Web Accesibility and Search Engine Optimization

There is a common myth that accessibility and SEO pull in different directions, when in truth web accessibility rewards marketers and developers alike. In actuality, accessibility and SEO overlap heavily: following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and search engine optimization best practices yields the top results together.

Approximately 25% of US adults identify with some form of disability, yet marketers have primarily treated web accessibility as a reconsideration rather than a fundamental pillar of content development. Websites that treat accessibility and SEO as one discipline consistently rank higher than their competition on Google and YouTube.

Accessibility has more explicit guidelines than SEO does. However, SEO is still required to get the content to work correctly through the browsers and the assistive technology of web accessibility.

What is the value of finding content when the accessibility or the user experience is poor? Similarly, does it at all matter how accessible content is if nobody ever sees it? Accessibility and SEO are, in the end, both about bringing relevant content to users.

Accessibility and SEO: the main ways to optimise a website for both

• Interaction Methods: As we are talking of accessibility, some users might not be able to use the keyboard, mouse, or fingers for their mobile phones when browsing through a website. For them, it is necessary to reduce the inconvenience so that they can understand the content and gather the information as required. Including features such as text-to-speech options can help in these designs as they help users handle the website without any physical interactions.
• Responsive Design: It is an accepted fact that websites demand to be compatible with both desktop and mobile versions for viewing. As most of the themes of the site are already responsive when built, it is not always required to have a professional designer on board. This means developers can automatically resize to become readable and accessible from any handheld device. It is the efficiency of the website developer to know that websites have to be responsible for improved accessibility.
• Alternative Text: This is where accessibility and SEO meet most obviously. Some users cannot see the images on the website. For them, the ALT text and caption fields become important features while navigating the site. This method will allow the user to learn what sort of visual context has been paired up with the information and content without really having to discern the image. Keep alt text short and specific, and put longer descriptions in the caption or the surrounding text; both search engines and screen readers prefer it that way.
• Text Resizing: Some users might find it remarkably challenging to read the tiny texts on the website. However, the oversizing feature often gives a little sloppy look on the web design in general. Developers, thus, take it to add a text resizing tool so that the users can select the size of the text at their convenience. It is also helpful to make sure that the website runs at different browser zoom levels.
• Simplified Messaging: It is never a safe idea to fill the website with excessive content. No users or readers enjoy reading big words or text on each page, given that attention spans are already shrinking. Moreover, it is also not a very bright idea to use industry-specific jargon when writing for the websites as it might seem incomprehensible to a layperson. Clear language with simple designs always wins the game.
• Transcripts: Videos, podcasts, or any other forms of interactive media content often stands as an obstacle for users who have trouble in hearing or vision. Transcripts and captions become a must for such people, and they give search engines text to index – another accessibility and SEO win.
• Text Color: Using hyperlinks has always remained a good idea, especially when competitive websites do not have one. However, some particular colours can be an obstacle, such as red. Red hyperlinks might be confusing for people suffering from colour blindness. The web developers, thus, should work on the people’s ability to see the right colour. It is preferable to find a colour-blindness website checking tool which will ensure that all the colours that are being used for the website, right from the colour of the logo to the website design, must have proper text background contrast with each other so that it is convenient for everyone to see.
• Text Organisations: This is an essential section of the text simplification process. It is always advised to use large and bright titles on top of every page. This method helps in better readability of the page along with more straightforward navigation. Proper heading tags and section breaks within the body text on each page are also essential, and they are the clearest accessibility and SEO overlap of all: screen readers and search crawlers both navigate by headings. The white space should be correctly used for a better and clear vision.
• Directional Cues: Tooltips can help, but only when they are also available by keyboard and to screen readers; otherwise they are decoration. Tooltips, as evident as it sounds, are special tools which are useful for the user when they get grounded at any point on the website while browsing. The tooltips help to direct the user toward the main element and content of the site.
• Internal Search: An internal search bar must be provided as some people might find navigating the website challenging. Preferably, the inner search bar must be placed at the top of the site, especially for sites which deal with e-commerce products. The search bar must also have a voice search feature for the convenience of those who cannot scroll or browse through the section like other people for limited physical conditions.
• Clear Navigation: Maintaining consistent and clear navigation through the website is imperative. It is also helpful for users who fail to connect with the content through proper tools, such as a mouse or keyboard. Designers and developers must make sure that the labels are written in simple terms so that everyone can understand it without difficulty.
• Form Directions: Whether it is newsletter sign-ups, purchases or any other purpose, any website should have contact forms, more so when it is a business or official website. Customers, more often than not, like to connect with the buyer, and phone calls are so last decade. However, as some users might have comprehension issues, it is necessary to have field labels marked for better directions and usability. These help the user to make it convenient and to fill in the required information seamlessly.

Accessibility and SEO: frequently asked questions

Does accessibility directly affect Google rankings?

Not as a single ranking signal, but almost every accessibility practice touches a signal Google does use: descriptive titles and headings, alt text, captions and transcripts, readable content, fast and mobile-friendly pages, and clear link text. That is why accessibility and SEO improve together.

Which accessibility and SEO fixes give the biggest gain?

Heading structure, alt text on images, transcripts for video and audio, descriptive link text and page titles. Each gives search engines text and structure they could not read before, and each is a WCAG requirement, which makes them the cheapest accessibility and SEO wins available.

Can accessibility and SEO ever conflict?

Rarely, and usually only when SEO is done badly – stuffing keywords into alt text, hiding text, or auto-playing video. Good SEO and good accessibility both reward clear, well-structured content that answers the visitor’s question.

Do accessibility overlays help accessibility and SEO?

No. Overlay widgets do not change the underlying HTML that search engines and screen readers read, so they improve neither. Fixing the code does both.

How do I measure accessibility and SEO together?

Run Lighthouse, which scores both, then an accessibility audit against WCAG 2.2 AA and a crawl with your SEO tool of choice. Our web accessibility case study shows how an accessibility audit lifted both usability and search visibility on a live site.

Should one team handle accessibility and SEO?

Ideally the two speak to each other from the start. Many agencies now audit both together, because the fixes overlap so much that doing them separately wastes budget. If you work with two teams, agree the heading structure, alt text rules and page templates jointly before either starts, so accessibility and SEO decisions do not get undone by the other side.

Is there a quick win to start with?

Yes: write a real alt text for every image and put the page’s main topic in a single H1 followed by descriptive H2s. Those two changes take an afternoon and improve accessibility and SEO on every page at once.

Conclusion

So, if you are a web-developing service provider looking for a brighter outlook on the discussed points, Anblik is more than happy to assist you. Our senior-level experts will advise you to learn more about the website compliance guidelines. We can also offer you a free scan and graded report that will show all the required measures and reduce the risk factors of your website’s performance against WCAG 2.0 guidelines, along with a better SEO result, because accessibility and SEO improve together.

Get a free 30-minute consultation about your website’s accessibility from the Ananyoo team to get going!