What is website accessibility?
Building sites more people can use, including people with visual, motor, hearing or cognitive differences. It's a legal duty and better design.
Website accessibility means designing and building so more people can use your site, including people who navigate with a keyboard, use a screen reader, can’t see colour the way you do, or need more time and clarity.
Why it matters
- Inclusion. A meaningful share of many audiences has a disability of some kind.
- Legal duty. Standards like WCAG underpin accessibility law in the UK, EU and beyond.
- Everyday usability. Captions help in noisy rooms; clear contrast helps in bright sun; good structure helps search engines.
What it looks like in practice
- Enough colour contrast between text and background
- Everything usable by keyboard, with a visible focus state
- Real alt text on meaningful images
- Proper headings and labels so screen readers make sense of the page
- Never relying on colour alone to carry meaning
Accessibility belongs in the first sketch. It overlaps with UX and UI, responsive design and SEO because accessible pages are structured, readable and easier to navigate.