A People-first Approach:
Why Web Accessibility
Matters in SEO.
Matt Wheeler
madeby.studio
speakerdeck.com/mattmultiplied
@mattmultiplied
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We pride ourselves on our commitment to technical
excellence, building digital solutions with sustainability
& accessibility ingrained at every step of the process.
High performing responsible websites.
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96.3% of home pages have
detected WCAG 2 failures.
The WebAIM Million, 2022
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24% of people in the
UK have a disability.
GOV UK Family Resources Survey, 2021 - 2022
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The Web is fundamentally
designed to work for all people,
not most people.
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The rise of Accessibility Overlays
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Overlay Fact Sheet
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Accessibility starts
with the brand…
…and is the responsibility of everyone.
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@mattmultiplied
Technical SEO violations
on home pages.
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@mattmultiplied
58.2% have missing
alternative text for images.
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50.1% have
empty links.
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42.2% have skipped
or no heading levels.
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27.5% have
empty buttons.
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18.6% have a missing
document language.
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Accessibility violations
on home pages.
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Common accessibility failures.
Skipped or no heading levels
Missing alternative text for images
42.2%
58.2%
Empty links
Low contrast text
50.1%
83.6%
Empty buttons Missing document language
27.5% 18.6%
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The intersection of
accessibility & SEO.
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Clear Page Titles
Structured Headings
Semantic Markup
Descriptive Anchor Text
Breadcrumb Links
Image Alternative Text
Clear Navigation
No Deceptive Patterns
Reduce User Interactions
Improve Readability
Predictable Behaviour
SEO.
Accessibility.
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Clear Page Titles
Structured Headings
Semantic Markup
Descriptive Anchor Text
Breadcrumb Links
Image Alternative Text
Clear Navigation
No Deceptive Patterns
Reduce User Interactions
Improve Readability
Predictable Behaviour
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Accessibility isn't just for
those with disabilities.
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Can poor accessibility
negatively affect SEO?
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Yes.
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The 4 Principles of
Accessibility.
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Four Principles of Accessibility (POUR)
Operable
Perceivable Understandable Robust
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IBM Equal Access Accessibility Checker
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IBM Equal Access Toolkit
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Chrome DevRel - Learn Accessibility
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Thank you for joining
and enjoy the rest
of brightonSEO.
Matt Wheeler
@mattmultiplied
@mattmultiplied
Google Partner | Digital Enterprise Top 100 | Great British Entrepreneur Awards Finalist
| Santander X Entrepreneurship Awards Nominee | Leeds Digital Festival Thrive Award
Nominee | Santander X Global Awards 2021 UK Finalist | Yorkshire 42 Under 42 2022