Stick to dark text on light backgrounds for long paragraphs
• Ensure buttons have a clear border or high-contrast color

Label your images with alt text

Search engines and screen readers cannot see the photos of your signature dishes or your new showroom. They rely on something called alt text. This is a short written description attached to the image in your website editor.

You do not need to be a poet. Just describe what is in the photo. Instead of leaving an image named image123.jpg, label it as a photo of a family enjoying dinner at your restaurant. This simple step makes your site useful for blind neighbors and helps your images show up in local search results.

Make your links easy to understand

We have all seen buttons that just say Click Here or Read More. For someone using a screen reader, a list of twenty links that all say Click Here is useless. They have no idea where those links go.

Make your link text specific. If a button leads to your contact form, label it Contact Our Houston Office. If it goes to your price list, call it View Our Service Prices. This small change gives your customers confidence that they are clicking the right thing.

• Avoid using full URLs as link text
• Ensure buttons are large enough to tap easily on a phone
• Underline your links so they look different from regular text

Provide captions for your videos

Many people watch videos on their phones while they are in a quiet waiting room or a loud coffee shop. If your video does not have captions, they will likely scroll right past it. Captions make your content usable for the deaf community and for anyone who forgot their headphones.

Most social media platforms and website builders have tools to create these automatically. You just need to take a moment to review them and fix any typos. It ensures your message gets across no matter where your customer is or how they are listening.