How to Make Your Website More Accessible
Explore how accessible design improves engagement, enhances SEO and increases reach for all potential renters.
For prospects, renting decisions often start online. This means your website is more than just a virtual brochure, it’s the front door to your community. But how welcoming is that door to everyone? Accessible website design allows every potential resident, regardless of their abilities, to interact fully with your content, from your CTAs to multimedia and even applications.
“Accessibility” isn’t just a buzzword—it’s a tool that improves the overall user experience, boosts your SEO and opens your communities to a wider audience. “Improving website usability to be inclusive of all users shows prospects that the property cares and is welcoming,” Bekkah Doyle, Search Team Lead at REACH by RentCafe, said. “The extra effort is oftentimes very appreciated.” The easier the website is to use more conversions you’ll get.
For multifamily marketers, adhering to WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) means making sure your website is a place for everyone. “Much like your properties, your website must cater to a diverse audience, which includes people with disabilities, older adults and individuals with varying levels of tech-savvy,” Ali Robbins, marketing director at UpSpring explained. “Everyone benefits from an accessible site that operates smoothly.”
As the multifamily industry adapts to the new trends and digital expectations, accessibility has changed from a “nice to have” feature into a must-have. According to RKW Residential’s Director of Marketing Technology Sarah Randolph, improving website accessibility can lead to a cleaner and more intuitive experience for potential renters. On the flip side, Randolph said that not adhering to ADA compliances can sometimes lead to frustration and confusion. “It can create barriers for users—especially individuals with disabilities—making it difficult to view floor plans, navigate pages efficiently, or read text that lacks sufficient contrast,” she said.
A commitment to making sure your website is accessible not only broadens your reach but showcases your brand as inclusive, forward-thinking and most importantly, attuned to the needs of all the users. It can also create a competitive advantage for your brand. Justin Choi,senior director of marketing & technology at Sequoia Equities Inc. believes that accessibility creates a better user UX (user experience), resulting in more page visits, a lower bounce rate and more time spent on the website.
And you don’t have to start big. Some small changes can yield better results. From properly labeling your images to correcting color contrast, there are several ways and key features that can help your efforts toward accessibility.
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Core features every multifamily website needs
Every multifamily website should have full keyboard navigation, which guarantees that all interactive elements can be accessed without a mouse. “This ensures all interactive elements are accessible,” Randolph explained, saying that using the Tab key instead of only being able to use a mouse helps users with mobility impairments. Additionally, including a “skip to content” link at the top of the page to bypass repetitive navigation is, useful for screen reader users. The website should also allow users to resize text up to 200 percent without losing functionality, improving readability for those with visual impairments.
Robbins suggested that forms should have easy-to-read text and clear labels, as well as descriptive error messages to guide users. “Any links or buttons should use text that clearly describes the intended action, such as ‘watch virtual tour,’ instead of more vague options like ‘click here’ or ‘learn more,’” she said. And when it comes to multimedia content, alt text is a must! This will convey the image’s message and make it accessible to all users.
“For multimedia content, make sure to include accurate captions that are correctly synced with the audio to support users who have a hearing impairment,” Robbins added. “Choose your video player with care to ensure users can navigate the controls via keyboard.” Adding audio descriptions that narrate visual elements to video content can also be helpful for visually impaired users.
Common pitfalls that hinder website accessibility
There are some mistakes you can make when making your website accessible. For example, sometimes the visual needs of website users aren’t considered, resulting in poor color contrast, unreadable fonts and text size inconsistencies. This may seem like a minor issue, but it can make the content inaccessible for people with visual impairments.
When it comes to color contrast and readability, websites should be ADA compliant and have a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1. “Build your website around your audience, which are people, not web crawlers,” Choi said. “How web crawlers read your website may be very confusing if your prospect is using a screen reader.”
Another critical yet often overlooked factor in web accessibility is clear and detailed content. Vague descriptions can confuse users, particularly those relying on screen readers, because screen readers benefit from specific language. Randolph explained that using detailed descriptions, like “floor-to-ceiling windows” instead of just “windows,” helps all potential renters visualize the property. The same principle applies to video captions, which are helpful to hearing-impaired users.
Beyond visual design, accessibility gaps often emerge in website functionality, such as inaccessible forms, non-keyboard navigable elements and a lack of responsive design. These issues make it difficult for users with disabilities to interact with essential website features, including filling out applications or exploring multimedia content.
Better user experience and SEO meet accessibility
Beyond being inclusive, prioritizing accessibility features can boost your SEO efforts. “Accessible design and SEO go hand in hand,” Wendy Simpson, senior vice president of marketing & CX at Pratum Cos. said. “Features like structured headers, alt text for images and clear navigation make websites more usable and boost SEO by helping search engines better understand and rank content.” She also explained that an accessible website loads faster, which helps improve search engine rankings.
By optimizing a website’s code structure for compatibility with screen readers and other assistive technologies, websites become more navigable for all users, which search engines also reward. “The more information you provide to Google, the better your chances of being found,” Randolph said. Simple, readable fonts alongside clear content and a responsive design also play a role in higher ranking, ultimately improving SEO results.
Key accessibility features, such as descriptive alt text for images, also play a significant role in SEO. Alt text not only helps visually impaired users understand image content but provides search engines with valuable context for indexing images in search results. “Image alt tags benefit both SEO and ADA purposes,” Doyle said. “Search engines can’t see images, but they can read the tags.” Detailed and concise alt tags make it easier for search engines to align images with relevant search queries, ultimately boosting image visibility and accessibility. The same principle applies to menu bar readability, where clear, high-contrast colors guide users seamlessly, ensuring that all navigable elements are easily clickable and identifiable.
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Quick, high-impact changes for every website
While making some quick improvements can be a good starting point for every marketer, “website accessibility should not be set it and forget it,” Choi warned. Partnering with your website provider and leveraging their expertise is important because they adhere to WCAG standards. Choi also said that using free compliance scanners, such as WAVE or Lighthouse, could allow you to identify the bigger opportunities on your website to make it more accessible.
An audit that checks your site’s color contract, form functionality, alt text and navigation can benefit you if you don’t know where to start, according to Randolf. Reviewing your content regularly can also make a difference, but some of the quickest fixes include adding alt text to your images, labeling form fields accordingly and using proper heading structures and ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) to help screen readers understand how the content is organized hierarchically. When it comes to readability, which you can check by using free resources online, it is recommended to write at a high school grade level and limit paragraphs to no more than 80 words. “It’s easy to come up with website designs that on the surface are very visually appealing,” Doyle said. “But we have to ask ourselves is this functional?”
