Note: Any money examples here are hypothetical. We're not promising anyone will earn anything.
An idea for a service: add checked alt text, captions, and clear labels to local business websites, with AI drafting and you reviewing.
The idea
Help local businesses add alt text to their images, captions to their videos, and clearer link and button labels, using AI to draft and you to check, following the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative guidance.
Who it's for
Local shops, restaurants, clinics, and service businesses with a website and social videos, but no time to make them accessible.
The problem you solve
Product photos have no descriptions, videos have no captions, and buttons say "click here." Some visitors can't use the site at all.
How you help
A fixed-scope tune-up. You list the site's images and videos, use AI tools to draft alt text and captions, then check and correct every one by hand. The WAI says images must have text alternatives that describe their information or function, and its captions page says automatic captions are not sufficient, so your human review is the real value.
Tools you'd use
Gemini in Google WorkspaceMicrosoft 365 Copilot for BusinessGrok Bot
How it works, step by step
Here's how it could work, step by step (it's an outline, not a case study):
- List every image and video on the client's main pages.
- Sort images into informative, decorative, and functional.
- Draft alt text with AI, then check each one.
- Draft captions with AI, then correct them by listening through.
- Fix vague link and button labels.
- Hand over a short guide so the client can keep it up.
Ways to get paid
Common ways to charge (just examples, not our earnings): a fixed fee per page or per video, plus an optional monthly update. We're not quoting dollar amounts as market rates. Any numbers you use are hypothetical until you test them in your own market.
What you need to get started
You'll want careful attention to detail, a working knowledge of the WAI's images and captions guidance, and comfort editing a website.
Keeping it running
Be clear that a tune-up isn't a legal compliance audit. If a client needs one, point them to a qualified accessibility specialist. Get the client's approval before changing their site.
Things to watch out for
Watch out for AI alt text that guesses wrong, captions with misheard names, and sites the client can't easily edit. Budget time for checking.
Sources
Heads-up: some links here may become affiliate links down the road. Here's how that works. Right now, no affiliate programs are connected.