Author: Gen Herres

Are you confused about writing alt text on images?

Alt Text on Images

Alt text is one of the simplest ways to make your website more accessible—but knowing what to write (or when to skip it) can be tricky. Here’s a practical guide to help you test your alt text and write it with intention.

website image showing easy to read text & navigation.

Accessibility Improves Revenue

Client Challenge An outdated 10-year-old WooCommerce eCommerce site with significant accessibility issues needed modernization. Solution Completely redesigned and rebuilt the site on Shopify, focusing on improving user experience and accessibility. We dramatically improved both the shopping experience for customers and the management experience for the website owners. Key Results Before

Confused about web accessibility with ADA compliance and WCAG conformance?

ADA Compliance vs. WCAG Conformance

What is the difference between ADA compliance and WCAG conformance? This is a question that I get asked a lot. People don’t understand which one they’re supposed to be using. When it comes to compliance with a law, an entire organization must comply with an entire law. What does that mean? Let’s break it down.

5 reasons your email marketing fails - cover photo

5 Reasons Your Email Marketing Fails

Are you tired of sending email campaigns that get ignored, deleted, or worst, tossed in the spam folder? Here are five really common email marketing mistakes that just about everyone is making.

6 quick test to score your web accessibility risk - cover photo.

6 Quick Tests to Score Your Web Accessibility Risk

Is your website at risk for lawsuits? Is it at risk for loss of business due to being unusable? These are questions that I get all the time. And while I can’t give you a personal answer in this video, I can give you a general scorecard which should help to give you an idea of how at risk you are.

Lightning Audit: Maryland Tax Connect

A lot of people like automated audits because they are so fast, but they can miss a lot of things. How can be balance a fast audit with a truthful one? We use the Lightning Audit which can be done in as little as one minute. Here’s how the Maryland

Lightning Audit

The Lightning Audit is a super fast look at a site’s accessibility. It’s how I can determine in about 1 minute whether a site has a little work or a lot of work.

How to use aria-hidden

Have you ever wondered about the correct and wrong uses of the aria-hidden attribute? In this video, I focus on when to apply it to decorative elements versus keeping essential content accessible to screen readers. Transcript I’m Gen Herres, and in this video, we’re going to talk about aria hidden.

How to Easily Make Accessible API Keys

As more and more apps are connecting to each other, it becomes more and more important to make sure that your API keys are easy for everyone to access & use. CodePen for the HTML is available. Transcript Gen Welcome back to the Easy A11y Guide channel. I’m Gen Herres,

Correct way to hide content with CSS

A really common mistake that developers make is hiding content the wrong way. I’ve seen this in countless implementations of accordions, tabs, and other hidden content. Transcript Gen Hi, and welcome back to the Easy A11y Guide channel. In this video, I’m going to show you the wrong way and

a11y battle best wp backend options for screen reader users

Best WP backend accessibility options for screen reader users

Navigating the WordPress Admin Dashboard with a keyboard is challenging, especially when using a screen reader. A new plugin joins the list of WordPress tools to make navigating the dashboard faster. And this time, it actually works with screen readers.

FCC Rules on Video Conferencing: What Web Agencies Need to Know

In September 2024, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) introduced new rules aimed at improving accessibility for video conferencing tools, a crucial part of today’s digital ecosystem. These updated guidelines highlight the importance of creating inclusive platforms that enable people with disabilities to fully participate in video conferencing. For web agencies, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity – an obligation to meet accessibility standards and a chance to differentiate your services by making the web more inclusive.

FTC’s New “Click-to-Cancel” Rule: What You Need to Know

Are you ready for how the April 2025 rule will affect you and your clients?

The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) “Click-to-Cancel” rule, effective in April 2025, simplifies how consumers cancel subscriptions, making it as easy as signing up. This rule has significant implications for web agencies, as it calls for simplified processes and better user experience, creating opportunities to improve digital accessibility.

Be noisy about web accessibility

Web accessibility is important, but many developers writing plugins and themes are told to “make the masses happy”. So to get them to focus on web accessibility, we have to be noisy about it.