Content accessibility
Before publishing content on any of our websites, you need to check it will be accessible so that it can be read and understood by as many people as possible.
If content on our website is not considered accessible, we may be in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. This could lead to investigations, unlawful act notices and court action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC).
Creating accessible web content
On this page you can find out more about:
1. Writing accessible content
2. Using titles and headings to improve accessibility
3. Making images accessible
4. Making videos accessible
Writing accessible content
To ensure your web content is accessible you should write it with these guidelines in mind:
- keep sentences and paragraphs short and clear
- use simple language (aim for 9 year old reading age)
- keep the page format simple
- avoid complex words and phrases or consider providing a glossary
- only use abbreviations or acronyms on a page after the name has been written in full with the abbreviation in brackets
- use descriptive link text that describes the content of where you are directing people
- avoid ambiguous link text, such as 'click here'
Using titles and headings to improve accessibility
Every page needs a unique title that describes the content and sets it apart from other pages. It should be no longer than 60 characters otherwise it may not display properly on search engines.
Use short headings to organise text. Headings should provide an outline of what each section of content is about. This helps users to read content but also helps provides helpful context for people using assistive software.
When formatting text on the site, use Heading 2 first followed by Heading 3. The Normal option should be used when paragraphs or sentences.
Making images accessible
Images should only be included if there's a real user need. Don't use images for decoration purposes only. An image can take up a lot visual space and can make pages slower to download so are best avoided.
Images shouldn't include text, as this can't be read out by screen readers and depending on the size of a user's device, it can be difficult to read.
All images must have a text alternative so it can be described to visitors who are unable to see them. This includes a title providing a brief overview of the image and a description (sometimes known as alt text).
The description should:
- describe in more detail than the title what the image is showing
- be as short as possible as some screen readers will only read the first 125 characters aloud
- not include "image of" or "picture of" as screen readers already tell the user what is in image
Example
European Structural and Investment Funds logo.
Title: European Structural and Investment Funds logo.
Description: European Union flag above the words European Union, European Structural and Investment Funds
Making videos accessible
Content should never be in a video-only format only. Videos should provide content in a different format to the text.
Any video uploaded or embedded on the site needs:
- subtitles or a transcript of the video
- audio description if important information is not clearly described by the audio
Videos should never:
- include content that flashes or blinks more than three times in one second
- start automatically