The founders of the Yoast SEO plugin have announced an investment in a WordPress accessibility plugin that identifies and reports on accessibility issues, facilitating the troubleshooting of entire websites.
## Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker
Ensuring a website is accessible involves more than just guaranteeing adequate color contrast and alt text for images. There are various standards that need to be met to comply with WCAG 2.1.
The Digital Accessibility Checker scans posts and pages for non-compliance and generates a report detailing areas that need improvement. The plugin can also conduct a comprehensive scan of an entire site to identify accessibility issues. Error and warning messages appear on the edit screens of pages and posts, and a central list compiles all errors that need to be addressed. These issues can be prioritized by severity to streamline the fixing process.
Notably, the plugin offers unlimited page scanning even in its free version, with no restrictions on URLs, and all data remains on the user’s server, eliminating the need to rely on third parties. Additionally, the plugin does not employ front-end scripts, ensuring a fast website experience for visitors.
## “Everybody Should Install This Plugin”
David Ogletree, Director of Paid Search at search marketing agency WrightIMC, praised the Accessibility Checker plugin for its user-friendly interface designed to identify WCAG issues on WordPress webpages. As a legally blind individual and digital marketer, he emphasized the plugin’s importance in ensuring websites are user-friendly for visually impaired visitors.
David highlighted that the plugin lists problems on a page and provides links that explain how to resolve them. While some issues may require changes to the theme and other plugins, the plugin also assists content writers in ensuring the content they add is accessible.
## Add-on for Web Development
Alex Alexakis, founder of web development company Pixel Chefs, expressed his views on the plugin. He noted that making websites accessible is a service his company often provides for clients, especially those in the financial sector.
Alex found the plugin’s features to be incredible time savers and was surprised by the extensive functionality offered for free. He pointed out that the plugin is a valuable resource for ensuring WCAG 2.1 AA compliance before a site’s launch and serves as a tool for site managers to identify accessibility issues that may arise post-launch. This proactive approach enhances website accessibility and compliance.
Alex also mentioned that achieving web accessibility can improve SEO, as some accessibility factors also enhance search optimization, helping to reach marketing goals. He highlighted that a tool with screenshots and how-to guides simplifies on-page optimization efforts and benefits both users and site publishers by making websites more accessible.
According to reports, a significant percentage of Americans have difficulty seeing or are blind. Ensuring web accessibility not only helps these individuals but also aligns with legal and ethical standards.
The Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker simplifies the identification, cataloging, and prioritization of accessibility issues.
## Emilia Capital Investment
Joost de Valk and Marieke van de Rakt announced a pre-seed investment in the Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker, a WordPress plugin aimed at improving website accessibility.
Equalize Digital plans to use the investment to hire a senior plugin developer and create more accessibility-related content. Amber Hinds, CEO of Equalize Digital, expressed excitement about the partnership with Emilia Capital, emphasizing that the investment would enhance the development of critical features, better positioning the Accessibility Checker plugin as a leading solution for accessibility auditing.
Drawing parallels between the Accessibility Checker and the Yoast SEO plugin, Hinds noted that both tools share similar goals and challenges. The insights from Joost and Marieke are expected to contribute significantly to the strategic expansion of the product side of their business.
