RankPlus Accessibility Widget: What It Does and What It Doesn't

The RankPlus accessibility widget is a floating button in the corner of the screen that opens a panel with personalisation options: larger text, high contrast, animation pause, reading mode. It hands control to the visitor - but it does not turn an inaccessible site into an accessible one.

Why this matters

True web accessibility is two things: accessibility in code (proper alt text, heading hierarchy, landmarks, labels on every input) and customisation options (text scaling, contrast, reading mode). The first is the foundation - what allows a blind user with NVDA to experience the site at all. The second is augmentation - it helps users with specific needs tune their experience.

The widget helps: low-vision users who need larger text; light-sensitive users who need dark mode; ADHD users who benefit from a focused reading mode; vestibular-disorder users who need animations stopped. The widget will not help a blind screen-reader user if images have no alt, and will not help a keyboard user if there is no visible focus. Those must be fixed in code.

Important: an accessibility widget is an add-on, not a replacement. RankPlus runs separate checks for each foundational item (alt_coverage, focus_outline, form_labels, heading_hierarchy and so on) - the widget is one piece among many.

How to detect

If the widget is not active, no button appears in the corner. Check the RankPlus dashboard's Accessibility page. If "Show accessibility widget" is off, it is not active. Verify in an incognito browser that the button shows up for real visitors, not just admins.

How to fix

1. Go to the Accessibility page in the RankPlus dashboard.
2. Enable "Show accessibility widget".
3. Configure visuals: button colour (match the brand), position (bottom-right / bottom-left / top-right / top-left), icon (wheelchair / accessibility symbol).
4. Choose which options to expose: text scaling, high contrast, reading mode, animation pause, enlarged cursor, Tab visualiser.
5. Save and reload the site. The button should appear in the corner.
6. Verify the button itself is accessible: it has an aria-label like "Open accessibility options", and keyboard activation (Tab + Enter) opens the panel.
7. Run the rest of the RankPlus accessibility audit to make sure code-level accessibility is also handled: image alt, focus visible, form labels, heading hierarchy, html lang, landmarks, skip link, video captions.

Common mistakes

• Relying on the widget alone: "I have an accessibility widget so I'm covered" - not true. The widget is roughly 20% of the solution; the other 80% is accessible code.
• Compliance claims based on the widget: a widget does not bring a site into regulatory compliance. Avoid such claims in marketing copy.
• Enabling without testing: confirm the widget itself is accessible - opens by keyboard, does not hide important elements, behaves on mobile.
• Frequent setting changes: page cache may stale. Flush cache after configuration changes.
• No mobile check: a corner button can collide with another floating element on mobile. Test it.

Verifying the fix

Open the site as a normal visitor (logged out or incognito). The button should be there. Click it - the panel opens. Try each option (text size, contrast) - they should work. Close the panel - the site returns to normal. Run NVDA - the button should announce "Open accessibility options, button". RankPlus turns green.