In today’s digital landscape, ensuring website accessibility is crucial for businesses aiming to be inclusive and reach the widest possible audience. Search engines such as Google are rumoured to be placing greater emphasis on rating web content based on how accessible it is to individuals with disabilities.  Everything Dinosaur team members are aware of the need to enhance website accessibility.

For many businesses the thought of having to redesign an on-line presence can be daunting.  Where do you start?  How do you ensure that you are following best practice?

How to Enhance Website Accessibility

Making a website more inclusive and accessible can be a challenge.  However, Everything Dinosaur team members are keen to enhance website accessibility and they want to make Everything Dinosaur. more user friendly and inclusive.

Many of our customers have additional needs and we wanted to make our web presence more accessible especially for those customers who might have a visual impairment.  A key aspect of website accessibility is maintaining sufficient contrast between the font colour and the background. Poor colour contrast can make text difficult to read, especially for individuals with visual impairments or other accessibility needs.

Fortunately, there is plenty of help on hand and team members at Everything Dinosaur have been utilising free software developed by the Utah State University to conduct a detailed audit of their website and to formulate easy to implement changes to enhance usability, make the site more inclusive and to improve accessibility.

Free Software

The software is known as WAVE and it can provide guidance to help businesses large and small to make their websites more inclusive.

Through the use of this free accessibility evaluation tools.  Team members were quickly able to identify those website elements such as images without alt text. Once corrected, this made the site much more user friendly for those visitors that rely on screen readers.

The new for 2022 Nanmu Studio Nutcracker Parasaurolophus dinosaur model in the green colour variant. It is important for all images to have alt text.  This enables users of screen readers and screen browsers to access all parts of the website.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The image (above) shows a team member holding a hand-painted dinosaur model from the Nanmu Studio range.

To view this range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal figures: Nanmu Studio Models.

Changing the Site Contrast to Enhance Website Accessibility

The contrast ratio between the white font and the pale blue background of the Everything Dinosaur website was analysed, and the decision was made to change the background colour to a dark green.

This seemingly small change has had a significant impact on the user experience. The increased contrast allows site visitors, including those with visual impairments or other accessibility challenges, to easily read and engage with Everything Dinosaur’s content. By addressing this key accessibility factor, the company has taken an important step towards creating a more inclusive on-line presence.

The background of Everything Dinosaur’s website has been changed to improve the contrast and therefore make the site easier to use for people with visual impairments.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Following Best Practice

Making sure that you are following best practice is essential.  Fortunately, the Utah State University software incorporates Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).  Users of this free tool can be confident that any changes made conform to the latest protocols.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur explained that considering the requirements of customers, especially those with additional needs does not have to be that daunting.

He added:

“Improving website accessibility benefits all site visitors.  Content that is easy to perceive and navigate is better for everyone. Removing barriers to access means that our website will be more inclusive and welcoming.  Some small changes can make a big difference.”

Everything Dinosaur’s focus on website accessibility demonstrates a dedication to inclusivity and a recognition of the importance of reaching all potential customers and stakeholders. By making these small but significant changes the company hopes to set an example for other businesses to follow, fostering a more inclusive and accessible on-line landscape.

Visit the award-winning and user friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys.