{"id":14641,"date":"2018-07-23T11:35:03","date_gmt":"2018-07-23T08:35:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/?p=14641"},"modified":"2018-07-23T12:15:00","modified_gmt":"2018-07-23T12:15:00","slug":"wordpress-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wordpress-accessibility\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Actionable Ways to Improve WordPress Accessibility for Your Visitors"},"content":{"rendered":"

When designing any website, it\u2019s important to remember that not all of your potential visitors<\/a> are the same. Simple capabilities many of us take for granted \u2013 such as the ability to see web pages or use a mouse \u2013 aren\u2019t an option for everyone. This means optimizing for WordPress accessibility is essential.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to make your site more user-friendly, even for those with special challenges. All it takes is understanding what those visitors need<\/a>, and taking a hard look at your site to see where it\u2019s currently lacking. Then, you can use dedicated themes<\/a> and plugins to make their lives a little easier (and expand your potential audience at the same time).<\/p>\n

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In this post, we\u2019ll discuss the topic of WordPress accessibility in more depth. Then we\u2019ll introduce three simple techniques you can use to optimize your site or your WordPress blog<\/a> for all<\/em> visitors. Let\u2019s take a look!<\/div><\/div>\n
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\n\t\t \t\tCheck out these 3 easy ways to improve your #WordPress site's #accessibility<\/a>\n\t\t \t<\/div>\n\t\t \t
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Why accessibility matters on your website<\/h2>\n

A lot of thought and effort goes into building a website<\/a>. You have to consider its design<\/a>, layout, navigation, content<\/a>, and much more. Along the way, it can be easy to forget about the diverse range of people who will end up visiting the final product.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve designed your site to cater only to those with \u2018typical\u2019 capabilities, you\u2019re leaving out a large chunk of your potential audience<\/a>. There are a lot of people with physical or mental impairments who might have trouble using your site<\/a>, even if they could otherwise benefit from it.<\/p>\n

For instance, an image-heavy site can be a challenge for people who are visually impaired to make sense of. Likewise, those with difficulties using a mouse and keyboard can struggle with regular navigation schemes<\/a>. These people often use assistive technologies<\/a> to bridge the gap, but sometimes that isn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n

As a developer or website owner, it\u2019s your responsibility to make sure every site you build is accessible. Besides simply being the right thing to do, this will ensure anyone who ends up on one of your pages can interact with your content \u2013 regardless of their challenges.<\/p>\n

Three ways to improve WordPress accessibility<\/h2>\n

Making your website accessible does take a little work. However, it doesn\u2019t have to be an overwhelming task. Let\u2019s walk through three of the best ways to start improving your WordPress accessibility right now.<\/p>\n

1. Test your website\u2019s current accessibility<\/h3>\n

In order to make your site more accessible, you first need to know the elements you already have in place. After all, if you\u2019ve never considered this aspect of web design before, you may not even be sure what to do or where to start.<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are plenty of tools that can help you out \u2013 such as the Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool (WAVE)<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

This simple browser-based solution will take a close look at your site and provide a lot of useful information. Simply type your site\u2019s URL<\/a> into the bar on the home page, and you\u2019ll see an annotated version of its front end:<\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Using this tool, you can see exactly what parts of your site are already well-optimized for accessibility. For instance, green icons will indicate helpful features such as image ‘alt’ text<\/a>. Red and yellow icons, on the other hand, point out areas that can be improved.<\/p>\n

By clicking on each one, you\u2019ll get a concise and clear explanation of what the issue is:<\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

Spending some time exploring your site with this tool<\/a> will make it clear exactly what you need to work on. What\u2019s more, you\u2019ll learn about the basics of WordPress accessibility along the way.<\/p>\n

2. Use an accessibility-ready theme<\/h3>\n

Improving the accessibility of an existing site can sometimes be a challenge. The layout and tools you already have in place may make it difficult or impossible to implement certain key features. For instance, your theme might not be coded with all of the options and functionality you\u2019ll need.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re creating a new site, or are willing to change your site\u2019s theme<\/a>, you can avoid this issue altogether. By opting for an accessibility-ready theme, you can build your site from the ground up to be friendly to as many visitors as possible.<\/p>\n

In the WordPress Theme Directory<\/a>, individual themes must meet a number of criteria<\/a> in order to be deemed \u2018accessibility-ready\u2019. They must provide navigation schemes that can be used with a keyboard alone, proper heading structures<\/a>, color schemes<\/a> with clear contrasts, and much more:<\/p>\n

\"All<\/p>\n

By choosing one of these carefully vetted themes, you will<\/em> be more limited in choice. However, optimizing your website for accessibility will be a lot easier. If you don\u2019t like WordPress\u2019 options, you can also find accessibility-ready themes in other directories such as ThemeForest<\/a>.<\/p>\n

3. Install a dedicated WordPress accessibility plugin<\/h3>\n

What if you\u2019re unable to change your website\u2019s theme? You\u2019ll be glad to know you can still make improvements to WordPress accessibility, without any coding. While a plugin can\u2019t change all inaccessible elements, it can<\/em> help you make some key changes.<\/p>\n

There are a number of options<\/a>, but we\u2019d suggest starting with WP Accessibility:<\/p>\n

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Author(s):\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJoe Dolson<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t

Current Version:<\/span> 2.3.3<\/p>\n\t\t\t

Last Updated:<\/span> March 26, 2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t

Direct Download<\/a><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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