How Can My Somerset Small Business Improve Website Accessibility?

A café owner in Watchet called me about six months back, frustrated that her online booking form wasn't working for several regular customers. Turns out, these customers couldn't use their screen readers to navigate the form properly. She'd been losing bookings without even knowing it.

This happens more than you'd think. Around 20% of the UK population has some form of disability, and many struggle with websites that haven't been built with accessibility in mind. That's potentially one in five customers who might give up on your site and go to a competitor instead.

Why Accessibility Matters for Somerset Businesses

I've been building websites since the mid-80s, and accessibility has gone from a nice-to-have to an absolute necessity. It's not just about avoiding legal issues (though that's important). When you make your site accessible, you're opening your doors to more customers.

Take a plumber I work with in Taunton. After we improved his site's accessibility last autumn, his contact form submissions went up by 15%. Why? Because people using voice controls on their phones could finally fill it in properly. That's real money left on the table if you ignore accessibility.

Plus, Google loves accessible websites. Many accessibility improvements — like proper heading structure and descriptive link text — also boost your SEO. You're essentially killing two birds with one stone.

Quick Wins You Can Implement Today

You don't need a complete redesign to start improving accessibility. Here are some changes you can make right now:

Fix Your Colour Contrast

This is the easiest win. If your text is light grey on white, or dark blue on black, people will struggle to read it. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) recommend a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text.

Use Chrome's built-in DevTools or the free WebAIM contrast checker. I helped a B&B owner in Minehead fix their contrast issues in about 20 minutes — just darkened their grey text and lightened their background slightly. Simple.

Add Alt Text to Images

Every image needs alternative text that describes what's in the picture. This helps screen reader users understand your content. If you're using WordPress, there's a box for alt text when you upload images. Use it!

For a shop in Bridgwater I worked with earlier this year, we went through and added alt text to 200+ product images. It took a couple of hours but made a massive difference to their accessibility score.

Structure Your Content Properly

Screen readers rely on proper heading structure to help users navigate. Your page should have one H1 (usually your page title), then H2s for main sections, and H3s for subsections.

Don't skip heading levels or use them just to make text bigger. I see this mistake constantly — businesses using H1 tags for everything they want to emphasise. That's what CSS is for!

Here's what good structure looks like:

• H1: Your page title
• H2: Main section headings
• H3: Subsections within those main sections
• H4: Further subsections (rarely needed)

If you're using Yoast SEO, it'll actually flag heading structure issues for you. Pay attention to those warnings.

Make Forms Accessible

Forms are where I see the most problems. Every form field needs a proper label that's programmatically associated with the input. Sounds technical, but it's straightforward.

Instead of just having placeholder text that disappears when someone clicks in the field, use actual labels. A physiotherapy clinic in Williton lost bookings for months because their contact form only used placeholders. Once users started typing, they couldn't remember what information each field wanted.

Essential Form Tips

• Label every field clearly
• Group related fields (like address sections) with fieldsets
• Provide clear error messages that explain what needs fixing
• Make sure users can navigate the form with just their keyboard

Test with Real Tools

Don't guess whether your site's accessible — test it. I use several free tools:

WAVE (WebAIM) — This browser extension shows accessibility errors directly on your page. It's brilliant for spotting missing alt text, poor contrast, and structural issues.

Lighthouse (built into Chrome) — Open DevTools, go to the Lighthouse tab, and run an accessibility audit. It gives you a score out of 100 and specific things to fix.

Keyboard navigation — Put your mouse away and try navigating your site with just the Tab key. Can you reach everything? Can you tell where you are on the page?

Common Mistakes to Avoid

In my experience, Somerset businesses make the same accessibility mistakes repeatedly:

Using "click here" for links — Screen readers can list all links on a page. If they're all "click here", users have no idea where they lead. Use descriptive link text like "download our price list" or "contact our Taunton office".

Auto-playing videos or audio — This is especially problematic for users with screen readers or cognitive disabilities. Always let users choose when to start media.

Relying on colour alone — Don't just use red text to show errors or green to show success. Add icons or text labels too. Around 8% of men have some form of colour blindness.

Tiny touch targets on mobile — Buttons and links need to be at least 44x44 pixels for people to tap them easily. This is especially important for users with motor impairments.

Start Small, But Start Now

You don't need to fix everything overnight. Pick one area — maybe colour contrast or alt text — and start there. Even small improvements make a difference.

A farm shop near Dulverton started with just fixing their contrast and adding alt text about three months ago. Their bounce rate dropped by 12%, and they're now getting enquiries from customers who couldn't use their old site at all.

Remember, an accessible website isn't just good for users with disabilities. It's easier for everyone to use, ranks better in search engines, and opens your business to more customers. In a competitive market like Somerset tourism or local services, can you really afford to turn anyone away?

If you're overwhelmed by where to start, that's normal. But don't let perfect be the enemy of good. Pick one thing from this article and fix it this week. Your future customers will thank you.

Sources

• GOV.UK Accessibility Requirements — Official UK government guidance on web accessibility
• Click-Away Pound Report 2019 — Research on the spending power of disabled consumers online
• WCAG 2.1 Quick Reference — International web accessibility guidelines and techniques

About the Author: Marcus Knapman has been designing websites since the mid-1980s. Based in Williton, Somerset, he runs Exmoorweb — helping small businesses across Minehead, Watchet, Taunton, Bridgwater, and the wider South West build their online presence. With a BSc (Hons) and over 40 years of hands-on experience, he combines technical expertise with practical business sense.