- Accessibility
- Usability
- Visibility
. . . All affect the bottom line success of a website. Creating a web site that is accessible to all users, easy to use and easy to find increases your potential for better rankings, better sales and more qualified users.
Building an accessible, or 508 compliant (in the U.S.), website is not as difficult as it may seem. As governmental regulations and awareness increase, it is critical that you create your website to be open to all users on the internet, regardless of handicap or access device. It is not only implementing accessibility-based programming a good idea, but it can benefit a web site in many additional ways, such as increased search engine rankings and relevance, alternate viewing (Web-enabled phones), increased sales or leads and creating a better user experience for all users.
Ultimately, the search engines are the most handicapped of all users. Search engines cannot see or hear, they cannot pick up visual-only cues for navigation. Because of this fact, the principle of optimizing a site for the search engines also involves optimizing a web site for the greatest number of users. Web site marketing takes on a holistic approach when awareness of basic accessibility and usability principles are implemented throughout the design, content and architecture of the site.
Increased search engine rankings are a good goal to start; increased business from more sales and more leads is the best goal, as it directly affects the bottom line of a company. Many times, simple design or copywriting changes can directly influence a higher sales or conversion rate in a website.
Getting people to your website is one issue, getting people to do what you want them to do is another. In doing so, you must be sure that the site is completely accessible and understandable for web users. Otherwise, visibility will always be a problem, and the site will not be understandable for all of your visitors.
- Easy to find, Visibility
- Easy to use, Accessibility
- Easy to understand, Usability
Isn’t that what all of your web site users want? Isn’t it what you want?
