A background video can set a mood, but it also competes with text, consumes data and requires more careful testing than a still image. The decision should depend on what the movement communicates. If the same meaning survives in one frame, a well-chosen photograph may do the job with less distraction.

Watch the video without the headline. Identify the information it adds: a process, a location or a product in use. Decorative motion is not automatically wrong, but it should not prevent someone from reading the page. Check whether bright frames or rapid cuts make the text difficult to follow.

Prepare a still fallback that works as an intentional design, not an accidental blank rectangle. Keep text as actual page content instead of baking it into the footage. If motion remains, provide appropriate pause behavior and respect reduced-motion preferences. Informative speech needs a usable alternative rather than being silently hidden in a decorative background.

Test on a phone under an ordinary connection and with motion reduction enabled. Check what appears before the video loads, what happens if it cannot load and whether the main action remains available. A dramatic opening is useful only when it helps someone understand the business and continue comfortably.

A practical review

For example, imagine that an appointment form stops delivering messages during the protected period. The exception request should identify that specific failure, the proposed repair and the person who will receive a marked test. It should not include a new calendar layout simply because the developer is already working on the page. Save a screenshot of the current form and note the existing settings before editing. After the repair, confirm both the customer-facing result and delivery to the team. If the evidence does not establish success, keep the issue open. A freeze works when it creates a dependable decision process, with enough flexibility to solve a real problem and enough discipline to prevent unrelated work from slipping through.

Before you finish

• Identify the specific meaning supplied by movement rather than the still frame.
• Prepare an intentional fallback image and readable page text.
• Check pause controls and the reduced-motion experience.
• Test the first visible screen before the video has loaded.

The post When a Winter Hero Video Should Become a Still Image appeared first on Fenway Web.

Alt text is the short description attached to an image on your website. Screen readers read it aloud to people who are blind or have low vision, and browsers show it when an image fails to load. Search engines use it too, but that is a side benefit. The main job is simple: tell someone who cannot see the image what it shows and why it is there.

Describe the purpose, not just the pixels

A photo of your team on a job site could be described as “people standing outside.” A more useful version is “Our crew finishing a deck replacement in Worcester.” Ask yourself what a sighted visitor would take away from the image, then write that in one sentence.

Keep it short

One sentence is usually enough. Skip phrases like “image of” or “picture of”, because the screen reader already announces that it is an image.

Decorative images can be left blank

Background textures, dividers and purely decorative flourishes do not need a description. In WordPress you can leave the alt field empty for these, and assistive technology will skip them.

Buttons and logos are different

If an image is a link, such as a logo that returns to the homepage, the alt text should describe where it goes: “Fenway Web home.” If an image contains words, include those words in the alt text.

Where to add it

In WordPress, open the Media Library, select an image and fill in the Alternative Text field. Doing it in the library means every future use of that image starts with a good description.

Accessibility is not a one-time project, but alt text is one of the easiest places to start, and it helps every visitor.

The post Alt Text That Actually Helps: A Plain-English Guide appeared first on Fenway Web.

Every year the same thing happens. A shop updates its holiday hours on the homepage banner, then a customer drives over on a closed afternoon because Google Maps still showed the old schedule. The fix is not complicated, but it does mean thinking about every place a customer might look.

1. Your Google Business Profile

For most local businesses this is the first place people see your hours, often before they ever reach your website. Google lets you add special hours for specific dates, so you can set Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve and New Year’s Day once and leave your regular schedule untouched.

2. Your website’s contact or location page

Put the holiday schedule as plain text on the page that already lists your address and phone number. A banner on the homepage is fine as a reminder, but text on the contact page is what search engines and screen readers pick up reliably.

3. Your footer

If your footer shows hours, it appears on every page. Either update it or add a short line such as “Holiday hours: see our contact page” so the footer never contradicts the schedule.

4. Social profiles and booking tools

Facebook, Instagram, Yelp and any online booking or ordering system usually keep their own copy of your hours. Booking tools matter most, because a customer who books a slot you are not open for has a real reason to be annoyed.

A simple routine

Make a short list of every place your hours live, put a reminder on your calendar two weeks before each holiday, and work through the list in one sitting. Then search for your business on your phone, the way a customer would, and confirm that every result agrees.

If you would like a second pair of eyes on your listings before the rush, the Fenway Web team is happy to take a look.

The post Your Holiday Hours Belong in Four Places, Not One appeared first on Fenway Web.