Guide to Website Usability and Accessibility

"Usability" refers to the ease with which people can use a website in order to achieve their goal. Principles of usability help people of all abilities, using any web browser, to make the most of the content provided.

Use this guide as a tool and checklist to make sure your website is accessible to all!

Read more on Website Accessibility.

Review Your Site's Usability and Accessibility

From LeaderLab

Try to look at your congregation's website with fresh eyes, and ask yourself the following questions. Is it obvious who you are? Is your mission statement clearly visible on your home page?
Use Meaningful Headings on Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Use brief, meaningful headers to allow your reader to scan a page quickly for the information they need. The use of "scanning" is one of the major ways web readers differ from print readers.
Choose the Best Images for Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Usability Tip Choose images that enhance your story: engage your reader with faces or meaningful imagery. Use the text of your article to list participants and describe activities.
Use Meaningful Links on Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Make your link text meaningful. Linked text draws the eye, but generic text like "Click Here" gives no helpful information: the reader has to spend additional time reading the text before and after every link in order to find what they're looking for.
Use Empty Space in Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Use bullet points, short paragraphs, and/or headers to increase space and improve the scannability of your text. The use of "scanning" is one of the major ways web readers differ from print readers.
Limit Your Use of Bold Text on Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Use bold text sparingly. Though bold text is great for adding emphasis to a word or phrase, over time it causes eye fatigue and reduces comprehension. The use of white space and headers is a far more effective method of calling out important information.
Use Lower Case Text on Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Don't use all-caps. Not only does the use of all upper case text reduce reading comprehension by up to 90%, it is interpreted by many as the text equivalent of yelling.
Use Sidebar Content Sparingly on Your Web Pages

From LeaderLab

Put important information in the body of your page. Studies show your material will gain visibility.
Don't Make "Coming Soon" or "Under Construction" Pages

Don't create pages (or links to pages) that have no content or that are "under construction." Publishing pages that are empty creates credibility issues.