How to Make Your Website More Accessible Without Hiring a Dev Team

Picture this: Sarah runs a small bakery in Manchester. Her site looks great on her phone, but customers with visual impairments bounce off fast. Screen readers skip her menu images, and form labels vanish. She loses sales and gets a complaint. In 2026, this happens too often. Website accessibility opens doors to everyone, from those with disabilities to older users.

One in five people has a disability that affects how they use the web. UK sites face low local lawsuits so far, but e-commerce shops shipping to the US risk ADA claims. Nearly 5,000 such suits hit in 2025, up 20% from before, mostly online stores. Fix now to dodge fines, reach more customers, and lift SEO. Search engines love clear structure, alt text, and fast pages.

WCAG 2.1 AA sets the bar. You hit quick wins with free tools and edits. No code skills needed. This guide walks you through scans, fixes, tests, and checks. Your site turns welcoming in hours. Ready for those first easy steps?

Spot Issues Fast with Free Scanners

Automated tools act like a spotlight on your site’s weak spots. They flag missing alt text, poor contrast, or jumbled headings in seconds. No install hassles for most. Start with your home page, about, and contact forms. These pages draw most traffic.

Top picks shine for beginners. The WAVE tool overlays icons right on your page. Green checks mean good; red errors scream fixes. Fire up its browser extension for Chrome or Firefox. Paste your URL, and errors light up like warning lights on a dashboard.

Accessibility Checker spits out visual reports and PDFs. Scan once, get a score, and see WCAG fails listed plain. AudioEye’s checker runs free scans too, highlighting ADA gaps. Pair two tools. They catch different bugs.

Run them like this: open your site, enter the URL, hit scan. Red flags pop on images without descriptions or buttons lacking labels. Tools spot over 70 common issues, from empty links to bad forms. Your bakery menu? It might show low contrast text blending into photos.

Why Start with Scans Before Fixes

Scans map your path. They prioritise big wins and track fixes later. Bookmark WAVE and Accessibility Checker for monthly runs. You see progress fast, stay motivated.

Fix Content Problems in Minutes Using Your Editor

Jump into your CMS like WordPress. Edit posts and pages directly. No plugins yet. Target WCAG basics that pack punch. Logical headings guide screen readers like signposts. One H1 per page tops the lot. Follow with H2 for sections, H3 for subs. Skip levels? Readers get lost.

Images need alt text. “Sarah’s fresh scones” beats blank or “image1.jpg”. Decorative pics get empty alt: alt=””. In WordPress, edit image, fill Alternative Text. Save. Screen readers skip fluff, describe key visuals.

Links tell their story. “Download price list (PDF, 200KB)” works. Ditch “click here”. Users hear context alone. Hover shows where it leads.

Build Strong Headings and Image Descriptions

Headings build structure, not just bold text. Use them for outline sense. Screen reader jumps H1 to H2 logically. In editor, select text, pick Heading 2 from dropdown. No skips like H1 to H3.

For images, ask: does it add info? Yes? Describe purpose. Bakery photo: “Scones with clotted cream on blue plate”. Edit in CMS: upload, add alt, done. Test: refresh page, scan again. Errors drop.

Improve Links, Colours, and Forms for All Users

Links shine standalone. “Read our allergy info” links clear. Edit anchor text direct.

Colours matter. Aim 4.5:1 contrast ratio. White text on light grey fails. Use Siteimprove’s checker. Pick colours, get pass or fail. Swap to black on white. Avoid colour-only cues like red for errors; add “Error:” text.

Forms need labels. “Email (required)” pairs right. Tabbable fields glow on focus. Add asterisks visible. Keyboard users thank you.

Handle Videos, Audio, and PDFs Right

Embed YouTube? Turn on captions. Add text summary: “Video shows scone baking steps.” Podcasts get full transcripts below. Copy-paste into page.

PDFs trip many. Fix in Google Docs first: headings, alt for images. Export, test with PAC checker online. Tag right, or screen readers mumble.

These tweaks make sites keyboard-navigable. Tab through; everything reachable, logical.

Test by Hand and Use Helper Tools

Tools start you off. Hands-on seals it. Unplug your mouse. Grab keyboard only. Tab across pages. Links, buttons, forms light up? Good. Skip traps mean trouble.

Zoom browser to 200%. Content reflows without horizontal scroll? Pass. Headings stay put, text wraps.

Try NVDA, free screen reader for Windows. Download, launch, arrow through your site. Hear headings announce? Images describe? Forms label clear? Bakery owner Sarah tests her menu: “Scones image” reads, navigation flows.

Pick “accessibility ready” WordPress themes. They bake in fixes. Plugins like checker tools monitor dashboard. Skip overlays like UserWay; they patch, not fix. Use as last resort.

Run Keyboard and Zoom Checks Yourself

Step one: open site, Tab forward. Hit every interactive bit. Backward with Shift+Tab too.

Focus outlines show? Blue glow or border guides eyes.

Zoom: Ctrl + wheel or View > Zoom. No cut-off edges. Resize works on mobile too.

Repeat on key pages. Ten minutes uncovers what scans miss.

Set Up a Quick Checklist for Ongoing Wins

Copy this list. Pin it by your desk.

• Headings: One H1, logical H2/H3.
• Alt text: Descriptive for key images, empty for decor.
• Links: Clear text, no “click here”.
• Contrast: 4.5:1 min, check tools.
• Keyboard nav: Tab reaches all, visible focus.
• Forms: Labeled fields, required marks.
• Media: Captions, transcripts.
• PDFs: Tagged, tested.
• Scans: Monthly WAVE run.

Plan simple: scan top five pages weekly. Fix top errors first. New content? Check before publish. Builds habit.

Perks stack up. Users stay longer, buy more. SEO climbs with structured pages. Legal calm lets you sleep. Inclusive sites convert better. Sarah’s bakery? Orders doubled after fixes.

Conclusion

Scans spot flaws, editor tweaks fix them, hands-on tests prove it. Free tools like WAVE and NVDA handle the rest. Your site now welcomes all.

Grab one page today. Run a scan, tweak headings and alts. Small steps yield big reach. Picture visitors arriving easy, staying happy.

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