Making Your Wix Site More Accessible
TL;DR:
- Use Wix's built-in Accessibility Wizard to spot common problems like missing alt text, poor contrast, and messy heading structures
- Turn on keyboard navigation so people can browse your site without a mouse
- Fix accessibility issues to help more people use your site while boosting your SEO
- Regular checks keep your site accessible as you add new content
Making your Wix site accessible isn't complicated, and the benefits go beyond helping people with disabilities. Better accessibility means better user experience for everyone, plus search engines tend to favour accessible sites.
Getting Started with Wix's Accessibility Tools
Wix includes an Accessibility Wizard that scans your site and flags potential problems. It's worth running this regularly, especially after adding new content or making design changes.
To find the Accessibility Wizard, head to your Wix dashboard and look for the Accessibility section. The wizard will run through your site and create a list of issues to fix.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
The wizard typically catches three main problems that affect most Wix sites:
Missing alt text on images
Every image needs descriptive text that screen readers can use to explain what's in the picture. Keep descriptions clear and specific. Instead of "image of cake", try "chocolate birthday cake with lit candles on white plate".
Poor colour contrast
Text needs to stand out clearly against its background. Light grey text on white backgrounds might look stylish, but it's hard to read for many people. The wizard will flag combinations that don't meet contrast standards.
Heading structure problems
Use headings in order (H1, then H2, then H3) rather than picking them based on size. This creates a logical flow that screen readers can follow. Think of headings like a book's table of contents.
Enabling Keyboard Navigation
Some people browse websites using only their keyboard, so your site needs to work without a mouse. Wix lets you enable keyboard navigation in the accessibility settings.
When it's working properly, people can use the Tab key to move between links and buttons, Enter to click things, and arrow keys to navigate menus. Test this yourself by trying to browse your site using only keyboard keys.
Why This Matters Beyond Accessibility
Accessible sites often perform better in search results because they're usually faster, better structured, and easier for search engines to understand. The same clear headings and descriptive text that help screen readers also help Google figure out what your pages are about.
Plus, accessibility features help everyone. Captions on videos help people watching in noisy environments. Clear navigation helps people using mobile devices. Good colour contrast makes sites easier to read on bright screens.
FAQs
Where do I find Wix's accessibility tools?
Log into your Wix dashboard and look for the Accessibility section. The Accessibility Wizard is the main tool you'll use.
What problems does the Accessibility Wizard catch?
It spots missing alt text, poor colour contrast, heading structure issues, and other common barriers that make sites harder to use.
Does making my site accessible help with Google rankings?
Yes, accessible sites often rank better because they load faster, have clearer structure, and provide better user experiences.
How often should I check my site's accessibility?
Run the wizard after major updates or new content additions. A monthly check works well for most sites.
Jargon Buster
Accessibility: Designing websites so everyone can use them, including people with visual, hearing, motor, or cognitive disabilities.
Alt text: Short descriptions of images that screen reading software can read aloud to people who can't see the pictures.
Keyboard navigation: Being able to use a website with just keyboard keys instead of a mouse or touchscreen.
Screen reader: Software that reads website content aloud, used by people with visual impairments.
Wrap-up
Wix makes accessibility straightforward with built-in tools that do most of the heavy lifting. The Accessibility Wizard catches the main issues, and fixing them usually takes just a few minutes per problem.
Start with the wizard, fix the issues it finds, then enable keyboard navigation. Your site will work better for more people, and you'll likely see improvements in your search rankings too.
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