Why it matters
Accessibility helps real customers use your site. Businesses also face legal and contract questions about it. This guide is general information, not legal advice; ask an attorney about your obligations.
Text and contrast
Use dark text on a light background or the reverse, with strong contrast, and keep body text at a comfortable size. Do not rely on color alone to show meaning, such as red for errors with no label.
Images
Give meaningful images short descriptions in the alt text. Decorative images can have empty alt text. Do not put important words only inside an image.
Forms and links
Every form field needs a visible label. Error messages should say what went wrong. Links should say where they go, not just click here.
Keyboard use
Try to use your site with only the Tab and Enter keys. You should be able to reach the menu, the contact form and the buttons, and see where focus is.
Checking your site
Free tools can catch common issues, but they do not find everything. Test the pages that matter most, such as the home page and contact form, by hand.
Common questions
Does an accessibility overlay fix my site?
Overlays and plug-ins do not fix every problem and some can introduce new ones. Fixing the page itself is more reliable.
Where do I start?
Contrast, form labels, alt text and keyboard access on your most visited pages.
This guide is general information. Search engines change how they work and their guidelines; check Google's current documentation for your situation. Nobody can guarantee a ranking.