How accessible is your website? By The IMC Team | Posted June 16th, 2009
Are you losing out on sales because your site is not accessible to some people?
Something that gets overlooked — a LOT — by the hippest, coolest, most stylish web designers out there, is the importance of making your website accessible to everyone. Not just to those eagle-eyed 20somethings who can read 8 point type from across the room (sigh), but to the people who use Screen Readers, or people who require mouse-free surfing options — or even those of us who have to pull out reading glasses when we’re doing a little surfing.
Photo by Flickr User Kumanu, Some Rights Reserved
The thing about those eagle-eyed 20somethings is that they’re not too likely to think “hmm, would a baby boomer have problems reading this incredibly tiny, light gray text on a white background?”
It’s tempting to blame that on the selfishness of youth, but unfortunately… we all do it.
If you’ve never actually had to navigate a website using a single button device (commonly used by people who do not have complete use of their arms or hands, for example), you might not realize just how annoying it is to try and deal with a long list of links. Or, if you’ve never listened to a Screen Reader you might not realize how bad it is to cram whole paragraphs into your image alt text (which you should NEVER do).
So we were thrilled to discover Access Keys. This British site is packed with valuable links and ideas, including the free AccessColor tool, which can tell you if your site is too hard to read because the text and background colors are too similar. Here’s an example of the difference between high and low contrast:
Low contrast versus high contrast
The top question is much, much harder to read just because it’s too similar to the background color.
Another accessibility issue worth considering is the different way that people with color blindness will view your site — and we’re talking over 8% of the population, mostly males. For example, a green background with orange text would be really high contrast to someone with normal vision, but would just look like a brownish mush to someone with the most common kind of color blindness.
So how are you supposed to see things the way a color-blind person does? Another free tool to the rescue! Vischeck analyzes your website and then shows it to you as a color blind person would see it. It’s pretty amazing!
Think a little about who’s using your site. Is there something you could be doing that would make it easier for them to buy from you? If you’re not doing it, you’re leaving money on the table.
Man in wheelchair image by Flickr user Kumaru
Comments (83 Comment)
Search InternetMarketing.com
Categories
- Affiliate Marketing
- Blog
- Blogging
- Copywriting
- Email Marketing
- Feature
- Featured
- Glossary
- Information Publishing
- Internet Marketing Strategy
- Internet Marketing Tools
- Keyword Research
- Niche Marketing
- PPC Advertising
- Promote Your Offline Business
- Selling On eBay
- SEO Tips
- Social Network Marketing
- Starting an Online Business
- STTS Feature
- Testimonials
- Uncategorized
- Website Development
With havin so much content and articles do you ever run into any problems of plagorism or copyright infringement? My blog has a lot of exclusive content I’ve either created myself or outsourced but it seems a lot of it is popping it up all over the internet without my agreement. Do you know any methods to help prevent content from being ripped off? I’d definitely appreciate it.
I loved as much as you will receive carried out right here. The sketch is attractive, your authored subject matter stylish. nonetheless, you command get bought an impatience over that you wish be delivering the following. unwell unquestionably come further formerly again since exactly the same nearly very often inside case you shield this increase.
You are a very intelligent individual!
great points altogether, you simply gained a brand new reader. What would you recommend in regards to your post that you made some days ago? Any positive?
Merely wanna state that this is very useful , Thanks for taking your time to write this. “Guilt is a rope that wears thin.” by Ayn Rand.
I conceive you have mentioned some very interesting details , thankyou for the post.
Utterly composed content , thankyou for entropy.
Wohh precisely what I was looking for, regards for posting.
Heya! Fabulous blog post! I am a regular visitor (much more like addict
) of the website truthfully I had a concern. I’m not at all for sure whether its the right site to ask, but you’ve got no spam comments. I get comments all the time. Are able to you help me? I am grateful!
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in fact used to be a amusement account it. Look advanced to more brought agreeable from you! By the way, how can we keep in touch?
Wohh exactly what I was searching for, thank you for posting.
Very nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I’ve really loved surfing around your weblog posts. After all I will be subscribing for your feed and I hope you write again very soon!
But wanna input on few general things, The website design and style is perfect, the written content is really superb : D.
I like this site very much, Its a real nice place to read and obtain information. “As long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable.” by Albert Einstein.
Enjoyed looking through this, very good stuff, thanks . “It is in justice that the ordering of society is centered.” by Aristotle.
Rattling nice layout and great subject material , hardly anything else we need : D.
Just wanna comment on few general things, The website style is perfect, the content is really excellent : D.
You have observed very interesting details! ps decent website.
I gotta favorite this internet site it seems extremely helpful handy
Good write-up, I am regular visitor of one’s website, maintain up the excellent operate, and It is going to be a regular visitor for a long time. “Good nonsense is good sense in disguise.” by Josh Billings.
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, thanks . “All things are difficult before they are easy.” by John Norley.
I got what you mean , appreciate it for putting up.Woh I am delighted to find this website through google. “Food is the most primitive form of comfort.” by Sheila Graham.
I love the efforts you have put in this, thanks for all the great posts.
Some truly prize content on this website , saved to my bookmarks .
Enjoyed studying this, very good stuff, appreciate it. “Love begets love, love knows no rules, this is the same for all.” by Virgil.
It goes devoid of expressing that you are a single good author. With that stated, I believed I’d go away you having a quote from another terrific author… “It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”
Nice read, I just passed this onto a friend who was doing some research on that. And he actually bought me lunch as I found it for him smile Thus let me rephrase that: Thanks for lunch! “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” by Epictetus.
Unquestionably imagine that that you stated. Your favourite reason appeared to be on the web the easiest factor to keep in mind of. I say to you, I definitely get annoyed even as people consider issues that they just don’t know about. You managed to hit the nail upon the top and also defined out the entire thing with no need side-effects , other people could take a signal. Will likely be again to get more. Thanks!
Unquestionably imagine that that you stated. Your favourite justification seemed to be at the web the easiest thing to be mindful of. I say to you, I definitely get irked whilst people consider concerns that they just don’t recognize about. You managed to hit the nail upon the highest as smartly as defined out the whole thing with no need side-effects , other people can take a signal. Will probably be again to get more. Thank you!
Sometimes you have to give up your basic data details, like surname or document scan. But never show your SSN!
I like this web blog very much so much wonderful information. “Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf.” by Lewis Mumford.
I’ve been absent for some time, but now I remember why I used to love this site How accessible is your website? | InternetMarketing.com Thanks, I will try and check back more frequently. How frequently you update your site? Regards ! Los Angeles Criminal Defense Attorney !!!
excellent points altogether, you simply received a logo new reader. What might you recommend about your post that you simply made a few days ago? Any positive?