People are always trying to get ahead of the curve, but what about getting behind it? Accessibility overlays are a new trend in web design that might be the next big thing.
What is an accessibility overlay? It’s a way for people with disabilities to interact more easily with your website by making it easier to see and navigate. For example, some users may have difficulty reading or seeing content on your site because they have low vision or colorblindness. In contrast, others may need assistive technologies like screen readers or zoom features. Accessibility overlays provide these users with additional information to still use your site without any problems. This includes adding keyboard shortcuts, providing instructions on reading content aloud using text-to-speech, or adding text equivalents for images.
This is a great way to make your website more accessible and keep up with new design trends at the same time! Here are six reasons why you should implement an accessibility overlay on your site:
1) ADA Compliance
One of the most important reasons businesses and individuals alike use accessibility overlays is that the law requires it. If your business or website is subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, then accessibility overlays may be a requirement for you.
2) Engaging Content
Accessibility overlays allow users to customize their browsing experience and provide more information when they need it most. For example, this means that people who use screen readers will be able to hear the content of your website, while people who are having difficulty reading it will have access to images with text equivalents.
3) Search Engine Optimization
Accessibility overlays provide more information on your site, making more SEO-friendly content for Google and other search engines. This also means that more visitors will stay on your site longer, reducing bounce rates and increasing time on the page. Additionally, accessibility overlays let the search engine know the relevancy of each page since they offer an easy way to quickly view a summary or a transcript of a webpage without actually visiting it. This is especially helpful when someone searches for a certain topic related to disabilities.
4) Engaging Audience
Users with disabilities are often not considered in the majority of marketing strategies. This means that you could potentially be missing out on a large market that will benefit from accessibility overlays. Unfortunately, many people within this segment are so used to being ignored they will jump at any opportunity if it feels inclusive, even if it’s just because your site offers accessibility features.
5) Gain Customer Trust
When you take measures to serve all of your users, regardless of disability, you show that you care about their needs and potential problems, which builds trust. This also shows that your business is willing to change for everyone helping you gain more engagement and improve brand recognition. If someone sees their neighbor or friend has visited a website but can’t use it for their benefit, they’re going to question the validity of your business. This is especially true if you serve a niche market that may have disabilities or be familiar with someone who has them.
6) Longer Page Views
When people know where everything is on your site and how to navigate, they will spend more time browsing around. In addition, studies show that users will stay on a webpage longer when they can quickly find what they’re looking for by scanning headings and other components on the page.
