Website accessibility

Website accessibility is designing and developing websites in a way that ensures equal access and usability for all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities. It involves meeting the four key web accessibility principles POUR:

- Perceivable: ensuring content can be perceived through at least one of the main senses (sight, sound and touch)
- Operable: ensuring that all website features function no matter what the input device is (keyboard, mouse, screen reader etc.)
- Understandable: ensuring navigation and content is consistent so all users can make their way around the site
- Robust: ensuring that websites can be used by a wide variety of users across different technology and browsers
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These are the main areas I examine to ensure all of my websites reach high website accessibility standards.

My website blog "Unlocking the full potential of your website: six proven ways to improve accessibility" shows six simple steps to meeting website accessibility standards.

Website accessibility not only benefits all of your users, it also benefits you. The key benefits to accessible design are:

- it improves the public perception of your business
- it helps to reach a wider audience
- it improves Search Engine Optimisation by making it easier for search engines to index your website (this will increase your total users)
- it can help increase your chances of government funding
- it can also help prevent unwanted law suits.