Accessibility
What Does A11y Mean?
A11y is the abbreviation for 'accessibility' (11 letters between a and y). It's the set of practices to make a site usable by everyone.
A11y is a numeronym for "accessibility" — there are 11 letters between the "a" and the "y". It encompasses all practices and standards that make web content usable by everyone, including people with disabilities.
Why is it important?
- ●15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability
- ●Legal requirement: In many jurisdictions (ADA, AODA in Canada)
- ●Better SEO: Accessibility and SEO share many best practices
- ●More users: An accessible site reaches a wider audience
Essential best practices
- ●Alt text on images (
alt) - ●Sufficient color contrast (4.5:1 ratio minimum)
- ●Functional keyboard navigation
- ●Logical heading structure (H1-H6)
- ●Labels on form fields
- ●Captions for videos
Standards
- ●WCAG 2.1: International standard (levels A, AA, AAA)
- ●ARIA: HTML attributes to improve accessibility
SEO Impact
Google rewards accessible sites. Alt text, heading structure, and clear navigation directly benefit SEO.
Related Terms
What is Alt Text (Alternative Text)?
Alt text is an HTML attribute that describes an image for screen readers and search engines.
What is Alt Text?
Alt text is an HTML attribute describing an image for screen readers and search engines.
What are the WCAG Standards?
WCAG are international web accessibility guidelines ensuring a site is usable by everyone.
What is ARIA?
ARIA is a set of HTML attributes that improve accessibility of interactive elements for assistive technologies.