In today’s digital world, accessibility is not just a legal obligation; it’s a core component of creating an inclusive environment online. With billions of people accessing the internet, it’s essential for businesses and content creators to ensure that everyone, including those with disabilities, can engage with their content. Writing blog posts about accessibility in digital marketing provides a great opportunity to educate your audience on how to make their digital content inclusive and user-friendly for all.
Here’s a guide on how to write blog posts that focus on accessibility in digital marketing:
1. Explain the Importance of Digital Accessibility
Start your blog post by addressing the “why.” Many readers may not be aware of the significance of digital accessibility or how it impacts people with disabilities. Clarifying its importance early on will set the stage for the rest of your content.
Some key points to include:
- Legal requirements: Explain that laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the U.S. and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) provide standards for making websites accessible. Non-compliance can result in legal repercussions.
- User inclusion: Point out that accessibility ensures that everyone, regardless of ability, can access, navigate, and interact with digital content. Highlight the importance of inclusivity, both ethically and for expanding an audience.
- SEO benefits: Explain that accessible websites are often more SEO-friendly, as search engines favor websites that offer a better user experience.
By framing the importance of accessibility in these terms, you’ll show your readers that it’s not just an ethical or legal issue, but also a business opportunity.
2. Break Down Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
Most people are unfamiliar with the technical aspects of digital accessibility. To make it more digestible, you can break down the key principles of WCAG in a user-friendly way.
Some areas to cover:
- Perceivable: Explain that content must be presented in ways that can be perceived by everyone, including those who use assistive technologies. Examples include text alternatives for non-text content like images or videos, and ensuring that text is readable.
- Operable: This principle ensures that users can interact with all site elements, regardless of their physical abilities. Examples include creating keyboard-friendly navigation and ensuring enough time to complete tasks like filling out forms.
- Understandable: Content should be easy to understand for all users, including those with cognitive impairments. Discuss tips for using clear language, readable fonts, and consistent navigation patterns.
- Robust: Digital content should work across different platforms and assistive technologies. This involves using well-structured HTML and ensuring that your site is compatible with screen readers.
Simplify these principles with examples and best practices, and provide practical tips for readers on how to incorporate them into their marketing strategies.
3. Offer Actionable Tips for Creating Accessible Content
Once you’ve covered the foundational principles, provide readers with actionable advice on making their digital marketing content more accessible. This could include:
- Use descriptive alt text: Encourage marketers to add detailed and meaningful alt text to images, which helps visually impaired users understand the content through screen readers.
- Ensure color contrast: Explain the importance of choosing color schemes with sufficient contrast, so that users with visual impairments can easily read the text. Tools like WebAIM’s Contrast Checker can be helpful.
- Design keyboard-friendly navigation: Offer advice on building websites that can be fully navigated using just a keyboard, which is essential for users with motor disabilities.
- Use video captions and transcripts: Explain that adding captions to videos benefits users who are deaf or hard of hearing. Additionally, providing transcripts of videos and podcasts helps both accessibility and SEO.
- Write clear, simple copy: Suggest using simple language, avoiding jargon, and breaking up long paragraphs to improve content comprehension for users with cognitive disabilities.
Providing specific, actionable steps that readers can implement in their own digital marketing campaigns makes your post practical and valuable.
4. Highlight Tools for Improving Accessibility
Many readers may not know where to start when it comes to making their digital content accessible. Suggesting helpful tools can bridge that gap and make accessibility feel more achievable.
Some tools to highlight include:
- WAVE (Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool): This tool helps users identify accessibility issues on web pages and provides suggestions for fixes.
- Lighthouse: Google’s open-source tool can audit a site’s accessibility, as well as performance and SEO.
- Color Oracle: A color blindness simulator that helps designers choose color schemes that work for colorblind users.
- AXE Accessibility Tool: A browser extension that checks websites for WCAG compliance and offers specific fixes for any violations.
- HeadingsMap: This extension helps users evaluate the structure of their web pages by showing how headings and subheadings are organized for assistive technology.
Providing this list of resources gives your readers a solid starting point to audit their own websites or marketing content.
5. Incorporate Real-World Examples
Adding case studies or real-world examples of brands that have embraced accessibility in their digital marketing can be incredibly powerful. It not only makes the post more engaging but also demonstrates that accessibility is a practical goal, not just an abstract concept.
You could share:
- Examples of companies that redesigned their websites for accessibility: For instance, companies like Microsoft have made significant strides in making their websites and products accessible to all users.
- Case studies showing the business impact of accessibility: Share statistics or stories that show how improving accessibility boosted a company’s SEO, increased conversions, or expanded their customer base.
- Examples of brands using inclusive design: Highlight companies that design their marketing campaigns to be inclusive of people with disabilities, showcasing how they cater to all demographics.
By incorporating these examples, you make the content more relatable and inspiring for your readers.
6. Discuss Accessibility in Various Forms of Digital Marketing
Accessibility goes beyond just websites—it should be integrated into all forms of digital marketing, from social media to email campaigns. Provide tips on how to make different marketing channels more accessible:
- Accessible emails: Discuss how marketers can design email campaigns with accessibility in mind, such as using clear and descriptive subject lines, readable fonts, and proper alt text for images.
- Social media accessibility: Suggest tips like adding alt text to social media images (which platforms like Twitter and Instagram now allow), captioning videos, and using emojis sparingly and inclusively.
- Accessible online ads: Encourage marketers to design PPC ads with readability and accessibility in mind, using concise language, large fonts, and color contrasts that ensure everyone can view and understand them.
By expanding the scope of accessibility beyond websites, you show your readers that inclusivity is relevant in all areas of their digital marketing strategy.
7. Highlight the Ongoing Nature of Accessibility
Finally, emphasize that accessibility is an ongoing process. It’s not something that’s fixed once and forgotten; websites and content need to be regularly updated to maintain compliance and improve usability.
In your blog post, you can encourage readers to:
- Perform regular audits: Suggest that they routinely check their websites for any new accessibility issues that may arise as they update their content.
- Stay informed about updates to WCAG: Explain that accessibility standards evolve, and marketers should stay updated on any changes to ensure their content remains compliant.
- Engage users for feedback: Recommend that readers involve people with disabilities in testing their websites and content, to gain firsthand insights on usability improvements.
By framing accessibility as a continuous effort, you encourage your audience to remain proactive and committed to inclusivity.
Conclusion
Writing blog posts that focus on accessibility in digital marketing not only educates your readers on the importance of inclusivity, but also helps them create content that reaches a broader audience. By breaking down accessibility guidelines, offering actionable tips, and highlighting tools and real-world examples, you provide valuable insights that marketers can implement immediately. As accessibility becomes a greater focus in the digital landscape, your blog posts can serve as a critical resource for those looking to improve both their marketing effectiveness and their commitment to inclusivity.