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Getting the Message: Content Accessibility for Staffing Websites and Blogs

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An estimated 61 million people in the U.S. live with a disability:

  • 4.6% are blind or have serious difficulty seeing
  • 5.9% are deaf or have serious difficulty hearing
  • 3.7% have difficulties with instrumental activities of daily living (which may include using technology)

Is your website, blog and other content accessible to ALL job seekers?

With as many as 1 in 4 people requiring assistance (from either assistive technology or other people) using the internet, make sure your content strategy takes these individuals into account.

When content on your website or blog is technical, complex or may otherwise prove difficult for individuals with disabilities to consume, consider these options to make sure everyone “gets the message”:

Tips for Improving Content Accessibility

Use short sentences and paragraphs.

Besides being the foundation of great writing, short copy also makes content more understandable for those using assistive technology. Short paragraphs give individuals using a screen magnifier more control when customizing their view.

Use tools like Yoast SEO plugin’s Flesch Reading Ease score or TextOptimizer to improve readability.

Structure your content with a logical flow.

Stick to a single main point in each paragraph. Use H1, H2 and H3 subheads consistently and logically in online content. Doing so has two benefits:

  • Subheads make content more meaningful to assistive technologies.
  • Correct usage of subheads helps search crawlers correctly index and serve your content in users’ searches.

Offer the same content in multiple formats.

While this isn’t necessary for every piece of content, consider offering multiple formats for high-value pieces to improve accessibility. Options include:

  • blog, article or eBook copy
  • video with accessible transcript
  • video with closed captioning
  • infographic
  • slide deck with short copy
  • podcast or audio recording

Include meaningful alt tags on images and non-text content.

Accessible content includes text alternatives for all non-text content (i.e., elements like pictures or any type of content not readable by a screen reader). For example, including a descriptive image alt tag like “female job seeker clicking Apply button on mobile device” provides meaning context for people using screen readers.

Create a consistent, accessible content marketing strategy.

Build a set of guidelines for anyone who creates content to follow. Keep those guidelines in mind as you plan topics, choose formats and write/shoot/record. Creating an accessible content strategy ensures a great experience for anyone who engages with your content – and protects your staffing firm.

Does your website adhere to WCAG 2.0 AA standards?

Our new Starter Sites, Custom Sites and Job Board (career portal) software do!

If you have a question or need a new staffing website, contact a marketing educator today.

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