ADA Compliance Guide [Website Builder] – Propertybase Go

Your Propertybase Website and Website Accessibility

Please Note: This resource article is intended to help educate and in no way should it be construed or relied upon as legal advice. Propertybase can’t provide legal advice about making your site compliant with specific web accessibility laws or acts.

There are many factors that go into ensuring a website is accessible. Accessible websites are parsable by screen readers and other assistive technologies for those who are visually impaired or have other disabilities that present challenges to accessing information while online. Propertybase is acutely aware of the Website Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, which clients can also become familiar with.

Our Website Builder provides a foundation with many tools you can use in order to make your website accessible to more people; however, as web technologies evolve and devices strive to keep up its imperative to remain diligent. Keep these points in mind as you continue creating content on your website.

Images

Provide text alternatives for any non-text content. When scanning a page, screen readers identify images and read the descriptive text (alt text) to visitors. When adding alt text, take a moment to consider why you’ve used the image in the first place. Is it to convey information, or is it decorative? What do visually-impaired visitors need to know about the image to understand its purpose? It is best practice is to briefly describe the image as simple as possible.

Purely decorative images, like graphics separating content or abstract background images, do not fall under WCAG.

From the content editor, you can upload your image and add alt text to describe the appearance and function of the image on a page within your site.

Keep your alt text under 125 characters.
Consider the purpose of the image and try to convey that meaning concisely using text (i.e. two-story white house with stained wood door and attached garage, big stone patio leads into front yard).
If the image has a clickthrough URL or any other functional use, describe the function. For example: "Birdseye view of home showing back patio with lap pool. Links to the outdoor pool photos."
For images that require detailed descriptions, like charts, graphs, or complex graphics such as market reports, include a description of the image nearby in the text of your site. As an alternative, you can add a separate page containing a description of the image, then add a clickthrough URL from the image to that page.

Don't

As many assistive technologies already automatically identify the alt text as referencing an image, there is no need to include phrases like “An image of” or “A picture of” in your alt text.

Page titles

The page title should reflect the content on the page, so ensure that every page has a title that introduces its topic or purpose, and differentiates it from other pages across your site.

You can also add a page description that provides more context. These fields also help with your site’s SEO.

To do so, go to admin > website > create button > cms page

Text Headings

Screen readers scan pages for HTML tags to understand their structure and allow visitors to navigate quickly between sections. Much like any printed material, headings and sub-headings help readers skim the content to identify what each section is about.

Headings are ranked <h1> through <h6>, with the <h1> representing the most important section on the page, and sub-sections organized with <h2> level headings. Those sub-sections can themselves be divided with <h3> level headings, and so on.

All pages should at least have a <h1> level heading giving the title of the page.

Do not skip heading levels to be more specific (for example, do not skip from <h2> to <h5>). It is permissible to skip headings in the other direction if the outline of the page calls for it (for example, from <h5> to <h2>).

Do not use bold instead of a heading. One of the most common accessibility mistakes is making text bold when a heading is needed. Though the text may look like a heading, the underlying code is not set correctly, and screen readers will not be able to identify the proper formatting.

Use the content block in the CMS content section to structure your text. admin > website > create button > cms page

Do	Use structured headings and a linear format.
Don't	Rely on text within images to convey meaning. select heading levels based on their appearance. Instead, select the appropriate heading rank in your hierarchy. Rely on bolding, italics, or other design formatting to create structure.

Links

When trying to break down barrier of entry, we can’t assume even the simplest of formatting will be understood. Ensure the purpose of each text link or button can be determined from the text alone. For example:

Do	“To view new listings, visit our new listings page.”
Don't	“To view new listings, click here.”

Audio

You can help visitors with hearing impairments access your audio content, like podcasts, by adding a transcript of the content.

Do	Keep your pages organized by linking to a Not Linked page containing the transcript.

Videos

When embedding a video media file be sure to include synchronized captions using the integrated closed captioning features. YouTube, Wistia and Vimeo make these readily available.

Do	Provide enough time to read captions.
Don't	Add flashing content known to cause seizures or physical reactions. As a general rule, avoid content that flashes three times in any one second period.

Colors

Contrasting design elements make it easier for users to see content and separate the foreground from the background. Choose colors that maximize contrast and avoid grouping colors that are difficult to differentiate with color blindness, like blue and purple. You can change your website’s branding colors in Website Builder. /admin/settings/super_theme?goto=st_branding

Do	Group colors with high contrast. Research tools to see a simulation of how people with common color vision impairments experience your content.
Don't	Pair colors that are difficult to differentiate with common color blindness, like blue and purple.

FAQ

Is my site accessible?

Propertybase follows web design standards and best practices. As web technologies evolve and devices strive to keep up, it is near impossible to achieve 100% accessibility. Per the Propertybase Master Subscription Agreement Section 6.1 Customer Data, clients are responsible for the accuracy, quality, integrity, legality, reliability, appropriateness, and intellectual property ownership of Customer Data. You can review this preliminary web accessibility checklist.

Is Propertybase working to improve accessibility?

Yes. Propertybase takes website accessibility seriously. Our development team continuously makes adjustments to meet the changing needs and abilities of all website users. We're currently in the process of reviewing our services to improve user experience further, and seeking to make it easier for our customers to make their sites as accessible as possible. This article will be continuously updated to reflect future changes or updates.

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