Published: April 8, 2022
Published: January 17, 2017
Just a quick follow up from my New Year Newsletter in which I gently encouraged you to think about your website and online marketing strategy. One area I mentioned in my newsletter was website accessibility. As I am sure you already know, it is considered a form of discrimination if disabled people are not able to access website content (the Equalities Act 2010). So with that in mind I thought I’d take the opportunity to look at the benefits of accessible website design from a slightly different perspective, i.e. the business case.
In September last year I spoke at the Accessibility Scotland conference and an audience member asked whether there was a ‘cast iron’ business case for making a website accessible? They were having trouble trying to get their managers to prioritise accessibility or put any resources into ensuring the website was accessible to disabled people.
‘Off the top of my head’ I could not remember any statistics to quote, though I did mention the usual stuff about a more accessible site generating more traffic, being easier to use and having reduced maintenance costs.
However, it seems that these logical arguments do not ‘cut any ice’ when it comes to making the case; what people want are facts, figures and case studies showing increased traffic and increased sales.
So with that in mind here are three major case studies showing the benefits of accessible website design in real terms.
These case studies clearly show that an accessible website design reduces maintenance costs, increases usability and increases traffic. In short, accessible website design is good for your business.
Even if you are not planning a brand new website from scratch I can help you realise some of the benefits outlined above by making your existing website more accessible. The first step in that process is to have your website audited to see if there are any aspects that are inaccessible to disabled peoples. You will then be in a position to have those issues addressed; thus increasing the accessibility and usability of your website.
As an website accessibility auditor since 1996 I am one of the most experienced and skilled practitioners in the UK. I will check your site against the WCAG 2.0 guidelines to ensure that your site is compliant with the BS8878 Web Accessibility Code of Practice.
An audit by myself goes way beyond tick box checks; I will check that your site is accessible and usable to the real people who visit your site.
Contact me today to take advantage of this unique expertise to utilise my expertise to attract more visitors to your website and make it easier to use by everyone. No matter what your budget or how big or small your website is I will be able to provide an audit that fits with your needs.
Tags: audit, case studies, w3c, wcag, WCAG 2
Published: July 29, 2014
In addition to the traditional formal web content accessibility audits I provide a unique ‘live’ audit carried out on-site with your web development team and web editors.
The process involves assessing the website(s) against the W3C WCAG 2 checkpoints – in an informal group environment. This allows discussion, instant clarification of points made, and means questions can be asked related to access issues as they arise.
I was and the first to offer this unique service. Few web content accessibility auditors have the confidence, knowledge and experience to be able to offer this type of ‘live’ on-site audit.
Contact me now to ask about your live on-site web content accessibility audit. It will save you time, save you money and give you the knowledge to reach your largest potential online audience.
Millions of disabled people across the world have billions of pounds to spend (£50 billion in the UK alone).
40 percent of the UK population are 45+ ; eyesight, hearing and dexterity all tend to deteriorate as we get older – but older people have money to spend; perhaps on your website if it is accessible.
If you provide a service via the web and your site is not accessible to disabled people you are breaking the law and running the risk of damaging your business reputation.
The audit will highlight access problems with your Website and produce a list of recommended changes. These changes if taken ‘on-board’ will produce advantages:
Jim Byrne contributed to the Scottish Enterprise ‘Smart Guide’ on Web Accessibility – the guide outlined some of the advantages for businesses:
“The net effect of all these potential benefits is by no means trivial. The overall cost-benefit of addressing accessibility is almost always significant, and often dramatic. Conversely, the costs of not taking it seriously can be equally important, as some firms have already found out to their cost.”
Making your Website accessible is about ensuring that all of your visitors can access the information and resources on your site – not about changing the look of your site. If there are features of your current site that are inaccessible to a particular groups of visitors – an access audit will point these out but that does not mean you must do away with these features. Instead it will recommend alternative ways to ensure that those excluded can access the same information or service.
Having said that, the audit may recommend changes related to colour contrast, your navigation scheme or readability that you may feel are worth adopting – because they will help you to attract more visitors to your site.
An access audit matches your site against the World Wide Web Consortiums Web Accessibility Guidelines. Use of these guidelines will be combined with almost a decade of experience building and accessible Websites. Depending on the size and complexity of your site and the service commissioned from myself, the result can be a report of anywhere between 30 to 50 pages long which will include a short list of the most important changes needed, a complete discussion of each of the access problems, and a summary list of all of the recommended changes. In addition there is a discussion document to help you get started down the road to making the changes required.
The World Wide Web Consortiums Web Accessibility Initiative (http://www.w3c.org) have produced a set of standards that are recognised as the definitive authority on the subject of Accessible Web design. I will test your website gains WCAG 2 to the agreed level.
No, accessibility on the Web is a much broader idea. There are now many different devices attached to the Web, for example, Televisions, Personal Digital Assistants, PCs, Macs, Telephones and Braille readers, to name just a few. Accessibility is about ensuring that all Internet connected devices are capable of accessing your service or information. This of course includes the assistive devices used by disabled people, like text only Web browsers or Web browsers that use synthesized speech.
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Web Accessibility Auditing Expert With Over Two Decades Of Experience
I provided feedback on the WCAG 2, have two decades of experience and worked with hundreds of organisations.
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