Now You Have a Web Site - Have You Ever Heard of Accessibility?

An accessible Web site is easily approached, easily understood, and useable for all. There are accessibility standards set forth by the World Wide Web Consortium, which all sites should adhere to as much as possible.

Web site owners should be aware of accessibility standards, because most designers and developers often ignore them. It is a waste of your investment to develop a great site that many Web surfers may not even be able to use.

While personal sites can get away with more innovative technologies, most commercial sites should not go overboard. If you do business internationally, or with customers who are located anywhere but in a city, the user's bandwidth is a big issue. If it takes longer than a few seconds to open a document from your site, users are likely to move on, to another site that will work faster. Sites that receive a large amount of traffic will also save on hosting fees by keeping downloads to a minimum.

Not all browsers are created equal. Check your site for compatibility on as many computers as you can. It's wise to consider that some people don't allow JavaScript, cookies, images, or Flash and some people use text readers. By viewing your site on many machines, you often will find issues with the way your site operates or looks.

Search engine spiders will have an easier time indexing your pages when the links are standard HTML text. Text links also improve your positioning on search engines. If the text in your site is within a graphic or a Flash movie, most search engines won't even be able to pick it up, and you may never show up for the phrases you wish to be found for.

If your site takes away the ability for a visitor to utilize certain browser functions, you will lose more than you will gain. Removing tool bars, not allowing text resize, and functions that automatically redirect a user to another page and then do not allow for the "back" function, are all tactics to avoid.

These are but a few examples of accessibility issues. Ultimately, a Web site can never be accessible enough. Awareness is step one.

About The Author

Del Maxwell is owner of The Web Agent, a web design firm with over 200 sites experience. For more information please visit http://www.the-web-agent.com.

---

Introductory PHP For Non-Programmers

When you started reading this sentence you assumed lo acabaría... Read More

Remember This When Building A New Site - Beginners Guide

I recently helped my mom to launch a website (www.mom2me.com)... Read More

Ecommerce for Beginners

Like most average persons, I wanted some extra money to... Read More

7 Questions to Understand Your Customer Better

Customer service questionnaires can help your clients better understand their... Read More

Building a Web Store on Shoestring Budget in less than Four Hours

Starting a business online is no longer as difficult as... Read More

Using Mini Websites - Powerful Way to Direct Marketing

Mini Websites are the most powerful and cost effective solution... Read More

Things to Consider Before Starting a Website

In the time that I have been using the Internet,... Read More

7 Killer Ways To Increase Your Online Sales

Every online entrepreneur I talk to is asking the same... Read More

Easy Steps To Website Development and Promotion

One of the most important parts of establishing a new... Read More

Nonsense! Why Do I Need a Website?

"I don't sell anything online, I don't advertise online, in... Read More

Setting Up Your First Website

Q. Hey, Cathy: I'm just setting up a website. What... Read More

Six Basic Reasons Why Visitors Stay On Your Web Site

1. The first page appears quickly.It's a good way to... Read More

Do You And Your Website Have Credibility?

I recently received an unsolicited e-mail from some company offering... Read More

Building eCommerce Websites that Work - Part 2

Succeeding with an eCommerce website is a dream for many... Read More

Getting One-way Inbound Links: the 5 Major Strategies

With search engines putting a damper on direct reciprocal links,... Read More

Content Management

More and more businesses are recognizing the importance of content... Read More

You Need a Website!

No matter the size of your business, having a web... Read More

7 Reasons YOU Need a Website

1) A marketing necessityI still hear it said from time... Read More

How to Create a Professional Web Site in 24 Hours

While creating a Web site may seem like... Read More

Free Websites & Why You Should Avoid Them

It amazes me how many people try to build serious... Read More

Your Website Reflects Your Business

Some left shoes are in isle 5, while the right... Read More

Web Site Optimization: How To Speed Up Your Web Site By Minimizing Your GIF and PNG Image Bit-Depth

Are bloated images slowing down your web site and causing... Read More

Tips for Building a Great Business Website

A website is lifeline of internet home business. In order... Read More

9 Keys to an Effective Website

Many small companies choose not to invest in a professionally... Read More

You Don?t Have to be Amazon.com to Achieve 12% Conversion Rates!

That's right. According to a recent study by Nielsen/NetRatings, Amazon.com... Read More

Up The Sandbox!

Go to any internet marketing forum you want these days... Read More

PIM Team Case Study: Creating Text Effects With PHP and GD

See how you can create graphic effects on text with... Read More

How To Get Profits From Your 404 Page Not Found File

"'Page Not Found' on this Server. Check the URL and... Read More

Eight Deadly Web Site Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Creating and maintaining an effective presence on the Web has... Read More

Warning: The Truth About Having a Web Site!

If you don't have a web site yet, are thinking... Read More

Linking Out is Good

Many websites I come across don't have a single link... Read More

A Website Is Not Enough

Your ObjectiveYour small business needs an appealing and professional website... Read More

The Cost Of A Web Site

Just starting out, you can start with a simple informational... Read More