|
just another regularban.info web blog |
| MEMBERS: | Website Accessibility - Need and Basic Guidelines
Website Accessibility means the website accessible to all the users in the web including visitors with disability. Many website owners know that their website is available in the internet for visitors to access information but possibly may not know whether their website is easily accessible and even be unaware about Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). According to Disability Discrimination Act (DDA), all the business should make their services accessible to disabled users. There is also a section in DDA which addresses that if a business offers an online service, even the information is on a single page, then the business is responsible for making an effort to make this information accessible to disabled users. All new websites that are designed and developed should now follow the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) against which the accessibility of the website is measured. But when the website is found isn't complaint, then anybody can sue you legally, if they want to. By following these guidelines, you enhance the professional look of your website, provide access to visitors who previously had not no choice, thus increasing your business prospects and finally not to forget, your business is legal. Some basic Guidelines to increase the accessibility of the visitors Validate HTML and CSS: To check if the HTML and CSS used is valid, W3C validator can be used. It is necessary that websites are checked as the validator automatically tells you about any errors and accessibility issues in the web pages. Image and alternative text: For browsers which don't support images, alternative text can be used to explain what the image is about as the user will only see the text. Resize font text: Most of the internet browsers use Internet explorer to search for information. If the size of the text can be increased by choosing the font size to the largest then it means that your website is accessible to visitors. Use of Java script: Websites are not easily accessible when java script is disabled. Mostly people have the java script support switched off, if that's the case then make sure that you use the Java script sensibly and unnoticeably. Check for the following, 1. Website is accessible without the use of a mouse 2. Website has a Sitemap 3. Website has link text relevant to the content (blind users use tabbing while browsing websites from one link to the other)
Google Analytics Training
Launched on November 2005, Google Analytics was an instance hit to all webmaster around the planet. Giving millions of people the capability to learn more about the web surfers that wandered through their website, the revolutionary service provide by the behemoth, Google incorporated, changed the way webmasters gathered and interpreted information from their websites. By simply adding a HTML code onto every web page that you want to track, you can gain insight on the behavior of your visitors and more. So how do you use Google Analytics? Though most have a limited understanding of the service, many still remain in the dark on how to use key features and just how to interpret the data. Are you finding yourself in that position? Well if you are, you are in need of some Google Analytics training. With that said, allow me to teach you some very basic ways to interpret some of the information provided by the service. One common mistake multitudes of people make when interpreting the reports section is the differences between page views and page/visit. Some just don't know what page/visit is and fewer don't know exactly what page views are. Very simply, page views are the number of times your visitors have viewed the pages on your website. Please keep in mind that page views and visits are also different as well. One visitor can view many of your web pages before leaving. Your reports can tell you that you've had one visitor and six page views. That tells you that the visitor saw six of your web pages before leaving. The page/visit metric is an average of all your visitors and all your page views. It tells you how many pages each of your visitors on average viewed before leaving your website. The page views and page/visit are very simple, yet very powerful metrics that will help you keep track on your website's performance. Even though that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to getting the full Google Analytics training, the basic information I provided should have opened up your eyes to see the value that Google Analytics provides. Before you even think about using this service make sure that you get complete training so that you can get the most out of it.
Pointers to Designing a Successful Website
Creation of a website is not as simple as it used to be, thanks to Google and its innumerable algorithm changes. Surely, you want to create a website to carve an online presence. You could make the swankiest website, but if it does not receive eyeballs (aka traffic), it is worth little to you. There are a lot of things to keep in mind before you set out to plan your website design, layout, content and other details. With the power of Google looming large over the Internet world, you could well be doomed if your site does not feature high in Google rankings. While Google rankings may not be your current concern, with the nuances of the website to take care of, it is advantageous to keep it in mind while deciding your site layout, content and coding language. More on that in the next article. Lets deals with simple non-technical stuff first. While many people build websites to please the search engines, do not ignore your human visitors completely. Remember, they are your primary audience. You need to find the right balance, make your website meet the requirements of both. Your website should have a specific goal. It could be to create an online presence, provide information, make money, generate leads, or just about anything. Next, you need to chalk out a plan for the development of the website. Be aware of the target audience. The audience could be local, international, young, old, men or women, students, professionals. Once you know the segment of people you want to attract, you will find it easier to decide upon the layout, color scheme, tone of language etc. This is because you will then orient your website design to suit your target audience's tastes. Design a layout that enables the eye to naturally move from one information segment to another effortlessly taking them to the desired part of the website. This could be a signup form, a set of testimonials, a particular product or simply an advertisement. Choose a good brandable name. This helps in the long run. Create good original content that provides all the necessary information to the audience. Add appropriate images to add to the appeal and beauty of the page. It is advisable to use a good CMS (Content Management System) so that things are easier in the long run. Adding, modifying and deleting pages are a breeze with a good CMS. Keep your page light to improve loading time. Choose lighter images over heavier ones. After all, YOU will be paying for the bandwidth. A great idea is to check out how your competitors have designed their websites. If the research has already been done by someone else, make use of it. Do not reinvent the wheel. Focus on improving upon the wheel design. This has covered the basics. In the next article, we can talk about important onpage optimization aspects to keep in mind while designing your website. You will need to do this if you are hoping to receive traffic from the Search Engines. You can either take your time to learn the nuances of website design, onpage optimization and Internet Marketing yourself, or you can hire a website design company, depending on what your time is worth. Either ways, it is highly recommended that you begin preparing for the online competition from day one.
|
* About Archives
Categories:
Last Updated: |
| regularban.info
is proudly powered by WordPress MU running
on regularban.info.
Create a new blog and join in the fun! Entries (RSS) and Comments (RSS). |