We’ve set up Siteimprove access for many CMS users and website workers over the past few weeks. We’ve also received lots of questions and concerns. Yes, there’s a deadline in place, but you have the skills and the resources to make a difference.

Try not to feel overwhelmed — set yourself up for success by taking one step at a time.

The first step is to fortify yourself with the knowledge you need to proceed. If you’re just joining this mission and don’t know where to begin, start here.

Our team created two courses on UC Learning, created especially for UC San Diego staff, that provide a strong foundation and motivation for improving digital accessibility.

Each course contains brief reading passages plus several short videos (2‑3 minutes each). You should be able to finish each module in less than an hour. Login is required:

We’ve said it before, but once you’re logged into Siteimprove, take a deep breath and start with these common and most easily-fixed accessibility issues: links, images, and headings.

Note your site’s scores before and after you go through this list. Not only will you have a wonderful metric to add to your upcoming self-evaluation, you may be close to your best-possible Siteimprove score after tackling these initial categories.

After you’ve worked on links, images, and headings, look for Siteimprove issues that are found on multiple pages (fixing these issues will usually gain you the most points).

Fix issues marked A and AA before others on your list (these are the issues that UC is committed to meeting).

Make sure your home page and other important, oft-visited program pages are as clean and accessible as they can be.

Consider removing / archiving older content instead of spending time bringing it into compliance. What do your site visitors really need today?

Don’t worry about issues that are marked for developers. ITS is already aware of these, and our developers are working to correct them.

It’s a thrill to see your Siteimprove score rise into the green zone. But we shouldn’t be overly obsessed with hitting specific numbers. Remember, we’re performing an important service by removing barriers and making things easier for folks! The ultimate goal is online content that is easily accessible to all visitors.

Mission-critical resources