Website Accessibility Report 3
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Guideline 13. Provide clear navigation mechanisms.
Many websites use methods such as a "click here" link that takes a user to a new page. This is not how things should be done. The link text should be clear enough that the person can definitely tell where they are going to go if they click on it(1). You should also be sure to include the author of the webpage, what is included in it, etc. as metadata(2). The navigation on each page should be consistent(4) and easy to understand. A site map along with those accessibility features that are used should be present in a site(3). Navigation bars(5) and group related links(6) are helpful for those trying to find their way through a site. Relevant information should be given at the beginning of headers and paragraphs(8) so a person can tell what that part of your site is about and can skip over it easily if it isn't what they are looking for. If a search function is used, it needs to have different types of searches for people with different skill levels(7). If a document spans more than one page, there needs to be information on each part of it that tells about the document and where it comes from(9). If ASCII art is used in your website, there needs to be a way provided that a person can skip over it
To implement these guidelines, make sure a link tells a person where it'll take them (example: "Return to the home page" instead of "back"). Some people will look at the metadata of a page to check what the page is about and where/who it comes from, so be sure to include that information. The navigation on each page shouldn't change, and should be easy to read. Make sure everything is in a proper order and grouped together so common things can be found together. When reading through a site, a person is most likely looking for something specific, so providing a header with what that part of the site is about will help them find what they are looking for quickly and easily. Searches should be simple and easy to use, but should also have different implementations for different user preferences. rel and rev attributes in the LINK element help a person know what the document is about and where it comes from. Making a way for someone to download a document as well, so that they can read it at a later time, or as a different form of media, is helpful as well. If you are going to use ASCII art, make sure people can skip it, because many people won't pay much attention to it, and it gets in the way for a person using a screenreader.