For many small businesses, a website is the shop window to the world, but if it isn’t accessible, that window can leave many potential clients standing on the other side.
Creating an inclusive website isn’t just about compliance with accessibility standards. It’s about ensuring everyone, including people with sight loss, low vision, or disabilities, can access your products, services, and content with ease.
And the good news? You don’t need to be a tech expert or a large organisation to make meaningful improvements. A few simple steps can transform your website into a space that’s more welcoming, more usable, and more equitable for everyone.
Nearly 2 million people in the UK live with sight loss, and millions more experience eye strain or visual difficulties that affect how they interact with digital content. Yet many websites remain difficult to navigate with missing image descriptions, poor colour contrast, or confusing layouts that exclude users.
Accessibility isn’t a niche issue; it’s about equity and inclusion. When your website is accessible, you’re not only supporting people with sight loss; you’re also improving the experience for:
Just as automatic doors help people carrying shopping, parents with strollers, and wheelchair users alike, accessible web design makes websites easier for everyone, including busy users, older visitors, and people on small screens.
You don’t need a complete website makeover. Start with these straightforward actions that make an immediate difference:
1. Add Alt Text to All Images
Alt text (alternative text) provides a short written description of an image. Screen readers use this to describe visuals aloud to visually impaired users.
Tip: Be descriptive but concise, say what’s important in the image, not what’s decorative.
Example: “Team member smiling while using a laptop” rather than “image123.jpg.”
2. Use Clear, Plain Language
Avoid jargon or overly complex phrasing. Using short sentences and plain English helps users, especially those using screen readers or translation tools, understand your message more easily.
Remember: accessibility starts with clarity.
3. Ensure Good Colour Contrast and Readable Fonts
Many people experience digital eye strain or low contrast sensitivity, especially after long screen use.
Use dark text on a light background (or vice versa) and avoid placing text over busy images.
Quick check: Try your website in grayscale and think, can you still read the content comfortably?
4. Structure Content with Headings and Logical Order
Screen readers rely on headings to navigate content efficiently. Using proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3) creates a logical flow that benefits all users.
Tip: Don’t just bold text for emphasis; use real headings in your page builder or CMS.
5. Write Accessible Links and Captions
Avoid “click here” or “read more.” Instead, use meaningful link text that describes the destination.
Example: “Learn more about our accessibility audits” instead of “Click here.”
If you include videos, always add captions and transcripts; they help people with hearing impairments and those who prefer to have the sound muted.
Bonus: Make Social Media Posts Accessible Too
Accessibility doesn’t stop at your website. The same principles apply to your online communication.
A few quick wins:
These small actions make your digital presence more accessible to everyone, not just those with sight loss.
An inclusive website isn’t only the right thing to do; it’s also an innovative business strategy.
Accessible design helps:
Improve SEO (search engines reward well-structured, descriptive content).
Simply put, accessibility benefits both people and businesses.
You don’t need to be a large corporation to make a difference. Every step towards accessibility, from adding alt text to offering large-print downloads, makes your business more inclusive and human-centred.
At Vision for Access, we help small businesses and organisations take these steps with confidence. Through accessibility audits, training, and hands-on guidance, we make inclusion practical, achievable, and sustainable.
Accessibility isn’t a trend; it’s a responsibility, and it starts with simple, thoughtful actions that make everyone feel welcome.
Vision for Access was born from lived experience. As someone registered as partially sighted, Mark founded the organisation to turn frustration into purpose — helping businesses, charities, and public bodies make accessibility a foundation, not an afterthought.
The UK government plans to make digital ID mandatory for Right to Work checks, but without proper accessibility, people with sight loss could be locked out of employment entirely.