Your association has finally got an accessible website, and you breathe a sigh of relief — no more worrying about that, right? Websites that are regularly updated with content require ongoing attention to accessibility.
Web accessibility involves more than just building the original site according to WCAG guidelines and adding an accessibility statement. When new content is produced for the site, such as news articles, blog posts, or service descriptions, it's important to pay attention to more than just spelling and punctuation.
1. Alternative texts for images
When you add new images to the site, make sure they have an alt attribute defined. This is a requirement of the WCAG 2.2 guidelines (Success Criterion 1.1.1: Non-text Content). The content of the alt text depends on the purpose of the image. An informative image is described concisely; the alt text for a functional image (such as an image that acts as a link) describes the image's function; and a purely decorative image is marked with an empty alt attribute (alt=""), which causes screen readers to skip it.
2. Heading levels and structure
Text content can include headings beyond just the main title. The main title most often automatically receives the largest heading style (h1). If you want a subheading in your text, you should use the next largest heading size, which is likely h2 or h3. Skipping heading levels conflicts with WCAG 2.2 criterion 1.3.1 and makes it harder to understand the page structure, especially for screen reader users. Find out your site's heading structure and choose the heading level that comes next in the hierarchy. A heading level chosen purely on visual grounds may not meet the requirements of criterion 1.3.1.
Regarding subheadings, it is also important to note that they use heading styles and not just bolded text, which screen readers do not interpret as headings.
3. Descriptive link texts
Links are the third thing to pay attention to when updating content. "Click here" or "here" are very common word choices, but they do not meet accessibility requirements for link text. Screen readers can list all the links on a page in isolation from the surrounding content, and in that case a "click here" link loses its surrounding context. WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 2.4.4 (Link Purpose in Context) requires that the purpose of a link can be understood from the link text alone, or from its immediate context.
Link text should ideally tell the reader where the link leads. You can also phrase it as an instruction. For example, the link text "[Read the association's 2025 annual report]" is significantly better than "Read [here] the association's 2025 annual report". The first example is better from an accessibility standpoint because the screen reader reads the entire link text, giving the visitor a clearer context of the link's content.
If the previous example were a link to a PDF file, that should be made clear. In that case the link text could be "[Read the association's 2025 annual report (PDF file, 3.2MB)]". This would immediately tell the user that the link leads not to another page but to a file that may require separate software to open. The file size also tells the visitor how large a download to expect. This can be useful when relying on, for example, mobile data.
Extra tip: Links opening in a new window
Links that lead to another website often open in a new window or tab. It is good practice to inform the user about this. At its simplest, this means adding the text "(opens in a new window)" to the link text.
Links that open in a new window can also be implemented so that a square icon with an arrow in the corner appears automatically after them. The symbol is typical for such links, but it is not sufficient on its own. In addition to the icon, the link should include either visible or hidden text stating that the link opens in a new window.
4. Sufficient colour contrast
Fourth, it is important to remember to ensure sufficient colour contrast and compatibility. Too low a contrast can make content harder to read for many different audiences. Checking contrast is particularly important for promotional images and leaflets that you may attach to your website or share on social media platforms.
One of the easiest ways to check colour contrast is to enter or select the colours using WebAIM's contrast checking toolLink opens in a new window. WCAG 2.2 Success Criterion 1.4.3 (Contrast Minimum) requires that the contrast ratio between normal text and its background is at least 4.5:1, and for large text at least 3:1.
The next time you create a poster or advertisement for your association in Canva or a similar tool, remember to check the contrasts before publishing. Similarly, when placing text over photographs, pay attention to ensuring the text is legible across its full extent.
Training to master accessibility
Does what you've read make sense, but you're wondering how to put the learnings into practice? If your organisation needs training on the topic or a website redesign to improve accessibility, get in touch and let's discuss it further. Training can include practical exercises alongside theory, which helps the things learned stick and become habit.