Accessibility First: Make Elementor Sites WCAG 2.2 Compliant

Preface

Are you ready to unlock the full potential of your Elementor website while ensuring inclusivity for all users? Creating a website that is not only visually appealing but also accessible is not just a nice-to-have—it’s a necessity. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll dive into how you can make your Elementor sites WCAG 2.2 compliant, ensuring that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can enjoy a seamless online experience. Let’s get started with making websites that are truly accessible!

Why Accessibility Matters

Before we jump into the how-to, let’s understand why accessibility matters. Web accessibility means that websites, tools, and technologies are designed and developed so that people with disabilities can use them. More specifically, people can:

• Perceive
• Understand
• Navigate
• Interact with
• Contribute to the web

Accessibility also benefits people without disabilities, including:

• Older people with changing abilities due to aging
• People with ‘temporary disabilities’ such as a broken arm or lost spectacles
• People with ‘situational limitations’ such as in bright sunlight or in an environment where they cannot listen to audio
• People using a slow internet connection, or who have limited or expensive bandwidth
• People using older browsers or devices, or who have limited or no access to high-speed internet

By prioritizing accessibility, you’re not only expanding your audience but also enhancing your site’s usability for everyone.

Understanding WCAG 2.2

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main international standards organization for the Internet. WCAG 2.2 includes a wide range of recommendations for making Web content more accessible. Following these guidelines will make content more accessible to a wider range of people with disabilities, including blindness and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities, cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities, photosensitivity and combinations of these. WCAG 2.2 builds upon previous versions, such as WCAG 2.1, and introduces new success criteria to address emerging accessibility issues.

Info: The current stable version is WCAG 2.2 and was released on October 5, 2023.

Key Principles of WCAG

WCAG is based on four guiding principles, often remembered by the acronym POUR:

• Perceivable: Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
• Operable: User interface components and navigation must be operable.
• Understandable: Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable.
• Robust: Content must be robust enough that it can be interpreted reliably by a wide variety of user agents, including assistive technologies.

Getting Started with Elementor and Accessibility

Elementor is a powerful page builder that allows you to create stunning websites with ease. While it offers a lot of flexibility, it’s crucial to ensure your designs are accessible from the get-go. Here’s how you can integrate accessibility into your Elementor workflow.

1. Semantic HTML

Using semantic HTML is fundamental for accessibility. Semantic HTML elements provide meaning to the structure of your web page, allowing assistive technologies like screen readers to navigate and understand your content more effectively.

• Use proper heading structure: Use <h1> to <h6> tags to structure your content logically. Headings should be nested correctly, with <h1> representing the main title, <h2> for major sections, and so on. Avoid skipping heading levels.

  <h1>Main Title</h1>
  <h2>Section 1</h2>
  <h3>Subsection 1.1</h3>
  <h2>Section 2</h2>
  

• Use <nav>, <article>, <aside>, <header>, <footer> elements: These elements help define the different parts of your page. Elementor allows you to customize the HTML tag of sections and columns. Use this feature to add semantic meaning to your page structure.

  <header>
  <nav>
  <ul>
  <li><a href="#">Home</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">About</a></li>
  <li><a href="#">Services</a></li>
  </ul>
  </nav>
  </header>
  

• Use lists properly: Use <ul> and <ol> elements for lists of items. This helps screen readers announce the number of items and read them out correctly.

  <ul>
  <li>Item 1</li>
  <li>Item 2</li>
  <li>Item 3</li>
  </ul>
  

2. Image Accessibility

Images can add visual appeal to your site, but they must be accessible. Here’s how to make your images accessible in Elementor:

• Use alt text: Every <img> tag should have an alt attribute that describes the image. This text is displayed if the image can’t be loaded and is read by screen readers. In Elementor, you can easily add alt text to your images in the image widget’s settings.

  <img src="image.jpg" alt="Description of the image">
  

Hint: Keep alt text concise and descriptive. If an image is purely decorative, use an empty `alt` attribute (`alt=””`).

• Use descriptive file names: Use meaningful file names for your images. This can also help with SEO.
• Avoid using images for text: Whenever possible, use actual text instead of embedding text in images. This ensures that the text is selectable, searchable, and scalable.

3. Color and Contrast

Color and contrast are critical for users with visual impairments. Ensure that your website meets the WCAG 2.2 contrast requirements.

• Contrast ratio: Text and background colors should have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text. You can use online tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify your color combinations.
• Avoid using color alone to convey information: Colorblind users may not be able to distinguish between certain colors. Use additional cues, such as text labels or icons, to reinforce the information.

4. Keyboard Navigation

Many users rely on keyboard navigation to browse websites. Make sure your Elementor site is fully navigable using the keyboard.

• Focus order: Ensure that interactive elements on your page have a logical focus order. Users should be able to navigate through your site using the Tab key in a predictable sequence.

• Visible focus indicators: Provide clear visual indicators when an element is focused. This helps users know where they are on the page. CSS properties like outline can be used to create focus indicators.

  a:focus, button:focus {
  outline: 2px solid blue;
  }
  

• Skip navigation links: Add a skip navigation link at the top of your page that allows users to skip directly to the main content, bypassing the navigation menu. This is especially helpful for users with screen readers. Create a skip to content link: Skip to Content Link Tutorial

  <a href="#content" class="skip-link">Skip to main content</a>
  

5. Form Accessibility

Forms are an essential part of many websites. Make sure your forms are accessible by following these tips:

• Use labels: Associate each form field with a <label> element. This provides a textual description of the field and makes it easier for users to understand what information is required. Use the for attribute in the label and the id attribute in the input field to create the association.

  <label for="name">Name:</label>
  <input type="text" id="name" name="name">
  

• Provide clear error messages: If a user makes an error when filling out a form, provide clear and specific error messages. Use ARIA attributes to dynamically announce these messages to screen reader users.

• Use ARIA attributes: ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) attributes can be used to enhance the accessibility of dynamic content. For example, use aria-required to indicate required fields and aria-invalid to indicate fields with errors.

Info: The Web Accessibility Initiative’s (WAI) Accessible Rich Internet Applications (ARIA) specification provides guidance on how to improve the accessibility of dynamic web content. ARIA Authoring Practices Guide (APG) 1.2.

6. Dynamic Content and ARIA

Dynamic content, such as modals, tooltips, and accordions, can pose accessibility challenges. Use ARIA attributes to make these elements accessible.

• ARIA roles: Use ARIA roles to define the type of element. For example, use role="dialog" for modals and role="tablist" for tabbed content.

• ARIA states and properties: Use ARIA states and properties to provide information about the state of an element. For example, use aria-expanded to indicate whether a collapsible element is expanded or collapsed.

• Use ARIA Live Regions: Use ARIA live regions to notify screen reader users of content changes without requiring them to move focus. The aria-live can the following values: off, polite or assertive.

    <div aria-live="polite">Content updated.</div>
    

7. Testing Your Elementor Site for Accessibility

Regular testing is essential to ensure your Elementor site remains accessible. Here are some tools and techniques you can use:

• Accessibility checkers: Use automated accessibility checkers like WAVE or Google Lighthouse to identify potential accessibility issues.
• Screen reader testing: Test your site with screen readers like NVDA or VoiceOver to experience it as a screen reader user would.
• Keyboard navigation testing: Ensure that all interactive elements can be accessed and operated using the keyboard.
• User testing: Involve users with disabilities in your testing process to get direct feedback on the accessibility of your site.

8. Consider Elementor Accessibility Plugins

Several WordPress plugins can help enhance the accessibility of your Elementor sites.

• Accessibility Suite by accessiBe: This plugin scans your website and provides automated fixes to improve accessibility.
• One Click Accessibility: A simple plugin that adds an accessibility menu to your site, allowing users to adjust font sizes, contrast, and other settings. Have a look at this plugin for a quick start. The plugin offers a one click solution

Info: Keep in mind that while plugins can help, they should not be your only approach to accessibility! Manual testing and implementation of best practices are essential.

9. Best practices for Elementor and Accessibility:

Here are some best practices for using Elementor with Accessibility in mind.

• Consistent Design: Maintain a consistent design and layout across your entire website. Consistent navigation and design patterns make it easier for users to navigate and understand your site.
• Descriptive Links: Ensure that link text is descriptive and provides clear context about the destination of the link. Avoid generic phrases like “click here” or “read more.”
• Proper Use of Tables: If tables are the best way to display tabular data, ensure that they are structured correctly with proper headers (<th>) and captions. Use semantic HTML elements to define table structure.
• Animation and Motion: Be cautious when using animations or motion effects. Excessive or uncontrolled animations can be distracting or disorienting for some users. Provide controls to pause or stop animations.
• Multimedia Alternatives: Provide alternatives for multimedia content, such as captions for videos and transcripts for audio. This ensures that users who cannot see or hear the content can still access the information.
• Regular Accessibility Audits: Conduct regular accessibility audits to identify and address any issues. Accessibility is an ongoing process, and it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest guidelines and best practices.

Hint: For a quick start you can test your site via Google Lighthouse. Google Lighthouse is integrated in all major browsers.

10. Keep learning about Accessibility

Stay informed about the latest accessibility guidelines and best practices. Accessibility standards and technologies evolve over time, so it’s important to continuously update your knowledge and skills.

• WCAG Updates: Stay informed about updates to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG 2.2 was released in October 2023, bringing new success criteria and requirements.
• Assistive Technology: Learn about different types of assistive technologies (AT) used by people with disabilities, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and alternative input devices. Understanding how these tools work can help you design more accessible websites.
• Accessibility Blogs and Resources: Follow accessibility blogs, websites, and resources to stay updated on the latest trends, techniques, and tools. The Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is a valuable resource for learning about accessibility standards and best practices.
• Attend Accessibility Conferences and Workshops: Participate in accessibility conferences, workshops, and training sessions to learn from experts and network with other professionals in the field.

Hint: Accessibility is not a one-time task but an ongoing commitment. By prioritizing accessibility and staying informed, you can create websites and digital experiences that are inclusive and accessible to everyone.

Conclusion

Making your Elementor sites WCAG 2.2 compliant is not just about following rules; it’s about creating a more inclusive and user-friendly web for everyone. By implementing these strategies, you’ll not only improve accessibility but also enhance the overall user experience of your website for all visitors. Start today and make a difference, one accessible element at a time. Remember to check out other valuable resources on startmakingwebsites.com to further enhance your skills and knowledge!