Guide: How do I create an accessible Creator website?

Contents

• 1. Use Clear and Readable Text
• 2. Set the Language for Your Website
• 3. Provide Alternative Text for Images
• 4. Use Descriptive Links
• 5. Ensure Multimedia Accessibility
• 6. Make Forms Accessible
• 7. Design for Color Accessibility
• 8. Ensure Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Design
• 9. Test and Validate Accessibility
• Creating a More Inclusive Web Experience

1. Use Clear and Readable Text

Why is this important?

Readable text is fundamental to website accessibility. Users with visual impairments, dyslexia, or cognitive disabilities rely on clear and structured text to navigate your content efficiently. Proper text formatting also benefits users accessing your site under challenging conditions, such as small mobile screens or bright sunlight.

Best Practices:

• Choose a readable font from the options provided by Jimdo. Avoid overly decorative fonts that may be difficult to read.
• Maintain sufficient contrast between text and background (minimum 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text) to ensure readability for users with low vision.
• Use Jimdo’s heading structure (Large H1, Medium H2, Small H3) to improve readability and make navigation easier for screen readers. Headings help structure your content, allowing users to scan and find relevant information quickly.

Related Help Topic: How do I optimize my text

2. Set the Language for Your Website

Setting the correct language for your website ensures that screen readers and other assistive technologies interpret your content correctly. Without a defined language setting, screen readers may mispronounce words or struggle with proper text-to-speech conversion.

Best Practices:

• Ensure your website’s primary language is set correctly in Jimdo’s settings.
• Selecting the correct language improves SEO and accessibility, allowing search engines and assistive technologies to process your content more effectively.
• Write in clear, simple language to enhance readability for all users, including non-native speakers and individuals with cognitive disabilities.

Related Help Topic: How do I change the system language?

3. Provide Alternative Text for Images

Why is this important?

Users who are visually impaired rely on screen readers to describe images. Without alternative text (alt text), they miss essential visual content, making the website less accessible. Alt text also benefits search engines, helping them understand your image content.

Best Practices:

• Add descriptive alt text for all images using Jimdo’s image settings. Describe what is shown in the image and its purpose.
• Avoid using images with text whenever possible. Screen readers cannot interpret text inside images. Instead, use actual text within your content.
• For purely decorative images, leave the alt attribute empty (e.g., alt=""). This prevents unnecessary distractions for screen reader users.

Related Help Topic: How do I add alternative text to images?

4. Use Descriptive Links

Why is this important?

Visitors using screen readers often scan links to navigate a website. Generic link text like "Click here" or "Read more" provides no context and makes navigation more difficult.

Best Practices:

• Avoid generic link text like "Click here" or "Read more."
• Use meaningful text that describes the link destination. Instead of "Click here", use "Check out my portfolio" so visitors immediately know they will see examples of your work.
  Instead of "Read more", use "Find out more about my coaching services" to make it clear that the link leads to detailed information about your offerings.
• Ensure that links are visually distinguishable using Jimdo’s styling options.

Related Help Topic: Guide: Linking content

5. Ensure Multimedia Accessibility

Why is this important?

Users who are deaf or hard of hearing need captions or transcripts for videos, while users who are blind may need audio descriptions. Without accessible multimedia, key information may be completely unavailable to certain visitors.

Best Practices:

• Add captions or transcripts for audio and video content to make multimedia accessible to users with hearing impairments.
• Provide sign language interpretation or audio descriptions if needed.
• Avoid autoplaying media or offer controls to pause or stop playback, as autoplay can be disruptive for some users.

Embedding YouTube videos:
You can embed a YouTube video using Jimdo’s HTML element. To ensure captions are enabled by default, modify the embed link by adding &cc_load_policy=1 at the end of the URL. For example

<iframe width="100%" height="100%" 
src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VIDEO_ID?&cc_load_policy=1
"frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Related Help Topic: How do I add videos to my Jimdo Creator website?

6. Make Forms Accessible

Why is this important?

Forms are a crucial part of many websites, allowing users to contact you or submit information. Poorly designed forms can be frustrating or even impossible to use for people with disabilities.

Best Practices:

• Label all form fields clearly to help users understand what information is required.
• Provide clear instructions and error messages to guide users through form submission.

Related Help Topic: How do I create a contact form?

7. Design for Color Accessibility

Why is this important?

Users with color blindness or low vision may struggle to distinguish certain colors. If color is the only way to convey information, some users may miss important details.

Not all suggested color sets in Jimdo Creator templates are fully accessible. Jimdo allows you to choose colors that fit your individual needs. If a suggested color set does not meet accessibility requirements, you can adjust it at any time to improve contrast.

Best Practices:

• Do not rely solely on color to communicate meaning, use symbols or text as well.
• Use sufficient contrast between text and background. Jimdo’s Style function allows you to check color codes and adjust contrast.
• Test your site with accessibility tools, such as the contrast checker from legibility.info, to ensure text remains readable.

Related Help Topic: How do I style my Jimdo Creator website?

8. Ensure Responsive and Mobile-Friendly Design

Why is this important?

Many visitors browse websites on mobile devices. If your site is not responsive, it may be difficult to navigate on smaller screens, affecting accessibility and usability.

Best Practices:

• Jimdo’s templates are mobile-friendly by default, but always preview your site on different devices to ensure responsiveness.
• Make sure buttons and links are large enough for easy tapping on touchscreens.

Related Help Topic: How does my Jimdo Creator website look on a mobile device?

9. Test and Validate Accessibility

Why is this important?

Regular testing helps identify potential issues that could make your site difficult to use for people with disabilities.

Best Practice:

• Conduct user testing with people who have disabilities to gather real feedback.
   

Creating a More Inclusive Web Experience

By implementing these accessibility guidelines, you can ensure that your website is accessible to all visitors. An accessible website not only enhances the user experience but can also expand your reach, improve your SEO ranking, and make your content more understandable to a broader audience.