Usability and Web Accessibility

pstrongWhat is Accessibility?/strong/p
pWeb accessibility put in simple termsnbsp;means that people with some from of disabilitynbsp;cannbsp;use the Web. Thereby people with disabilities cannbsp;comprehend, find their way around, and interact with the Web. For example, people with a visual impairmentnbsp;can interpretnbsp;websites through the use of equipment such as screen readers and text only browsers. Websites that are web accessible can also work well on mobile phones and PDAs as well as PCs. By usingnbsp;CSSnbsp;web developers can set the type sizenbsp;allowing users to change the font sizenbsp;when viewing a web page by choosing whether the text is small, medium or large so that it fitsnbsp;better onto differently sized screens and it is more straightforwardnbsp;to read for people with visual disabilities./p
pstrongWhat is Usability?/strong/p
pUsability relates to building websites based upon the feedback of users and how well people can accomplish their goals in using the website quickly and with ease. Usability also takes into consideration determinants such as cost-effectiveness and usefulness. If the website is simple to usenbsp;there should be lower support costs involved. The proficiency of page layout with the use of images, hyperlinks and headings, navigation through menus, legibility by contrasting colours and using easily readable fonts and bullet points all aid tonbsp;the usability of a website./p
pstrongImportant things to considernbsp;when designing a Website/strong/p
pIt seems an obvious beginning point but it is paramountnbsp;to get syntax and grammar correct innbsp;ordernbsp;that users will get a positive experience from using your site. Alwaysnbsp;run a spell check prior tonbsp;making anything live. The employment of clear headings, hyperlinks and images is also imperative. Remembernbsp;to make the visited (and hover over) links different colours to unvisited links thereby the individual will be aware of the clear differentiation between these pages. Do notnbsp;blanket bomb the text. Breaknbsp;long passages of text up with bullets or headings to maintain the attention of the user. Set up external links to other sites in order that they open up in a new window so that the user can easily returnnbsp;to your website without having to re-open it./p
pstrongBasic Search Engine Optimisation Tips/strong/p
pThe utilisation of alt and title text on images and title text on hyperlinks is not only advantageous for accessibility but also for SEO. Remember tonbsp;use your key phrasesnbsp;in the title, description and keyword field tagsnbsp;within the head of each web page because this will greatly aid search engine robots or web crawlers find your keyword phrases. Consistently use the same keyword text to link pages throughout your website. Use the phrase that titles the page as your H1 tag and use it a further couple of instances within the body of the page. Robotsnbsp;will pick up on this. Do not use the exact samenbsp;title on every page as this is considered as spamming. Donrsquo;t overuse keywords unnecessarily. If search engines think thatnbsp;you are spamming your site may not perform well. Submit your website to search engines yourself because utilising submission software may result in a penalty or even a ban.nbsp;nbsp;/p
pFinally, and perhaps most importantly, dont lose sight of who your target audience is./p
pWritten by Amy who works in marketing for the successfulnbsp;UK based e-tailer Venus Sales Ltd, who operate a number of online retail websites including Temptations Direct, Purple Pleasures and Sinful Sensations who sell a title=sex toys href=http://www.purplepleasures.com target=_blanksex toys/a./p