Website Marketing, Wellington - Globe

For Websites that Earn their Keep

Accessible Websites for Improved Market Share

In this e-newsletter we look at website accessibility. It's a fairly hot topic around the world especially with governments, who have in many cases established their own guidelines (usually based upon those developed by the World Wide Web Consortium). Indeed, in some countries designing accessible websites is mandatory. But website accessibility also has benefits in the search engine ranking game - and besides why would you want to deliberately exclude potential clients from using your website?

ACCESSIBLE WEBSITES FOR ALL

An accessible website has nothing to do with people accessing your web site, but rather it's all about the content of the web site being accessible to clients, and potential clients including those who have a physical disability. Ask yourself: 'How to bind people read my web site?' or 'How can someone unable to use hands move around my web site?'

INCREASING MARKET SHARE

Website accessibility is about ensuring your website reaches the greatest number of potential clients. It's about removing barriers and increasing your market penetration and hence market share over competitors whose websites have not been optimised for people with disabilities. It's also about improved search engine rankings, enhanced company or brand image (especially from a social responsibly view point) and meeting Government guidelines for websites - a potential source of competitive advantage when seeking work in the government and local government sectors.

WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY TESTS

So, does your website cater for those people with physical disabilities?

Fortunately, a basic, first cut at determining the answer to this question is relatively easy. Open your Firefox web browser (http://en.www.mozilla.com/en/firefox/ to download a copy), and then type https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/60 into the browser. This will take you to the page containing the 'Web Developer'. Follow the instructions to install a copy into the Firefox toolbar.

a. Pass / Failed Validation. Once installed, access a page from your own website, then click on Tools and select 'Validate WAI'. This will produce a report analysing your web page for the mechanical aspects of compliance with the international guidelines. Without getting bogged down on the details you are looking for the phrase ' Failed Automated Verification' or ' Passed Automated Verification'.

b. Seeing and Hearing. Another useful test requires clicking on Miscellaneous and selecting 'Linearize page'. This will give you a visual idea of what a (blind) person will hear when using a tool that reads the contents of the page aloud. If the main contents of the page appears after logo then you site is doing well, but if the menu appear after the logo and before the main text...

c. Skip Navigation. A third test, which ties in with the linearisation of the page, is to click on CSS and select 'Disable Styles' > 'All Styles' (make sure you've turned 'Linearize page' off first). Again, if the menu appears before the main text then that's what a blind person using a screen reader will hear first rather than the main text, which is really what you want them to hear first. Mind you, if you see the words 'skip navigation' (or similar words) then it is likely that your site has been optimised for visitors with a physical disability.

OTHER WEBSITE ACCESSIBILITY TESTS

If you do not wish to download Firefox or the extension then there are other possible tests, although it must be said that they also apply to search engine optimisation: to the ranking (i.e. position) of your website on a search engine's results page. For example, hold the pointer over a menu item or over an image on your web page. If text pops up after a moment or two then your website is part way to being accessible.