Survival or attracting your potential customers is almost impossible if WordPress website accessibility is missing in your theme-building approach. No matter how feature-rich your WordPress theme is, it should be accessible too with an easy-to-skim user interface.
The same principle goes for intranet/extranet WordPress themes. These themes are built keeping in mind user-friendliness, so there’s no question of having an inaccessible intranet/extranet theme.
Being in the WordPress themes and plugins industry for more than 8 years now, there are some factors that we believe are crucial to ensure accessibility in your intranet/extranet themes (not in a strictly standardized manner).
Without any further ado, let’s discuss why accessibility matters, how to ensure it, and the top-notch intranet/extranet WordPress themes available out there.
Why Accessibility Matters For Intranet/Extranet WordPress Themes?
When you ensure accessibility, you don’t only look for how easy it is to skim the user interface, but you check for the design, layout, and even the relevancy of features provided either within the theme or in the form of add-ons.
An accessible WordPress theme also contributes to and ticks off the overall WordPress website accessibility. Also, try your best following on ADA compliance especially if your business falls under a specific category that we’ve discussed below!
FYI, ADA compliance for websites refers to the adherence of web design and development practices to the guidelines outlined in the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA is a U.S. law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities and requires equal access to goods, services, and information, including digital platforms.
This includes considerations for individuals with visual impairments, hearing impairments, motor disabilities, and cognitive disabilities. To achieve ADA compliance, websites need to address various aspects such as providing alternative text for images, using clear and concise language, offering keyboard navigation options, captioning videos, and ensuring proper color contrast.
However, ADA compliance further applies to websites or businesses that fall under ADA Title I or ADA Title III. All in all, WordPress website accessibility matters because it’s important for the end users.
Although they aren’t hard and fast rules, and not directly related to the compatibility of themes with WordPress, the gist is to follow best practices, and coding standards beneficial for the end users.
How To Ensure Accessibility For Intranet/Extranet WordPress Themes?
You can conduct a thorough accessibility audit for your intranet/extranet themes to identify and address any accessibility barriers, and ensure a more inclusive and accessible experience for all users.
Given below is a checklist in brief that you can follow for this purpose.
- Understand latest WCAG
Start by familiarizing yourself with the different accessibility principles and success criteria outlined in WCAG.
- Use automated online tools
There are several online tools available to analyze your WordPress theme and provide feedback on potential problems that need attention. Examples include aXe, WAVE, and WebAIM’s Contrast Checker.
- Do manual inspection
This involves reviewing various elements of your theme, such as headings, links, images, forms, multimedia content, and navigation. Check for proper semantic structure, clear labeling, keyboard accessibility, alternative text for images, and proper use of ARIA attributes.
- Keyboard navigation testing
Test your WordPress theme using only the keyboard, without relying on a mouse. Ensure that all interactive elements, menus, and focus indicators can be accessed and navigated using the Tab key.
- Check the contrast of colors
Use tools or plugins that assess color contrast to verify that text and interactive elements have sufficient contrast to be readable for users with visual impairments.
- Test for mobile-responsive design
Verify that your WordPress theme is responsive and adapts appropriately to different screen sizes and devices.
Based on the findings of the audit, make the necessary changes to your WordPress theme to address the accessibility issues. This may involve modifying code, adjusting design elements, adding ARIA attributes, and improving the content structure.
Showcasing WordPress Website Accessibility Features In A Top-Rated Intranet/Extranet Theme
What if you have such a quality–packed, accessible theme on your plate already? Won’t it sound a little staggering when you find that you won’t have to juggle for hours auditing your intranet/extranet WordPress theme because someone has already done it for you?
We’re talking about none other than Woffice and it’s SaaS solutions, the meticulously crafted, accessible, and highly responsive intranet/extranet WordPress theme that will exceed your expectations. You can also call it a power-packed intranet software with extra functionality added to you for extranet via add-ons. As of now, there are no quality-packed free intranet themes available in the WordPress directory.
Woffice isn’t just your ordinary theme—it’s a versatile intranet/extranet software powerhouse designed to build thriving communities for businesses, schools, or any organization. With Woffice, you can effortlessly create stunning community-centric websites without any in-depth technical expertise.
Packed with an array of remarkable features, Woffice empowers you to connect, collaborate, and engage like never before. Seamlessly integrate social features, facilitate knowledge sharing, and foster meaningful interactions among your community members.
Not only does Woffice offer unmatched functionality, but it also boasts an aesthetically pleasing design that will leave a lasting impression. Customize every aspect of your website, from layouts to colors, and create a visually stunning platform that reflects your organization’s unique identity.
Given below are the exclusive features of Woffice which we believe make it an exceptional intranet/extranet WordPress theme.
- Intuitive Design
It comes with an admiring, user-friendly design interface. You can customize everything within your website with Elementor Page Builder integrated into Woffice.
You have the option to customize all sections, including the header, footer, logo, and content of your website using the builder. Moreover, it feels a breeze to skim through the theme, and experience boosted productivity of your team.
Additionally, you get to enjoy in-built extensions, such as Cover Image, Projects, Wiki, SEO, Birthdays, Funfacts, Users Map, and Poll Directory, etc.
Overall, it’s a fully responsive, web-app compatible, and HD-ready WordPress theme worth considering buying to build a robust intranet/extranet community.
- Excellent Support
You’re missing out on big plus if you’re not counting features like a support center, documentation, regular upgrades, etc. before buying any WordPress theme.
We believe they are the backbone or survival kit of any theme, and prominent proof of their dedicated, active developers working hard behind the scenes to offer you only the best services possible.
The pricing as well as support offered by Woffice before, and after purchase is phenomenal. And, this is what we believe should be accounted for in any theme and plugin out there.
Even if the developers don’t strictly adhere to the accessibility criteria mentioned above, having excellent support with regular upgradation is enough to judge their prominence.
However, developers at Xtendify strive hard to follow the best practices, and coding standards as laid down by WordPress.
- Covers The Salient Features
Project management software, task management, and AI integration via Woffice AI content generator directly into the theme are among the most salient features. From intuitive project management add-ons to robust file-sharing capabilities, Woffice has you covered.
Collaborate effortlessly, streamline communication, and enhance productivity within your organization. With Woffice, building a strong, united community has never been easier.
In a nutshell, ensuring WordPress website accessibility is all about improving the end-user experience. Certainly, there are some standards whose implementation is not a hard and fast rule and not even everyone follows them thoroughly.
What must follow is to make your intranet/extranet theme as flexible, customizable, user-friendly, and feature-rich as possible. We believe these boxes have to be checked while assuring you are following the best practices and coding standards.
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