Accessibility ensures your pages are inclusive and usable by everyone, including individuals with disabilities. In ClickFunnels, you can build accessible pages by customizing layouts and content using flexible settings in sections, rows, and elements. This article will walk you through practical tips and best practices to create user-friendly pages that meet accessibility standards while enhancing the overall experience for your audience.
Requirements
An active ClickFunnels account
A page created in your workspace
Why Accessibility is Important
Creating accessible pages in ClickFunnels offers significant advantages that enhance usability, broaden your reach, and ensure compliance:
Inclusivity and Ethical Responsibility
Accessibility demonstrates your commitment to inclusivity by addressing the diverse needs of all users, including those with disabilities. By designing for accessibility, you ensure everyone can engage with your content, reflecting ethical and user-centered practices.Business Growth and Wider Reach
Accessible pages allow you to connect with a larger audience, including users who rely on assistive technologies. This inclusivity expands your potential customer base and builds trust and loyalty among users.Improved SEO
Accessibility practices often complement SEO strategies. Structured content, such as a single Headline Element (H1) and meaningful alt text for images, makes your pages easier for search engines to understand while improving usability for screen readers.Enhanced User Experience
Designing for accessibility creates pages that are intuitive and easy to navigate for all users. Features like proper contrast, clear navigation, and readable text improve engagement and satisfaction, benefiting your entire audience.Legal Compliance
Many regions enforce accessibility through laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States and the Web Accessibility Directive in the European Union. These laws often reference the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) as a standard for compliance. Ensuring your pages are accessible helps you meet these requirements, reducing legal risks while fostering inclusivity.
Best Practices for Accessibility
Use Headline Elements Effectively
In ClickFunnels, the Headline Element corresponds to the HTML <h1>
tag, which represents the primary heading of a page. According to web standards, <h1>
tags are intended to define the main topic or purpose of the page and should typically be used only once per page. This helps search engines and assistive technologies better understand your page structure, improving accessibility and SEO.
To make the most of the Headline Element in ClickFunnels:
Use One Headline Element Per Page: Reserve the Headline Element for the most critical or overarching message on the page, such as the title or main call-to-action.
Sub-Headlines for Additional Structure: Use Sub-Headline Elements or Paragraph Elements for supporting content to maintain a clear and logical hierarchy.
Why It Matters: Using multiple
<h1>
tags can confuse screen readers and search engines, making it harder for users to navigate and understand your content. A single, well-placed Headline Element ensures clarity and consistency.
Reference: MDN Web Docs
Learn more about the ClickFunnels Headline element in the Headline: Adding and Styling Headlines article.
Choose Accessible Fonts
Font accessibility ensures that your text is easy to read for all users, including those with visual impairments or cognitive disabilities. In ClickFunnels, you can customize fonts for your Headline, Sub-Headline, and Paragraph Elements, making it easy to create accessible and visually appealing text.
Use Clear, Legible Fonts:
Stick to simple, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Roboto, or Open Sans, as they are easier to read compared to decorative or script fonts.
Avoid using overly decorative fonts for large bodies of text or critical information.
Maintain Readable Sizes:
Ensure your text is large enough to be read comfortably on all devices. A font size of at least 16px is recommended for body text, with larger sizes for headings.
Use the ClickFunnels editor to adjust text sizes within Typography Settings for each element.
Limit Font Styles:
Avoid excessive use of italics, bolding, or ALL CAPS, as these can reduce readability.
Use these styles sparingly to emphasize key points rather than entire sections.
Ensure Sufficient Contrast:
Text should have a strong contrast against its background. Use ClickFunnels' color picker to select accessible color combinations that meet WCAG standards (contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for body text).
Preview Across Devices:
Use ClickFunnels' responsive preview mode to ensure your fonts look clear and consistent on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices.
Reference: WebAIM
Add ‘Alt Text’ to Images
Alt TeAlt Text (alternative text) describes the purpose or content of an image, making it accessible to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. It also helps search engines understand the context of your images, improving SEO. Follow these guidelines to use Alt Text effectively in ClickFunnels:
Keep It Concise: Describe the image in 125 characters or less to make it clear and easy to understand.
Example: Instead of “Image of shoes,” use “Red running shoes with white laces for sale.”
Focus on the Purpose: Write an Alt Text explaining the image's role on the page. For instance, if the image highlights a product, describe its key features.
Icons and Background Images: ClickFunnels does not provide Alt Text options for icons or background images because these are typically decorative. Icons are often accompanied by text that already conveys their purpose, while background images are used for aesthetic design. Since these elements do not contribute essential information, leaving them without Alt Text ensures screen readers focus only on meaningful content.
Referece: MDN Web Docs
Learn more about the ClickFunnels Image element in the Image: Adding and Managing Images article.
Use Descriptive Link Text
Clear and descriptive link text improves accessibility and usability for all users.
Avoid Generic Labels: Replace vague text like “Click Here” with descriptive phrases such as “Download Free Guide” or “View Pricing Options.”
How to Edit in ClickFunnels: Use the Button Element or Link Settings to create meaningful and specific link text.
Reference: WebAIM
Ensure Sufficient Color Contrast
Proper color contrast ensures readability for users with visual impairments, such as color blindness.
WCAG Standards: Aim for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text (18pt or 14pt bold).
How to Adjust in ClickFunnels: Use the color picker in the editor to select accessible color combinations for text, buttons, and backgrounds.
Test Your Colors: Use tools like WebAIM Contrast Checker to verify your design meets contrast requirements.
Reference: MDN Web Docs
Reduce Motion and Animations
Motion and animation can enhance the interactivity and appeal of your ClickFunnels pages, but excessive or poorly implemented effects may negatively affect users with motion sensitivities. To ensure your pages are fully accessible, it’s important to use these elements thoughtfully and follow best practices.
Parallax Effects
A parallax effect occurs when background elements move at speeds different from foreground elements as the user scrolls. While visually engaging, this effect can disorient users with vestibular disorders.
Best Practices for Parallax in ClickFunnels:
Minimize Use: Limit parallax effects to one per page to reduce visual distractions.
Avoid Near Text: Parallax backgrounds should not appear behind or near text, as this can make content harder to read.
Consider Alternative Effects: For background imagery, use static images instead of parallax to maintain accessibility.
To disable parallax effects in ClickFunnels, adjust the Background Image Settings within your section or row settings and set the image style to “None” or a different style.
Animation
In ClickFunnels, you can apply animations to sections, rows, and elements to add dynamic effects, such as fading, sliding, or zooming. These animations can enhance your page’s interactivity, but excessive motion may disrupt users with motion sensitivities or cognitive impairments.
Best Practices for Animations
Use Subtle Effects: Choose gentle fades or smooth transitions instead of dramatic movements.
Limit Animations: Focus on highlighting key elements like headlines or call-to-action buttons, avoiding overuse.
Keep Them Short: Set animations to complete within 1-2 seconds to maintain a smooth flow.
Avoid Repetition: Refrain from looping animations or persistent motion effects.
Test for Accessibility: Preview your page to ensure animations enhance usability without causing discomfort.
Reference: MDN Web Docs
Learn more about Animation in ClickFunnels in the Advanced Settings - Customize Animation article.
Add ARIA Labels for Buttons
ARIA labels improve accessibility by providing additional context for screen readers, especially for buttons with ambiguous or non-descriptive text. In ClickFunnels, you can add ARIA labels to Button elements to clarify their purpose.
Why Use ARIA Labels
Help screen readers understand the function of a button, such as “Submit Form” or “Download Guide.”
Enhance clarity for users who rely on assistive technology, ensuring they can navigate and interact with your pages effectively.
How to Add ARIA Labels in ClickFunnels
Select the Button Element in the editor.
Find the ARIA-Label field under the Button element settings.
Enter a brief, meaningful description of the button’s function. Enter a brief, meaningful description of the button’s function. For example, if the button text is "Download Now!", you could set the ARIA label to "Download the free workout guide" or "Download the eBook in PDF format" to provide additional clarity for screen readers.
Reference: MDN Web Docs
Learn more about the ClickFunnels Button element in the Button: Allow Users to Submit Actions article.
Make Videos and Audio Accessible
Multimedia content, such as videos and audio, can engage your audience effectively, but ensuring accessibility is crucial for users with visual, auditory, or motion sensitivities. In ClickFunnels, the Video Element and Audio Element provide options for embedding and presenting content in an accessible way.
Best Practices for Video Accessibility
Add Captions:
Use closed captions for videos hosted on platforms like YouTube or Vimeo. Captions help users with hearing impairments understand spoken content.
Enable captions directly in your video settings on YouTube or Vimeo before embedding them in ClickFunnels.
Limit Background Videos:
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) emphasize that content causing excessive motion can adversely affect users with vestibular disorders. Specifically, WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 2.3.3 advises against design elements that could induce seizures or physical reactions. While WCAG doesn't specify a limit on the number of background videos per page, however it would be a good practice to avoid using more than one or two background videos per page. Excessive motion can overwhelm users with motion sensitivities.
Avoid Flashing Content:
Ensure videos don’t contain content that flashes more than three times per second, as this can trigger seizures in users with photosensitivity.
Consider Accessibility-Friendly Design:
If a background video is crucial to your design, add a Video Element instead, which includes controls for play, pause, and volume, making it more accessible.
Best Practices for Audio Accessibility
Provide Transcripts:
Include a text transcript for any audio content, such as podcasts or narrations, to make it accessible to users with hearing impairments.
Transcripts can be added as a separate Text Element on the same page or linked to a dedicated page for easier organization.
Avoid Autoplay:
Disable autoplay for audio elements to avoid startling users or interrupting assistive technologies. Let users control playback manually.
Clear Controls:
Ensure playback controls are visible and easy to use. In ClickFunnels, the Audio Element provides intuitive controls for users to pause, play, or adjust volume.
Reference: MDN Web Docs
Learn more about ClickFunnels Video and Audio element in the Video: Add Video to Your Pages and Audio: Add Audio to Your Page articles.
References
To learn more about accessibility standards and best practices, explore the following resources:
WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind
WebAIM offers comprehensive guidelines and techniques for improving web accessibility, including strategies for multimedia, color contrast, and ARIA implementation.Mozilla Developer Network (MDN) Web Docs: Accessibility
MDN provides detailed documentation on accessibility principles, including headings, multimedia, and ARIA standards, aligning with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The WCAG outlines internationally recognized accessibility standards, providing a foundational framework for creating inclusive web content.
These resources will help you deepen your understanding of accessibility and implement best practices in your ClickFunnels pages effectively.