Accessibility Adjustments Help

Toggle High Contrast

This button will darken the page's background color to black while making all text white. This high contrast will make it easier to read the website's content.

Toggle Page Zoom

This button will increase the size of all elements on the page.

Toggle Focus State

This button adds a visible focus state to all interactive elements when using the keyboard. This allows the user to know exactly where they are on a site while tabbing through with a keyboard. Note: this will only affect sites that do not currently have visible focus states.

Toggle Link Highlights

This button will add an outline to all links and buttons on a page that a user can interact with.

Accessibility Checker Help

Check Images

This triggers a check of all images on a page for either an 'alt', 'title', or an 'aria-label' attribute. Images that are purely decorative or do not include any information to convey to the user do not need alt text. In these cases, the alt attribute should still be present but should be left empty. Our checker will still flag empty alts as an error just in case.

Check Color Contrast

This triggers a check of all text to ensure that it's color has a high enough contrast against the color of the background it is on. In some cases our checker will flag contrast errors for text that is on top of an image or when either the text or the background element has a position of 'absolute'. In these cases it is up to the site administrator's discretion to determine if the text is legible.

Check Links & Buttons

This triggers a check of all the page's links and buttons. Links and buttons without text or an aria-label describing what the link or button accomplishes will fail. Without text (including hidden screen reader only text) or an aria-label, assistive technology will not be able to determine the purpose of the link/button.

Check For Duplicate IDs

This triggers a search for all IDs on a page. Duplicate IDs will be flagged as an error. Duplicate ID errors are known to cause problems for assistive technologies when they are trying to interact with content. SVGs tend to be a major source of this failure. It's beneficial to remove all IDs from SVGs before placing them on a page.

Why Does My New Website Need Maintenance Already?

Maintenance, Website - April 2, 2024

Many of our clients do not understand what we mean when we talk about “website maintenance.” Maybe we should call it “website support” or “website upkeep.” Some think they are done with the website once it launches; but in fact, life begins when the site is launched – a brand new site is not a mature entity. It grows and changes all the time – or at least it should.

Regular maintenance is critical; keeping content fresh ensures that visitors have a reason to return. By ensuring that security patches and updates are applied promptly, you can protect sensitive data and prevent security breaches that could lead to reputational and financial damage. Upkeep also includes checking for broken links and errors that can negatively impact the user experience—and affect a website’s search engine ranking. Search engines favor websites that are well-maintained, as they are considered more reliable and relevant to users.

Slow load times and poor performance can frustrate users and drive them away. Regular performance checks, optimization, and keeping the site infrastructure updated (plugins, modules, content management systems and server software) can significantly improve a website’s loading times and overall performance.

“Like a car needs regular oil changes and new tires, your website needs updates and system checks.”

Website maintenance also prevents issues caused by auto-updates. Many hosting companies offer this; they push CMS updates (such as WordPress and Drupal updates) to your live site automatically. Auto-updates have the potential for compatibility issues if they are not manually tested beforehand. Auto-updates can lead to broken features, display issues, or even a completely inaccessible website if not tested.

Other things that should be part of maintenance include a manual review of your Search Engine Optimization, your user experience factor – which can be checked by viewing your website analytics – and your site accessibility. Does it still pass the accessibility test? Or do you have issues that should be corrected?

Maintaining your website with a monthly or annual contract from a reputable agency is worth every penny, but only if you want your website to work properly, attract visitors, and give users an exceptional experience.