How to Create Accessible Social Media

The process of creating accessible social media is also known as inclusive design. This is important for any brand that is looking to increase its reach on social media because not everyone will be able to access content the same way. There are billions of people that have some type of disability or limited ability that affects their capacity to interact with social media the way that people without limitations do. Therefore, it’s essential that you know how to reach them with accessible social media content.

Describe Images with Text

This is a big part of accessibility for visual impairments when creating content online. You should take advantage of Alt Text to describe the image content and include descriptions when you can, as well as keywords. Make sure that you include captions for the video, too, as well as a description of what the video content includes for those who may not be able to hear the content or see the captions.

Include Captions on all Videos

Speaking of captions, you should make sure that all of your videos have captioning abilities for viewers. Whether this is through YouTube’s CC feature or your own integrated solution, include subtitles and captions for all video content so that it is fully accessible.

Hashtags, Emojis, and Fonts

You need to be careful in using emojis because they may not always translate effectively when someone is having content read to them by AI or a screen reading program. You should also avoid custom fonts or fonts that are hard to read. Use capitalization on your hashtags so that they’re easy to read, too. For example:

#InternetMarketing instead of #internetmarketing

Other Tips for Success

You’ll also want to use plain language, avoid industry jargon unless necessary, and watch out for the overuse of capitalization. This can also be confusing to screen readers and hard for some people to read if they have certain vision issues.

Make sure that when you’re explaining things, you actually convey the content and don’t just post a limited description. You should mention the color and content being shared, and avoid saying that it’s an “image of” or “photo of” something. For example, you could post an image description that says:

“A bar graph illustrates the year-over-year sales increase for brands that focus on retention as a priority.”

And finally, if you’re not sure, feel free to ask the experts at Search SEO Chicago. Do some research. There are plenty of resources out there waiting to help you create accessible content, no matter what you’re looking to share.