5.3SEO & accessibility
The essentials in 30 seconds
- SEO: correct heading structure (a single H1, hierarchy), quality content, fast pages.
- Accessibility: image alt, heading hierarchy, sufficient contrasts, clear navigation.
- SEO and accessibility meet: a clear structure serves both.
Through-line — Nadia polishes the substance
The joiner's site is nice and fast; what's left is to make it findable and accessible to all. Nadia checks a single H1 per page, alts on the photos, contrasts readable in sunlight, clear navigation. She notices these best practices serve both Google and the visitors.
Continues 5.2 — making the site findable and inclusive.
1. SEO: structure and quality
SEO (search engine optimization) optimizes the site to rank well in search engines. The best practices on the Elementor/WordPress side: a correct heading structure (a single H1, then H2/H3 in a hierarchy), quality, relevant content, fast pages (level 5.1), clean tags and URLs (often via an SEO extension).
Nadia checks each page: a unique H1, a logical hierarchy, descriptive headings.
2. Accessibility (and it meets SEO)
Accessibility makes the site usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. The basics: image alternative text (alt), a clear heading structure, sufficient contrasts, consistent navigation (keyboard).
Key point: SEO and accessibility meet — a clear heading structure, alts, good contrast help both engines and visitors. Polishing one often polishes the other.
🔎 Concrete example — Making the site findable and inclusive (Nadia's case)
SEO: 1 H1/page, H2/H3 hierarchy, descriptive headings, fast pages.
Accessibility: alt on every image, contrasts checked, clear navigation.
Common ground: the heading structure and the alts serve both.
→ Check each page before delivery.Result: a better-ranked site, accessible to all.
Lesson: SEO and accessibility go hand in hand.
Section vocabulary
- SEO
- Optimize the site for good ranking in search engines.
Simple example: clear headings, relevant content, fast pages.
What it is not: stuffing keywords with no structure.
Reflex: structure + quality + speed.
- Heading structure
- A single H1 per page, then H2/H3 in a logical hierarchy.
Simple example: H1 page title, H2 sections, H3 subsections.
What it is not: several H1s or random levels.
Reflex: one H1, a descending hierarchy.
- Alternative text (alt)
- Describe an image for engines and screen readers.
Simple example: alt "Solid oak table, oiled finish".
What it is not: empty alt or file name.
Reflex: every useful image has a descriptive alt.
- Contrast
- A sufficient text/background gap for readability (accessibility).
Simple example: dark text on a light background, readable in sunlight.
What it is not: light grey on white.
Reflex: check the contrast of every text.
- SEO ↔ accessibility
- The two meet: headings, alt, clear structure serve both.
Simple example: a good hierarchy helps Google AND screen readers.
What it is not: treating them as separate optional projects.
Reflex: polishing one often polishes the other.
In practice — Checking SEO and accessibility
- Check there is a single H1 per page and a logical H2/H3 hierarchy.
- Check a descriptive alt on every useful image.
- Check the text/background contrasts (readability).
- Test the navigation (clear menu, usable with the keyboard).
Ready-to-say script — valuing SEO + accessibility (20 s)
"I polished the site's structure for two linked reasons: to be better found on Google, and to stay usable by everyone — including visually impaired people. Well-hierarchized headings, image descriptions, good contrasts: these best practices serve your visibility and your visitors."
Link SEO and inclusion: same base, double benefit.
Copy-paste template — SEO/accessibility check
A SINGLE H1 PER PAGE + H2/H3 HIERARCHY: yes / no
DESCRIPTIVE ALT ON EVERY USEFUL IMAGE: yes / no
SUFFICIENT TEXT/BACKGROUND CONTRASTS: yes / no
CLEAR NAVIGATION (keyboard): yes / no
FAST PAGES (see 5.1): yes / noLocal showcase
Descriptive headings + clear contact info for local SEO.
Blog
Careful heading hierarchy per article, good for SEO and reading.
Images
Descriptive alts: accessibility + image SEO.
Contrasts
Check readability in sunlight and for all eyes.
✓ Best practices
- A single H1 per page, logical hierarchy.
- Descriptive alt on every useful image.
- Check contrasts and navigation.
✗ Common pitfalls
- Several H1s or random headings.
- Empty alts or file names.
- Insufficient contrasts (hard-to-read text).
Key takeaways
- SEO: headings, content, speed, clean URLs.
- Accessibility: alt, headings, contrast, keyboard.
- The two meet (common base).
- Essential, not optional.
48h challenge — apply tomorrow
Audit a page: check a single H1 + hierarchy, the image alts, the contrasts and keyboard navigation. Fix one flaw from each category. 30 minutes.
- I respect the heading hierarchy.
- I fill in the alts and check the contrasts.
- I polish SEO and accessibility together.
Frequently asked questions
How many H1s per page for SEO?
Only one, the main title, then an H2/H3 hierarchy. It's good for SEO and for accessibility (screen readers).
Does the alternative text serve SEO or accessibility?
Both: it describes the image for screen readers (accessibility) and helps engines understand the image (SEO). A perfect example of common ground.
Are SEO and accessibility really linked?
Largely: a clear heading structure, alts, good contrast and consistent navigation serve both SEO and accessibility. Polishing one helps the other.
Before delivering, Nadia wants a site that is both well-ranked and accessible. Which base serves both?