How to make web pages accessible

You need to do both manual and automated checks to make sure your web page is accessible.

On this page

• Before you begin
• Manual checks
• Automated checks
• Test for mobile devices
• Test with a screen reader
• Still need help

Before you begin

Before you start, make sure your web content:

• was created using this guidance
• has a suitable alternative if you cannot make it fully accessible

No web page can be 100% accessible to all users in all situations.

Provide details on how people can request a version of your content that meets their specific access needs. For example, an easy-read document, a BSL version or contact details for someone who can help.

Manual checks

Before publishing, check your web page includes:

• a unique and descriptive page title 
• clear, descriptive, and properly formatted headings
• written content that is easy to read and understand
• link text that clearly describes where it goes
• informative images that are easy to see, with text alternatives added  
• tables that are correctly used and formatted
• colour combinations with good  contrast 

Check your content with real users, including people with disabilities, to make sure it works for them.

You could also ask someone who doesn’t know your topic, like a colleague, if it makes sense to them. 

Automated checks

Each page in this guidance suggests free tools to help check your content.

Do not rely on automated checkers to tell you your page is accessible. They cannot identify all issues.

General automated checkers

• WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool - checks multiple parts of your web page at once 
• Silktide Accessibility Checker - checks multiple parts of your web page and simulates different disabilities

Test for mobile devices

Check how your web page appears on smaller screens, like mobile phones or tablets.

A quick way to do this is to resize your browser window on a desktop to its narrowest width. This roughly simulates how mobile devices view your content.

Test with a screen reader

We also recommend testing your web page using a screen reader to see how well it reads and operates.

Popular free screen readers include:

• NVDA for Microsoft devices
• TalkBack (built in to Android phones)
• VoiceOver (built in to Mac and iPhone devices) 

Microsoft has its own built-in screen reader called Narrator, but we recommend you install NVDA screen reader for testing instead.

NVDA is a full screen reader and the most used screen reader for Microsoft devices (WebAIM).  

Council staff can download NVDA for free through the Software Centre on their Microsoft device.

Still need help

If your web page has issues not covered in this guidance, contact the Communications and Marketing team.

ICT training for Microsoft SharePoint

Council staff can also get support for learning how to create web content in Microsoft SharePoint. For more information, go to 365 HUB (Microsoft SharePoint) [council staff only].