Benefits Of Making Your Website Accessible To Disa

Benefits Of Making Your Website Accessible To Disabled Users – Part 2: The Business Case

by: Trenton Moss

The Disability Discrimination Act states that service providers must not discriminate against disabled people. A website is regarded as a service and therefore comes under this law.
Some organisations are changing to their websites, but many are seemingly not making the adjustments. Disabled people don’t access their website, they say, so why should they care?
There are, however, two very good reasons as to why businesses should start taking these issues seriously:

An accessible website will make you more money
An accessible website will save you money

There are seven reasons for this being applicable:
1. Your website will be easier to manage
An accessible website separates the content (the words and images that we see on the screen) and presentation (the way that these words and images are laid out) of each page. Each web page has an HTML (HyperText Markup Language) document, which contains the words and images for that page (the content), and calls up a CSS (Cascading StyleSheets) document that includes the presentation information – this CSS document is shared by all the pages on the website. To adjust the layout of your website, you only have to make changes in one file, saving considerable time (and therefore money).
2. Your website will be compatible with new browsing technologies
In the near future, the use of PDAs, mobile phones and incar browsers will all regularly be used to access the Internet. The people making use of these new technologies are generally highincome individuals. In order to reach this lucrative target, you will need a website that can work on these machines. To test your website, try accessing it on the Wapalizer, a free program available at http://www.gelon.net, which shows how your site will look on a mobile phone.
3. Your website will appear higher in the search engines
By making your website more accessible to web users, you are also making it more accessible to search engines. Search engines cannot usually understand images, JavaScript, Flash, audio and video content. By providing alternative content to each of these programs, search engines will have a better understanding of the purpose of your website. The more confident a search engine is of what your website is about, all other things being equal, the higher it will place your website in the search rankings.
4. You will not have to incur legal fees
The RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) and the DRC (Disability Rights Commission) have been exerting pressure on companies and the government to make their websites accessible. Indeed, the DRC is currently investigating 1,000 websites for accessibility (http://www.drcgb.org/annualreview/foreword/index.asp#internet). If your organisation’s website is on this list then you can expect to be hearing from them soon.
5. The download time of your website will be significantly improved
Just 25% of UK web users are connected to the Internet via broadband (www.liquidzope.com/abc/2/4currentusage/currentstatebbd/view). You can be sure that if your website takes much longer than ten seconds to download then many of your site visitors will be clicking away and you will lose their custom.
6. The usability of your website will be enhanced
There is a certain amount of overlap between web accessibility and web usability. It has been shown that a usability redesign increases the sales/conversion rate of a website by 100% (http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030107.html).
7. You will gain good publicity
Make your website accessible to everyone and you can tell the world about it.

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on June 29, 2004

by Trenton Moss

The Secret Benefit Of Accessibility Part 1: Increa

The Secret Benefit Of Accessibility Part 1: Increased Usability

by: Trenton Moss

Web accessibility has so many benefits that I really do wonder why such a large number of websites have such diabolically bad accessibility. One of the main benefits is increased usability, which according to usability guru, Jakob Nielson, can increase the sales/conversion rate of a website by 100% and traffic by 150%.

At which point you must surely be asking, ขSo if I make my website accessible its usability will increase and Iกll make more money out of it?ข. Well, not quite. An accessible website is not automatically more usable but there are many areas of overlap:

1. Descriptive link text

Visually impaired web users can scan web pages by tabbing from link to link and listening to the content of the link text. As such, the link text in an accessible website must always be descriptive of its destination.

Equally, regularly sighted web users don’t read web pages wordforword, but scan them looking for the information they’re after.

Link text such as กClick hereก has poor accessibility and usability as both regularly sighted and visually impaired web users scanning

the paragraph will take no meaning from this link text by itself. Link text that effectively describes its destination is far easier to scan and you can understand the destination of the link without having to read its surrounding words.

2. Prompt text assigned to form input

In order to make forms accessible we need to assign the prompt text to its form item. THis is especially useful when done with checkboxes and radioboxes, as the text becomes clickable too. Checkboxes and radioboxes are small and pernickety for even the steadiest of hands so by increasing the clickable region everyone benefits.

3. Large chunks of information divided up

There are a number of techniques that can be taken to increase the usability for visually impaired users, who have to listen to the information on each page and try to remember it. By structuring information into small, manageable groups, enhanced usability for these users can be achieved.

Methods to accomplish this can include using subheadings to break up body content, grouping form items with the fieldset command and using lists. Breaking down groups of information is obviously highly useful for sighted web users too, as it greatly enhances our ability to scan the screen quickly.

4. Site map provided

Site maps can be a useful accessibility tool for visually impaired users as they provide a straightforward list of links to the main pages on the site, without any of the fluff in between. Site maps are of course useful for everyone as they provide us with a way of finding pages quickly and help us visualise the structure of the website.

5. Simple and easy language

>From an accessibility point of view, this oneกs important for people with reading and/or cognitive disabilities and site visitors whoกs first language isn’t the one you’re writing in. From a usability point of view, well, it helps everyone. Reading from computer screens is tiring for the eyes and about 25% slower than reading from paper. As such, the easier the style of writing the easier it is for site visitors to absorb your words of wisdom. Wherever possible shorten your sentences. Use, ‘apply’ instead of ‘make an application’ or ‘use’ instead of ‘make use of’.

6. Consistent navigation

Having consistent navigation across pages is also important for maximising accessibility to people with reading and/or cognitive disabilities, but again everyone benefits. Each time you visit a new website it takes you a few seconds to adjust to the unique layout and user interface of that page. Well imagine if you had to do that every time you follow a link to a new page!

By having a consistent interface across a website we can instantly locate the navigation and page content without having to look around for it. In reality, most sites do have consistent navigation across most pages. The main culprit for falling foul of this guideline is the homepage, which some websites structure quite differently to the rest of the site. By having a consistent interface across the entire website we can instantly locate the page content without having to look around for it.

7. No unannounced popups

For web users utilising screen readers popups can be a real accessibility nuisance. Screen readers read out the content of whichever window is on top of the others. Popups display over the top of the main website so will always be read out first. For visually impaired users this can be frustrating as they may not realise that what they’re hearing isn’t the ‘real’ website.

So, popups are bad for accessibility. As for usability, well Iกm sure you hate popups as much as I do. Many toolbars, such as the Google toolbar, now come packaged with a popup blocker so allow you to surf the web without the irritation of new windows popping up.

8. CSS used for layout

CSSbased sites are generally have a greater ratio of content to HTML code so are more accessible to screen readers and search engines. Websites using CSS for layout can also be made accessible to incar browsers, WebTV and PDAs. Don’t underestimate the importance of this in 2008 alone thereกll be an estimated 58 million PDAs sold worldwide (source: http://www.etforecasts.com/pr/pr0603.htm).

As well as improved accessibility, CSSbased websites have one large usability benefit: increased download speed. Broadband isn’t as widespread as you may think. In the UK for example, just one in four web users are hooked up to broadband (source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intc0504.pdf) so improving the download speed of your web pages could provide a great usability advantage over your competitors.

9. Transcripts available for audio

One group of web users with special accessibility needs that doesn’t get much press is hearing impaired users, who need written equivalents for audio content. Providing transcripts is in fact highly beneficial to all users. Many of your site visitors probably can’t be bothered to wait for your 3Mb audio file to download and start playing. They may prefer just a quick outline of whatกs contained in the audio content.

By providing a transcript, broken up by subheadings and with the key terms highlighted, nondisabled site visitors can skim through it and get a general idea of the content. They can then make a more informed decision about if they want to wait for the 3Mb audio file to download.

10. Screen flickering and movement avoided

Some epileptic web users must be careful to avoid screen flicker of between 2 and 55 Hz. Web users with reading and/or cognitive disabilities and those using screen magnifiers will struggle to keep up with scrolling text (if you do have scrolling text be sure to provide a mechanism to stop it).

In addition to being a bad idea for accessibility, neither flickering nor scrolling text are good for usability either. The former can be distracting when you’re trying to read something and you see flashing out the corner of your eye; the latter isn’t good either as you have to wait for the content to slowly appear. When you see scrolling text do you usually bother to stop what you’re doing so you can read it as it gradually materialises? Or do you ignore it?

The other disadvantage of scrolling or changing text is that you might see something you want to click on, but before you know it itกs gone. And now you have to wait 30 seconds for it to reappear again!

Conclusion

With all this overlap between web usability and web accessibility thereกs no excuses for not implementing basic accessibility on to your website. Outside of the ethical argument there are many reasons to make your website accessible, one of the main one being that its usability will be improved. No one can argue with that.

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy ( Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk ) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on December 08, 2004

by Trenton Moss

Search Engine Optimization and Web Site Usability

Search Engine Optimization and Web Site Usability

by: Kristy Meghreblian

Build a Web site and the people will come.

Ha! If it were only that easy! The Web is the one sales environment where the customer has total empowerment. They have all the resources (i.e., your competitors) just a mouseclick away.

Not only are you in competition with the millions of other Web sites owners who sell the same product/service as you, but you are also competing for usersก time and attention. While search engine optimization and submission can bring you the traffic you need, only you can ensure that visitors will stay on your site by giving them a reason to want to stay. That is where Web site usability comes in.

What is Web site usability?

The International Standards Organization (ISO) defines Web site usability as the กeffectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction with which a specified set of users can achieve a specified set of tasks in a particular environment.ก In simpler terms, usability is how efficiently and effectively users can accomplish what they are trying to do when they visit your Web site.

Now that you have an understanding of usability, weกll explain the basics of what a Web site should include to make the most of the user experience:

Content is king

Letกs face it, people visit Web sites for content they want information. Sure, it helps if your site is visibly appealing as well. But, without the right content, the results of the user experience can be fatal to your business. They simply won’t come back.

Here are a few tips to remember in regards to content:

1. Be concise. Research shows that reading from a computer screen is about 25% slower than reading from paper or other print medium. To that end, you will want to edit your writing to say the exact same thing in half the words it would take if you were writing on paper. Also, think back to the last time you came to one of those really longwinded Web sites where the content may have been great, but you still had to scroll and scroll and scroll to get to the end. It can be a nuisance. So, keep your pages short.

2. Make your content scannable. When people use the Internet, they are looking at mass amounts of information. Help them get to the core of what they want by using bulleted items, short paragraphs, and subheadings to make it easier for them to find what they are looking for.

3. Write without error. There is no excuse absolutely none for poor grammar, typographical errors, and misspellings. If you own a computer, you have access to spellchecking and grammarchecking technologies. Use them. These small details will reflect upon your site. If you don’t convey professionalism on your own business, how will you be conveyed to potential clients? Can they trust you with theirs? Before uploading any new content, proofread it. Then, turn it over to someone else for their input.

4. Write as if you were a Public Relations pro. Granted, many of us aren’t PR execกs, but you should know how to market your business. Use the lingo that is most appropriate for your business. While you want to provide information, your main goal is still one thing: to sell. So, write to sell.

5. Maximize your keywords. As part of the search engine optimization process, you went to great lengths to select keywords and phrases that are most appropriate for your business. Be sure to use them whenever possible (without being overtly redundant) in your content.

6. Refresh, refresh, refresh. Web sites should be updated on a regular basis don’t let them go stale. Add new products/services, update users with new information and tools, do what you can to change your content and keep users coming back for more.

7. Know your audience. Since most audiences vary in terms of experience level with both your product/service and their experience level with the internet, you will want to simplify things more than ever. You don’t want to talk to yourself make sure potential clients understand your product/service. The best way to do this is to create content that is informative, yet easy to understand for even the newest of the newbies.

Web site design

Secondary to content is the actual design of your Web site. While the user comes to your site specifically for information, they also will want to enter an area that is easy to use and visually appealing. Here are some usability tips regarding Web site design:

1. Avoid long load times. While the latest technology for Web sites is incredibly interesting and fun, lots of graphics, Flash images, and audio can create long load times that make the user wait. And, if customers have to wait too long, they may leave and never come back. As a guide, users will generally wait for a site to load for ten seconds before vacating.

2. Make your pages easy to read. A common error in Web usability is the incessant need to create the prettiest Web site that ever existed. Weกve all seen them every color from the Crayola box of 64 has made its mark on these pages. And, with a little bit of color usually comes a lot of cute little images that dance across your screen. In all seriousness, resist the urge to do this. Not only will it hoard a lot of memory, but it will drive your users crazy. Black text on a white background is the easiest to read. If you really want a colored background, stick with a lighter shade, but remember to use black text.

3. Create a wellorganized site. Maintaining a consistent look and feel throughout your site is critical. The navigation you use on the home page should be carried out throughout your Web site. Clear navigation can either make or break your site. You are basically providing your users with a road map to your products and services. Don’t let them get lost along the way.

4. Consider your space. Content should amount to 5080% of your page design, with navigation taking up approximately 20% of the space.

5. Stay consistent with design elements. Select one or two (maximum) fonts and stick with them throughout your site.

6. Have a secure and automated server. Amazingly only 20% of current Web sites are secure.

7. What can you do different? This is probably the most important thing to remember when designing your site. Think about your business and your competition. What are you doing differently that will make users visit your site? Once you find out what that is whether you offer the lowest prices, have a special widget that no one else sells, or have reputable customer service capitalize on that one thing by incorporating it in your design elements.

Conclusion

There are good sites on the Internet and there are an equal number of bad sites (if not more!) out there. The good sites provide for a smooth user experience easy navigation and easytofind information. The bad sites are slow to load, difficult to navigate and leave the users frustrated before they can even get to the information they initially needed. If youกve already invested the time and effort into developing a Web site, you should take a serious look at the usability of your site. Hereกs an easy homework assignment: Some day, when youกve got a few hours to spare, surf the Internet and make note of sites you think are good and which ones drove you absolutely crazy. Investigate the qualities of those sites and what made them good or bad. Pretty soon, youกll start to see some patterns that you can learn from and implement into your own usability strategy. Remember, usability is all about creating a unique and enlightening user experience. Usability is the name of the game isn’t it time you started playing?

About The Author

As Submit Today’s copywriter and editor, Kristy Meghreblian has written online content for many successful companies, including Monster.com. She has successfully combined her excellence in journalism with the delicate art of keyword density as it relates to search engine optimization. As a result, she has helped many Submit Today clients achieve top ranking. Submit Today is a leading search engine optimization, submission and ranking company located in Naples, Florida.

[email protected]

This article was posted on January 30, 2004

by Kristy Meghreblian

The Smartass Series #1 Guide to Building the Pe

The Smartass Series #1 Guide to Building the Perfect Website: a Narrative Howto on Five Top Web Advisors You Should Use instead of this Knowitall who Knows Little

by: Roxanne McDonald

~A man [woman] is a success if he [she] gets up in the morning and gets to bed at night, and in between he [she] does what he [she] wants to do. Bob Dylan~

I’m smart. Wicked smart. Too smart for my own good. At the same time (as they said when I was as kid and as it still applies), I’m too big for my own britches.

So I put those prissy pantalones to some good effort and I teach others how to write. I win a few awards, send a few hopefuls off to higher learning institutions where they in turn win their own awards and accolades. I do this till my seat gets burned one too many times by the politics of academia, and I go into freelance writing.

I research for 1000s of hours, submit to literary contests and magazines, start working writing gigs, and keep researching. I build a web site. With what it costs to maintain an ISP and web hosting account and little else, I create this ambitious masterpiece, believing I am now a selftaught web host, writer, teacher, and confidant for academic writers, mental disability writers, and elder memoir writers.

But as your confidant, I have to confess: as much as I’d like to think those 300 hours of study and application for usability, keywordrich, totheletterofthelaw of interstate/intercountry/internet navigation design and creation make me a selftaught smartass, I did little but the legwork by myself. Actually, five virtuosos of the web world made making a website possible:

Jakob Nielsen After creating a really bad mess of a site overloaded with spinning, flashing, color blobs of coolness, I discovered www.useit.com/alertbox and Dr. Jakob Nielsen. His stellar advice, delivered in a nononsense tone, is backed by his many years of theoretical and practical work. After reading and studying articles such as the following, I completely reconstructed my site:

Current Issues in Web Usability

Misconceptions about Usability

Ten Most Violated Homepage design Guidelines

Top Ten Web Design Mistakes of 2003

Usability for Senior Citizens

Writing for the Web

Ed Zivkovic As I was catching on to using the experts to build a userfriendly, usable site, I was catching on to the language that indicates the writer knows what he’s talking about. This is the redeeming value of Ed Zivkovic’s site, Tips for Work at Home Webmasters, at www.ezau.com. He uses candor and directness. He provides technical content in understandable terms. And defying the popular and trendy, he tells you directly and honestly what is crap, what is not crap, what is effective website technique and what is a waste of dough. Try some of these instrumental articles for starters:

Domain Name and Web Hosting Hell

Exit Traffic ExchangeTraffic multiplier Alternative

R.I.G.H.T.S., www.rightsforartists.com As any artist/writer will attest, the work that goes into creation is an interminable challenge. But we do it because we like it, because we are good at it, and because we have to do it. We are compelled to create. But we do our own work, not the work (or art) of others. This site contains all of the legal and ethical guidelines for copyright; R.I.G.H.T.S., a coalition of contributing artists (rather than a corporation or organization, that is) thoroughly, relentlessly provides information, definitions, answers, and directions for copyrighting and protecting creative work.

Firelily Designs Just as much about the science of such vital concerns as color design for web users with color vision deficiency as about aesthetics of webdesign, this site practices what it preaches—as it preaches, well, teaches, graphic design. I don’t create my own web graphics. That would take me a year or two to master, when I have enough to do with getting words crafted into readable forms. But I found the advice on color at www.firelily.com fascinating and functionally useful.

Angela Hoy, Writers Weekly There are writers newsletters aplenty. And then there’s Writers Weekly. What does the site and the owner have to do with web design, specifically? They are proactive protectors of writers and creative people, in general. Hoy stands up for the rights of freelancers by refusing the requests of tightwads who solicit her to recommend writers to work for 3 bucks an hour on copy for them so they can make millions while the writers starve. Hoy encourages the ethics of hard work by way of informative howtos. And Angela Hoy, with husband and coowner, Richard Hoy, pours an acid tongue on the plague that is the scamming POD publisher or the conniving moneycharging agent—in a section of her [their] site called ขWhispers and Warnings.ข For the newbie, novice, wannabe freelancer, or even for the work at home woman or man creating a website she he wants safe from scummy scammers, www.writersweekly.com is an advisory imperative.

Robert Woodhead of SelfPromotion.com Finding www.selfpromotion.com shaved centuries off of not only my design and development but my publishing and promoting the site. With uncluttered pages and cuttingedge (constantly updated) information, Woodhead (who even makes selfeffacing jokes about his name) walks a web wannabe through every stage of the process, and then provides [shareware] support by helping you submit your site to hundreds of search engines and indexes that you need to have crawl your site for rankings—the latest (2004) musthave for any online business.

Of course, if you were to look at my Favorite Files, at the 900+ categories, subcategories, and links, you would find that many others pulled my smart ass up by the seat of the pants. I name a few of these helpful gurus here, too:

Andrew Starling’s Top Ten Sites Compared, in the Web Developer’s Virtual Library at www.wdvl.internet.com

Jill Whalen’s www.highrankings.com

Jim Heath at www.viacorp.com

Keith Instone’s www.usableweb.com, 970 Links about Web Usability

Kevin Lee’s Free Keyword Research Tools and Keywords Revisited at Click Z Network, www.clickz.com

The PSP Interactive Zone, www.pspiz.net

www.smallbusiness.sbc.yahoo.com

Assistant Professor Stan Ketterer’s Design Fundamentals Newswriting/ Newsletter coursework at www.cas.okstate.edu

Stephanie Hetu at www.stephaniehetu.com

Sumantra Roy’s SEO course, Choosing the Correct Keywords for a Site, at www.thejunglemarketer.com

Karen Zoldan of www.bridgemarketing.com

As you might have figured out, I write this not to share any of my own personal technological truths—which are wanting. I write this not to embellish the careers of any affiliates. I don’t have an affiliation with nor do I know the people in the Top Five—who do not need my small time embellishment or exposure. I write this not to show off how hard I worked to create an entity I had no previous knowledge of creating—though how I do like to brag.

I compose this guide to humble myself to the fact that I was flying by the seat of my pants in most cases—except where I was lucky enough to intuit some strategies.

I compose this guide to honor those who put in way more than 300 piddly hours of research, study, and practice to find out what works to make it work even better.

And I compose this guide to help you avoid even 300 (not so piddling when you are doing it yourself) hours of stitching and tearing out the stitches of the britches of a tailoring project. Smarty pants just had to do it the hard way. May your way be easier.

About The Author

N.H.born prizewinning poet, creative nonfiction writer, memoirist, and awardwinning Assoc. Prof. of English, Roxanne is also web content and freelance writer/founder of www.roxannewrites.com, a support site for academic, memoir, mental disability, and creative writers who need a nudge, a nod, or just ideas…of which Roxanne has 1,000s, so do stop in for a visit, as this sentence can’t possibly get any longer…….

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 24, 2004

by Roxanne McDonald

Web usability: The basics

Web usability: The basics

by: Trenton Moss

What is web usability & why is it important?
Web usability is about making your website in such a way that your site users can find what they’re looking for quickly and efficiently. A usable website can reap huge benefits on to your website and your business.

Every £1 invested in improving your websiteกs usability returns £10 to £100 (source: IBM)
A web usability redesign can increase the sales/conversion rate by 100% (source: Jakob Nielson)

Your website has to be easy to navigate
Users have gradually become accustomed to particular layouts and phrases on the Internet, for example:

Organisation logo is in the topleft corner and links back to the homepage
The term ‘About us’ is used for organisation information
Navigation is in the same place on each page and adjacent to the content
Anything flashing or placed above the top logo is often an advertisement
The term ‘Shopping cart’ is used for items you might wish to purchase

There are numerous other conventions like these that enhance your websiteกs usability can you think of some more?
Don’t underestimate the importance of these conventions as the Internet matures we’re getting more and more used to things being a certain way. Break these conventions and you may be left with nothing but a website with poor usability and a handful of dissatisfied site visitors.
Pages must download quickly
Usability studies have shown that 8.6 seconds is the maximum time web users will wait for a page to download (source: Andrew B. King Speed Up Your Site). As of March 2004 just 25% of UK web users had broadband (source: UK National Statistics) so itกs essential for optimal usability that your website downloads quickly.
To speed up the download time of your website we recommend you do three things:

Use CSS and not tables to lay out your web page
Use CSS and not images to create fancy navigation items
Read this article about how to speed up the download time of your web pages at http://www.webcredible.co.uk/speed

Information should be easy to retrieve
We read web pages in a different manner to the way we read printed matter. We generally don’t read pages wordforword instead we scan. When we scan web pages certain items stand out:

Headings
Link text
Bold text
Bulleted lists

Did you notice that images were left out of that list? Contrary to the way in which we read printed matter, we see text before we see images on the Internet. For optimal website usability don’t place important information in images as it might go unnoticed.
Restrictions must not be placed on users
Don’t prevent your users from navigating through the Internet in the way that they want to. For example:
1. Every time a link is opened in a new window the back button is disabled. Approximately 60% of Web users employ the back button as their primary means of navigation (source: Usability Interface). If you do this then you’re preventing 60% of your users from using their primary navigation now that can’t be good for usability.
2. Don’t use frames to lay out your website. Frames can cause a number of usability problems, namely:

Disabling the back button (see above)
Bookmarking not possible
Impossible to email the link to someone else
Problems with printing
Users feel trapped if external links open in the same window
Search engine optimisation issues

There are lots of other ways that websites can place restrictions on its users, ultimately damaging their usability can you think of any more? Just think back to the last time a website really infuriated you what annoying thing did it do to make you feel that way?

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on July 27, 2004

by Trenton Moss

New Yearกs Resolutions: Is Improving Your Website

New Yearกs Resolutions: Is Improving Your Website One of Them?

by: Nardo Kuitert and Aimee Cremasco

With the New Year upon us yet again, itกs time to prepare for the successes of 2005. Did you watch with envy last year as your competitors dominated your industry? Do you think your site is doing just fine because no one has ever called to complain? Well hereกs some food for thought: 96% of all prospects will click over to your competitor if they encounter a problem on your website.

While you’re resolving to get fit, quit smoking and pay off some debts, we’re offering up some New Yearกs resolutions for your business. Learn how to ethically kick your online competitors to the curb!

Resolve to…

…Make Content & Relevancy a Top Priority

It is, after all, the information highway. People search the Web for informationso give the people what they want. If you want to generate qualified leads and produce more sales, then continually updating your website with new and useful content must be at the top of your priority list.

Search engines seek out relevant, uptodate information when they rank sites for specific keywords and phrases. If you don’t have timely informative content, you won’t get a good ranking; and without a good ranking, prospects can’t find you. But thatกs just the beginning of your online demise. Even if you manage to achieve a good ranking on the search engine results pages (SERPs), your content must intrigue visitors to return to your site regularly.

Studies reveal that online consumers take several passes at a website before making a purchase.

Website maintenance is timeconsuming and itกs easy to put unpaid manhours on the back burner. But why would potential customers revisit your site if the last archived newsletter were dated two years ago? Or if your กComing Eventsก page lists tradeshows held six months ago? They won’ttheyกll likely skip over to the competition in search of uptodate information.

… Increase Your Siteกs Visibility & Improve its Performance

Once your website is updated (for the time being) with informative content, the next step is to implement some SEO solutions to gain higher search rankings. The purpose of these SEO techniques is twofold:

Create Awareness: Carefully selected keywords and phrases, worked seamlessly throughout your copy and in meta tags, will help your site gain higher placements in SERPs.

Increase Sales: Once prospects are on your site, savvy marketing writers will have used the power of persuasion in the copy to turn firsttime visitors into loyal customers.

…Increase Your Return On Investment (ROI)

We cannot stress this enough … in order for your website to be extremely effective, achieving an astounding ROI, you must have a detailed plan:

* Analyze your SWOT

Perform an indepth analysis to compare the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) of your competitorกs online presence to your own. A qualified SEO firm can enhance your siteกs usability and navigation, implement ethical optimization techniques, and provide eyecatching design.

* Evaluate your website development goals

Itกs never too late to write or reevaluate your websiteกs mission statementnot necessarily for publication, but rather to create your own benchmarks. This will help you set goals and concentrate your efforts on critical issues to achieve and exceed those goals.

* Know your audience

An old adage says: กyou can’t be everything to everyone.ก Fortunately, your website can be various things to various audiences. Success comes from having a clear understanding of your target market(s). By creating diverse navigation paths and readerspecific contentfor buyers, vendors, job seekers or investorsyour conversion rates will increase dramatically.

* Enhance website usability

Effective website navigation must flow effortlessly. If visitors cannot quickly and easily pinpoint the information they seek, they’re very likely to leave your site and click to the competition.

An IBM study reveals that every dollar invested to increase usability earns $10$100 in benefits, winning customer satisfaction and loyalty.

* Measure success and failure

Read your log files and tracking tools! Website traffic analysis is essential to accurately measure your siteกs performance. Indepth analysis will show you how to increase traffic, trace your search engine referrals, monitor link campaigns, and make necessary changes to achieve your desired results.

…Apply the Power of SEO

Your website has the power to be a highly effective marketing toolbut just because you built it doesn’t mean theyกll come. If you optimize it, however, they’re much more likely to come … and stay a while.

Anyone can learn search engine optimization and website usability. But if lack of time and interest is holding you back, enlist the help of website optimizers and SEO copywriters to complement your design team and ultimately increase revenue.

A word to the wise: ensure that the SEO firm you choose works strictly within the confines of best practicessafe and ethical search engine optimization strategies. Unethical SEO tactics may seriously harm your rankings, and even get your site banned from search engines altogether.

On behalf of Word Associates and UC WEBS, we wish you a happy, healthy & profitable 2005!

About The Author

Nardo Kuitert is a Website Optimizer with UC WEBS (http://www.ucwebs.com/). A website is like a magnet; does your website pull visitors in, or push them away? A heuristic usability evaluation will provide you with a first step towards greater visitor conversions.

Aimee Cremasco, Founder and Sr. Copywriter of Word Associates (http://www.wordassociates.ca/), produces compelling content to help websites achieve top search engine rankings & ultimately increase conversion rates. Wouldn’t your site benefit from a content evaluation?

[email protected]

This article was posted on December 22, 2004

by Nardo Kuitert and Aimee Cremasco

Planning a usable website: A threestep guide

Planning a usable website: A threestep guide

by: Trenton Moss

A website is like an information flow, with you as the provider and your site visitors as the receivers of the information. If you don’t plan your website with this in mind right from the start, you could find yourself with a brand new website that solves all your immediate needs… but not those of your site visitors.

Clicking away from your website has never been easier for Internet users. There are about 35 million websites competing with yours on the Internet (source: http://www.zooknic.com/Domains/counts.html). Search engine results are becoming better and better and Internet connection speeds faster and faster finding one of your competitorsก websites is now very quick and very easy.

1. Work out your site visitorsก immediate needs

Your website has to provide information that fulfils the immediate needs of your site visitors. This is the fundamental principle behind usable website design, so letกs repeat it one more time: Your website has to provide information that fulfils the immediate needs of your site visitors.

OK, now weกve got that straight, we come up against a problem: Your goals for the website are probably different to the immediate needs of your site visitors. Oh dear.

Letกs illustrate this problem, and its solution, with the example of a web design companyกs website. Their immediate goal is to get visitors to contact them and ultimately commission them to do some web development work. Their site visitors are probably interested in getting web development work done (if not, why are they on this website?), but itกs unlikely that this is their immediate need when they arrive at the website.

The immediate needs of the site visitorsก are probably to answer questions like:

Can I trust them?

Are they any good at what they do?

Will they get the job done?

Before the website begins to sell to its site visitors, it has to answer their questions and put their fears to rest. This is fundamentally important, so one more time: Before the website begins to sell to its site visitors, it has to answer their questions and put their fears to rest.

In the case of this web design company, they could provide a portfolio, client testimonials etc. Can you think of any other information they should offer?

2. Create an information flow

Now weกve worked out what our site visitorsก immediate needs are, we need to create an information flow, a path (or paths) that your site visitors will traverse whilst on your website. The path(s) will initially address their concerns and needs and will gradually take them towards completing your goal for them. To create this plan weกll need to:

Identify the different groups of people whoกll use your website

Work out what you want each of these groups to achieve on your website

Identify the information youกll need to provide for them to achieve this (and in what order)

Work out what might put them off achieving this

Identify the information youกll need to provide to prevent them being put off

>From this, youกll be able to create a list of website pages and a rough idea of how they might flow together. Youกll then be able to work out exactly what pages to include on the website and how to group these pages together.

Bear in mind though, some users will need more information than others, so youกll always need to provide them with a choice of continuing on the information flow or jumping off so that they can achieve the goal youกve set for them.

Going back to the website of the web design company, an information flow that their site visitors might go on could look something like this:

Homepage

Portfolio

Client testimonials

Company background

Staff bios

Terms & conditions

Good web design tips

Contact us

The web design companyกs ultimate goal is for site visitors to contact them and request their services. Wherever users are in this flow, they must be able to easily and immediately jump straight to the contact page at any point.

Youกve probably already seen this in action on websites. You arrive at the homepage and there are two or three prominent links (often in the form of boxes) telling you some basic information and requesting that you click on them to take you into some other part of the website. You go to that page on the website, read the information and then choose where to go next. And this keeps going on, until you either quit or complete the desired goal of the website.

So, the web design companyกs homepage might look something like what you see at http://www.webcredible.co.uk/images/planusable.gif.

The three boxes in the middle answer some immediate questions that users may have and proactively address their concerns. The contact us button on the topleft can remain in that position on every page, so users always have the opportunity to jump to the contact page.

3. Usability testing

Once the website plan has been created, itกs time to test it. This is the most important usability test that needs to be done and the one that will save you the most time and money in the long run. Every £1 invested in making your website easytouse returns £10 to £100 (source:http://www3.ibm.com/ibm/easy/eou_ext.nsf/Publish/23/).

If you don’t do any usability testing you may discover that the structure of the website doesn’t make sense once the websiteกs up and running. This can and has happened and it leaves you with two choices: redesign the website or make a new website neither are attractive options.

The most common objections to doing usability testing are:

Itกs too expensive!

Itกll take too much time!

I don’t know how to do it!

Wrong, wrong, and wrong! Usability testing, especially at this early stage, is incredibly cheap, quick, informal and easy to do. You just need to show five people the plan/site map of the website and ask them:

Whatกs the point of this website?

If you were on this homepage, where you would click? And where after that?

Is it what you need?

Thatกs it! As long as these five people roughly fit into your user profile everything should be fine. Itกs been shown that using five people for a usability test will uncover 85% of the usability issues of the website (source:http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20000319.html).

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on August 11, 2004

by Trenton Moss

Beyond Web usability: Web credibility

Beyond Web usability: Web credibility

by: Trenton Moss

Web usability: Itกs old news
If youกve been developing websites on Mars for the past few years then youกll be forgiven for not knowing about web usability. Youกll still be creating splash intro pages, having pages with massive download times and using more images than you can shake a stick at. Well, back in Earth these days have long gone and today web usability rules the web development world. For those of you who have been on Mars please read some of the things that Jakob Nielson has to say at http://www.useit.com/alertbox and try to catch up.
As for the rest of us Earthbased developers, well weกve learnt a whole bunch about usability and we’re all using it as best we can in our websites. Right, guys? After all, web usability does have huge benefits (see http://www.webcredible.co.uk/benefits/webusability.shtml).
Now that usable websites have become so commonplace, especially among the major web players, itกs time to start looking to the future. Suddenly, a usable website isn’t going to be enough to separate us from our competitors (apart from those using the developers whoกve been based on Mars). There is a solution. Itกs two words long. Enter our new best friend…
Web credibility.
What is web credibility & why is it important?
According to BJ Fogg, the worldกs leading researcher on web credibility, web credibility is about making your website in such a way that it comes across as trustworthy and knowledgeable. Don’t just take my word for it read his book if you like (http://www.persuasivetech.info).
Fogg will tell you, as can I, and numerous other organisations, that a credible website can reap huge benefits on to your website and your business. So, hereกs a few statistics to prove this point:

Just 52.8% of web users believe online information to be credible (source: UCLA)
Four in five users say that being able to trust the information on a site is very important to them in deciding to visit a website (source: Princeton Survey Research Associates)

So, web credibilityกs pretty important then. But how do you implement it on to your website? Fear not, all the answers lie within the realms of this article. Now, before I go further, I must stress that most of this stuff falls under the category of กitกs obvious once you know itก. You know, like if someone sets you a puzzle and you can’t do it but when they tell you the answer itกs really obvious. Web credibility is all common sense you just don’t tend to think about this stuff. So without further ado, here are five guidelines for making a credible website.
1. You must prove thereกs a real organisation behind your website
Anyone can put up a website promising to deliver the กbest service at the lowest pricesก. Web users must be able to believe thereกs a real organisation behind your website. A few things you can do are:

Make it very easy to contact you
Link to external websites that reference your organisation
Provide staff bios
Show photos of the office, staff, products etc.

This basically says that you should have a really good contact us and about us section. Don’t bury your contact us link in some obscure place in the website or on the page. Make out like you really want your site visitors to get in contact with you. In fact, I won’t talk anymore about your contact us page because Miles Burkeกs has already written an excellent article about it, The Lost Art of Conversation Encouraging Contact Online (http://www.sitepoint.com/article/encouragingcontactonline).
As for the about us section, don’t underestimate its importance. Don’t be afraid to show who you are (stand tall and be proud!), what you stand for, what your goals are, and a bit about your history (of the organisation, not you). People will read this stuff it certainly won’t be the first thing theyกll read on your website but it could be the last thing they read before deciding whether or not to do business with you.
Can you think of other ways you can prove your organisationกs real? Have a look at a website you visit quite often what is it about this website that you trust?
2. Your website needs to provide กsensitiveก information
A website is akin to a oneway conversation between you and your site visitors where you have 100% control over the dialogue. If site users perceive you to be lacking in credibility then youกll be unable to defend yourself. As such, you must ensure that you answer any questions your site visitors may have, for example:

What is the purpose of your organisation?
How much does your product cost?
What happens if Iกm not happy with your service
What will you do with my email address once I give it to you?

There are about 35 million websites on the Internet by 2014 thereกll be an estimated 150 million, not including personal websites. With so many people online and so many websites competing with yours, if you can’t persuade Internet users to be loyal to your website then someone else will.
3. All statements should be backed up by thirdparty evidence
กWe helped our clients achieve an average of 70% growth last year.ก Really? Well prove it! Every single point you make on your website must, without fail, be backed up with hard evidence preferably from a thirdparty website. How else can a reader know for sure that you’re telling the truth?
Client testimonials, for example, are great they’re even better if the testimonial links to the clientกs website. You can improve them even more if the name of the person making the testimonial is linked to their bio on their website. You could notch up even more credibility points if the testimonial itself is on the clientกs website and you link to it!
If youกve won any awards or belong to any industry bodies, then proudly display these emblems too. Even better, have them link to the external website. Better still, would be a direct link to the section of the website showing your membership details or a list of the award winners.
4. There has to be proof that the organisation is growing and has clients
An organisation that can prove it has clients and is experiencing growth instantly achieves credibility. By showing youกve offered your services plenty of times before, and expect to do so in the future, your organisation comes across as being firmly established within your industry. You can prove this by providing:

A client list
Testimonials
Case studies of your work
A latest news section
A jobs page
Free newsletter

5. Your website needs to have an air of professionalism and confidence
Your website is your organisationกs online representation itกs essential that it matches up in quality to the rest of your marketing materials. Even if you don’t think your websiteกs important to the success of your organization, (potential) clients will make judgments about your organisation based on your website.
So, what is the number one most important aspect of Web credibility? The about us section? No. Quality of outbound links? Nosiree. Studies have consistently proven that the most important criteria of web credibility is… the way the website looks. Thatกs it.
Itกs been suggested that this is due to the short amount of time we spend on websites so we tend to rely on initial judgements. Make sure that you create a great first impression by having a crisp, professional layout with sharp graphics. Other good things to do are:

Provide some free information to prove your expertise
Ensure there are no dead links
Send out an automated confirmation email when someone contacts you

There are many more! Just visit any website you perceive to be professional and confident and see what they do.

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on July 27, 2004

by Trenton Moss

Making Money Filling Online Surveys In Your Under

Making Money Filling Online Surveys In Your Underwear

by: Keith Watson

Online surveys are big business and you are being encouraged to take part, as companies are keen to get your opinions on new products or services…

And why not get involved? On the surface this appears to be an attractive and easy way to earn extra money, wherever, whenever. This is not from personal use though, so as always กbuyer bewareก.

But here is something that makes me smile.

What follows is a typical sentence from a website promoting the lifestyle that is possible by carrying out online surveys as a way of earning a living.

กImagine waking up, logging on, filling out a few surveys, and getting a paycheck at the end of the month! You can do it in your underwear!ก

I see this approach all the time!

Why is the idea of working in your night attire or under garments so appealing? Perhaps it is I feel a survey coming on!

Anyway I digress.

Online Market research is a £500 million pound a year industry, and this money is being paid out every day to people like you! These companies need your opinion about new products and advertisements, and this information is so valuable to them that you can earn a lot of extra money by taking part!

In my thirst for knowledge, I decided to dig a bit deeper and find out why these companies spend so much money, and how they use the data.

Whoops! Mistake.

Now, Iกm a simple man, and I had waded in too deep. Read the next paragraph. I mean it.

กWhen the site, documentation or software has been modified to incorporate the prescriptive input from the usability testing, online survey work can once again measure how well the designers have captured the essence of the usability counsel. It is at this phase that some confusion has occurred when surveybased assessments have been referred to as usability testing. In out opinion, this should be more correctly referred to as perceptual affirmation, because although some online surveys include taskbased stimuli, the feedback is generally not the probative and iterative measurement found in the classical usability assessment procedure…ก

Try it again and then Iกll test you.

Who spotted the spelling mistake? Well, you couldn’t expect an academic to worry about the spelling of a three letter word (in out opinion).

I digress again.

If anyone wants the reference source, just email me, because there are pages more like this.

Now, Iกm sure that the academic quoted here has a point, and has probably contributed more than I will ever fathom, to the way we live and shop today. And frankly, good luck to him/her, as we all have to earn a living.

However, I have surfaced again just to say look they are prepared to pay for your opinion, so if you are seeking a stayathome, but mustmakemoney solution to your needs, this may provide an answer.

Right Iกm off to get dressed.

Oh, and apologies to any academic that should read this.

About The Author

Keith Watson has been developing websites and advising about marketing and sales on the Internet since 1992. For further information about making money on the Internet, visit www.creativeeye.co.uk/recommendations/cbmall.asp

This article was posted on August 03

by Keith Watson

How Improving Your Siteกs กUsabilityก Can Increase

How Improving Your Siteกs กUsabilityก Can Increase Your Buyers by 40% and Boost Each Order By 10%!

by: Ash Kawa

With all of the factors involved in designing and building a web site, one of the most influential questions is often overlooked:

Is your site easy to use?

Usability isn’t the same as design. Just because youกve hired a talented designer to craft your site and make it look great doesn’t mean itกs easy to use. Looking good is a completely different matter from working well! After all, plenty of beautiful sites have won design awards while losing customers by the thousands.

How many times have you gotten lost on a goodlooking site or abandoned a purchase in frustration after you couldn’t find the information you were looking for? If you walk into a brickandmortar store and can’t find your favorite brand of gherkin pickles, you can simply ask an employee where they are. But on the Web, itกs much easier for a customer to go to a competitorกs site than to go through the trouble of sending an email inquiry.

Whatever your business is about, your web site will have specific goals, such as convincing people to…

1.Subscribe to your newsletter

2.Fill out a survey

3.Purchase your product

4.Inquire about a service you offer

Usability is simply a gauge of how easy it is for your visitors to do these things.

For an ecommerce site, usability is especially crucial. If people can’t follow your navigation scheme, they won’t be able to find your products. And if they can’t find them, how can they buy them?

Obviously, a key measure of the success of your site is its efficiency in converting visitors to buyers. Yet did you know that, according to market research from the Gartner Group http://www.gartner.com/, more than 50% of Web sales are lost because visitors can’t find the content they’re looking for? And another study by usability consultants Creative Good http://www.creativegood.com/ estimated that improving the customer experience increases the number of buyers by 40% and increases the overall order size by 10%!

With results like these, why doesn’t everyone test their sites for usability? Some people mistakenly assume that usability testing is too expensive, too timeconsuming, or too complicated to bother with, especially for smaller companies.

Fortunately, usability doesn’t need to be any of these things. While there are highpriced consultants who can do it for you, a doityourself test can be very effective.

Setting Up a Basic Usability Test

While usability testing is most efficiently done as part of the process of creating a web site, it can be done at any time to improve your siteกs effectiveness. If you are planning a design update or adding new elements to a site, itกs crucial you begin the testing before you invest time and money in making changes.

To do a basic usability test, you just need to find a กsample groupก of potential customers and ask them to perform simple tasks at your web site like purchasing a product, subscribing to a newsletter, or locating specific information like your guarantee while you watch them.

1. When to test:

You can test usability any time. In fact, even if you don’t have a site yet, you can still test your initial design using rough sketches on paper that show the layout of key information and navigation links. If you’re testing potential changes to an existing site, you can work from quick HTML mockups, or use your designerกs printouts.

Obviously, the more detailed the testing prototype, the better the results, but youกll be surprised by how much information you can gather with even the roughest layouts.

If your site is up and running already, you can test your current design to flag any potential problems and increase its efficiency. Usability testing should be an ongoing process to finetune your site and make sure you aren’t losing customers and profits unnecessarily.

2. Set your goals:

Start by setting your testing priorities. Which of the actions your visitors perform are most important to your business? Focus on a few key things you want all visitors to be able to do, such as…

A. Subscribe to your newsletter

B. Become a member

C. Add a product to their shopping cart

D. Find answers to common questions

These basic tasks are the กscriptก for the test. The more complicated the site, the more detailed the script. An ecommerce site selling plumbing supplies might use a script that looks something like this:

1. Click the link for the page on which you think bathroom faucets are located.

2. Find the American Standard กCeratopก faucet.

3. Are there any less expensive faucets?

4. Add it to a list of items to buy.

5. How much will it cost to ship the faucet to where you live?

6. How long is the warranty?

7. Complete the purchase.

As your testers work through each task, youกll be able to see how they use your site. Do they browse categories or look for a search function? Do they encounter any difficulties along the way? This is an incredible opportunity to get inside your customersก heads and watch what happens when they use your site.

You can also analyze your siteกs metrics to see whatกs not working. If an analysis of your web logs reveals that tons of people are exiting your site from one or two particular pages, for instance, usability testing can be a good way to find out whatกs behind the high exit rate. This is especially crucial if these pages are part of your checkout process.

Note: If you can, get a test credit card number from your merchant account or gateway provider so your testers can complete test purchases. If this isn’t possible, have the testers take the checkout process as far as possible, and then ask them what theyกd expect to happen next.

3. Choose the right people:

The people you choose for the test are important, as they should mimic the range of users you have (or want to have) using your site. Sit down and gather any customer demographic information you have to create a series of user profiles.

What is their level of computer experience? How old are they? What special knowledge do they have (if your site serves a specific demographic or industry). A site targeting real estate professionals will have very different user profiles than a site selling skateboard wheels, so make sure your testers mirror your actual users.

Strive for a mix of computer experience that matches the mix youกd expect of your audience. Are most of your customers already comfortable with computers? Are there some newbies in the mix? You can recruit existing customers if you’re testing changes to the site, but for an existing site, look for people who haven’t used your site before.

Finally, don’t worry about getting a large pool of testers: You only need five or six people to identify 80% of the main problems that may be affecting your sales.

Note: Itกs common practice to pay testers for their time and effort. And while using Uncle Henry or Bob from accounting may save you $40, they’re likely to skew the results if they don’t reflect your target audience and are already familiar with your site.

4. What youกll need:

Set aside a clean, quiet place where there will be no distractions, and provide a comfortable chair for the tester. Place a chair for yourself slightly behind the tester so you can see where they’re clicking as they complete each task.

Have your tasks and questions your script written down, and be ready to take notes. If you have a video camera, you can also tape the test (with the camera looking over the testerกs shoulder towards the screen). Before you start the actual test, run through the script yourself to make sure all the links are working, that the tasks make sense, and that the video equipment captures the detail youกll need to see.

5. Running the test:

Before you start the test, explain to your testers that itกs the site you’re testing, not them. Let them know that they can’t do anything กwrong,ก and tell them to surf the same way they normally would. The more relaxed and natural they are during the test, the better your results.

Then, ask them a few questions about their level of experience, how often they use the Web, and what they know about your company and products, so you can better understand their reactions.

Start at your homepage, and ask them what they think your site is about. This can be a good way of judging how successfully you’re welcoming new visitors.

Throughout the test, encourage your testers to think aloud while they work through the tasks youกve set out for them, so you can get a sense of their expectations.

Next, work through your prepared script. Ask the tester to attempt various tasks and answer the questions youกve prepared, while checking their expectations with questions such as: กWhat do you think youกll be able to do here?ก and กBefore you press that button, tell me what you expect to see next.ก While you should take notes and follow the script, be flexible enough that you can pursue any responses that may take you by surprise.

During the test, be sure not to guide the subject. Watch that you don’t provide any hints, suggestions, or even answers that will influence their actions. If they can’t complete a task, simply ask them what they expected to have happen and how theyกd fix the problem, then move on to the next task.

If testers have a problem or become confused, don’t assume you know why. Ask what the problem is, and then paraphrase their answer back to them to make sure you aren’t bringing your own bias into the test.

As I have made available this invaluable information to everyone free of cost, visit our website http://www.hostforwebsite.com [$0.75/month & Get UnLimit Movies, MP3 Songs, Games, TV Shows on your PC!] Industry Lowest Price! Unbeatable Website Hosting Features!

Final Thoughts:

These days, there are certain expectations regarding how a web site should look and how it should work. For instance, research shows that most people expect to see a กhomeก link in the top left corner of a page, and that they look for internal links down the left as well.

Now, you could argue that internal links look better or make more sense along the right side, but in the end, usability isn’t about what กmakes senseก or looks good to you, itกs about what works for your average visitor. And if 90% of your users expect to find your navigation along the left side of the page, then the left side is what works!

Sometimes the simplest solution is the best. Links that look like buttons get clicked on more often simply because they look like something that can be clicked on. The first thing anyone who surfs the Web learns is that blue, underlined text is a link. If you start making your links look different for the sake of prettying up your site, you risk losing functionality.

Finally, don’t reinvent the wheel just for the sake of being trendy. Your web site is a business tool first and foremost. Study sites that have a similar function to yours and look for common approaches. Amazon.com, for instance, has helped set standards and expectations for how an ecommerce site should be organized.

While you don’t want to simply copy successful sites, it makes sense to adopt some of the same navigation techniques. After all, with millions and millions of customers using a site like Amazon.com, chances are your visitors will be familiar with their approach. Take advantage of this familiarity and apply the usability strategies other successful sites have found to be effective to your site then focus on testing to finetune the way your own site works.

About The Author

Ash Kawa has written hundreds of articles specializing in helping people succeed when the competition is tough. President of a successful Website Hosting Company http://www.hostforwebsite.com [$0.75/month & Get UnLimit Movies, MP3 Songs, Games, TV Shows on your PC!]

This article was posted on September 11, 2005

by Ash Kawa

Why a CSS Website Layout Will Make You Money

Why a CSS Website Layout Will Make You Money

by: Trenton Moss

Although CSS layouts have been around for years, they haven’t become so commonplace until recently. This was basically due to limited browser support (especially from Netscape 4) nowadays though, CSS 2.0 (which introduced positioning) is compatible with over 99% of browsers out there (check out the browser stats over at http://www.thecounter.com/stats/2004/August/browser.php).

So, why should you convert your website from its current tablebased layout to a CSS layout? Itกll make you money. Simple really. And hereกs four reasons to explain why:

Reduced bandwidth costs

Web pages using CSS for layout tend to have much smaller file sizes than those using tabular layouts. Itกs not unusual to see reductions of 50% or more in file size when switching from CSS to tables. Smaller file sizes obviously mean reduced bandwidth costs, which for high traffic sites can mean enormous savings.

The main reason for this dramatic decrease in file size is that presentation information is placed in the external CSS document, called up once when the homepage loads up and then cached (stored) on to the userกs computer. Table layouts on the other hand, place all presentation information inside each HTML, which is then called up and downloaded for every page on the site.

Additionally, CSS can be used to replace JavaScript image rollovers, again allowing a large reduction in overall page size. See the article, CSS navigation menu for more on this (http://www.webcredible.co.uk/userfriendlyresources/css/cssnavigationmenu.shtml).

A higher search engine ranking

A CSSbased website will appear higher in the search engine rankings for three reasons:

The code is cleaner and therefore more accessible to search engines

Important content can be placed at the top of the HTML document

There is a greater density of content compared to coding

A higher search engine ranking means more site visitors, which, provided your website is usable, should lead to an increase in enquiries or sales.

Faster download speed

A faster download speed will make you money? Well, yes. Slow download speed is often cited as one of the biggest usability complaints for websites. A faster download speed therefore leads to increased usability, and a web usability redesign can increase the sales/conversion rate by 100% (source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030107.html).

CSS downloads faster than tables because:

Browsers read through tables twice before displaying their contents, once to work out their structure and once to determine their content

Tables appear on the screen all in one go no part of the table will appear until the entire table is downloaded and rendered

Tables encourage the use of spacer images to aid with positioning

CSS generally requires less code than cumbersome tables

All code to do with the layout can be placed in an external CSS document, which will be called up just once and then cached (stored) on the userกs computer; table layout, stored in each HTML document, must be loaded up each time a new page downloads

With CSS you can control the order items download on to the screen make the content appear before slowloading images and your site users will definitely appreciate it

Increase in reach

The more people you can reach, the more visitors youกll get to your site and the more enquiries or sales you should get. A CSSbased website is compatible with PDAs, mobile phones, incar browsers and WebTV. Don’t underestimate the importance of this: In 2008 alone an estimated 58 million PDAs will be sold (source: http://www.etforecasts.com/pr/pr0603.htm) and one third of the worldกs population will own a wireless device (source: http://www.clickz.com/stats/markets/wireless/article.php/10094_950001).

You can make an additional CSS document specifically for handheld devices, which will be called up in place of the regular CSS document, thereby ensuring your website is accessible to this lucrative market. This isn’t possible with a tabular layout.

Conclusion: Switch to CSS!

Switching your website from a table layout to a CSS layout can be a long, arduous process, especially for large websites. Given the money making possibilities though, it could very well prove to be well worth it.

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on September 01, 2004

by Trenton Moss

Benefits of an accessible website part 2: The bu

Benefits of an accessible website part 2: The business case

by: Trenton Moss

The DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) states that service providers must not discriminate against disabled people. A website is regarded as a service and therefore falls under this law, and as such must be made accessible to everyone.

Some organisations are making accessibility improvements to their websites, but many are seemingly not making the accessibility adjustments. Disabled people don’t access their website, they say, so why should they care?

There are, however, two very good reasons as to why businesses should start taking these issues seriously:

An accessible website will make you more money

An accessible website will save you money

There are seven explanations for this:

1. Your website will be easier to manage

An accessible website separates the content (the words and images that we see on the screen) and presentation (the way that these words and images are laid out) of each page. Each web page has an HTML document that contains the words and images for that page (the content), and calls up a CSS document that includes the presentation information this CSS document is shared by all the pages on the website.

To adjust the layout of your website, you only have to make changes in the CSS file, saving considerable time (and therefore money).

2. Your website will be compatible with new browsing technologies

In the near future, the use of PDAs, mobile phones and incar browsers will all regularly be used to access the Internet. The people making use of these new technologies are generally highincome individuals. In order to reach this lucrative target, youกll need a website that is accessible to these machines. To test your website, try using it with the Wapalizer (http://www.gelon.net), which shows how your site will look on a mobile phone.

3. Your website will appear higher in the search engines

By making your website more accessible to web users, you’re also making it more accessible to search engines. Search engines cannot usually understand images, JavaScript, Flash, audio and video content. By providing alternative content to each of these, all areas of your website will be accessible to search engines, whoกll then be able to have a better understanding of its purpose.

The more confident a search engine is of your websiteกs purpose, all other things being equal, the higher itกll place your website in the search rankings.

4. You won’t have to incur legal fees

The RNIB (Royal National Institute for the Blind) and the DRC (Disability Rights Commission) have been exerting pressure on companies and the government to make their websites accessible. Indeed, the DRC has now published their findings from their accessibility investigation of 1000 websites. Theyกve warned firms that theyกll face legal action and the threat of unlimited compensation payments if they fail to make their websites accessible to people with disabilities.

5. The download time of your website will be significantly improved

Accessible websites generally download quicker than websites with poor accessibility. Just 25% of web users in the UK are connected to the Internet via broadband (source: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/pdfdir/intc0504.pdf). You can be sure that if your website takes much longer than ten seconds to download then many of your site visitors will be clicking away and youกll lose their custom.

6. The usability of your website will be enhanced

There is a certain amount of overlap between web accessibility and web usability. Itกs been shown that a usability redesign increases the sales/conversion rate of a website by 100% (source: http://www.useit.com/alertbox/20030107.html).

7. Youกll gain good publicity

Make your website accessible to everyone and you can tell the world about it.

About The Author

This article was written by Trenton Moss. Heกs crazy about web usability and accessibility so crazy that he went and started his own web usability and accessibility consultancy (Webcredible http://www.webcredible.co.uk) to help make the Internet a better place for everyone.

This article was posted on August 11, 2004

by Trenton Moss