• by Ray Schultz , May 19, 2023

Zmags has created an Accessibility Panel to help ensure that websites are accessibly to by people with visual impairments and that they comply with the Americans With Disability Act.

This is being provided through a free feature within Fastr Frontend that automatically checks for digital accessibility issues as part of a workflow, the company says. 

The issue could easily affect publishers who are continually updating their sites. 

“With website content changes being made around the clock, there is a real possibility for digital accessibility regression,” says Allison Vernerey, VP of product for Zmags. 

Vernerey continues, “Digital accessibility violations are slowly and surely creeping in, even on sites that may have once featured impeccable design. Our new Accessibility Panel will allow Fastr Frontend users to maintain their speed while automatically flagging breaches, helping them ensure that their websites stay accessible while also promoting and protecting their SEO investments.”\

The Accessibility Panel works by scanning to ensure that digital accessibility best practices are met every time a website is updated, even before any updates go live. 

This includes checking of all page elements and images are accompanied by alt text, so users can understand the meaning an image conveys, even if they can’t see the image. 

And, it flags duplicate or default alt text that may not be useful to people with vision impairments, and heading tags that enable the visually impaired to skim a webpage.

“As an e-commerce leader, if you’re not paying close enough attention to accessibility, not only are you excluding a huge potential customer base and exposing your company to lawsuits, but you’re also failing to address digital access and inclusion,” Vernerey says.