| Most website commissioners are not interested in | | | | paragraphs, from the way that content is presented |
| Web Standards or Web accessibility - that is clear | | | | opens up opportunities to create multiple 'views' of |
| from the results of DRC Research carried out in the | | | | that content. |
| UK in 2004. The research highlighted the appalling lack | | | | As a result, content can be optimized with less effort |
| of accessibility of most UK web sites - with 81% | | | | for delivery on hand-held devices, formatted for |
| labelled by researchers as 'impossible' to use by many | | | | printing or delivered to assistive devices such as |
| disabled people. | | | | screen readers. |
| So if you are a web developer, don't waste your | | | | When the time comes around for a new design, it is |
| time trying to get clients excited by your ethical | | | | easier to substitute a new style sheet than to spend |
| approach. Instead just get on with the job of | | | | hours changing hundreds of font tags and |
| creating accessible standards based websites -- and | | | | background colour attributes. |
| tell them you use development methods that will help | | | | Web standards means you don't waste time battling |
| them attract more visitors -- and help them make | | | | with Browser quirks |
| more money. | | | | When using Web standards there is no need to |
| Use Web Standards -- money can be saved and | | | | produce multiple versions of pages to cope with the |
| money can be made | | | | quirks of different browsers. The time and effort |
| Pages built using web standards tend to be smaller | | | | previously required to create and maintain 'browser |
| and they tend to load quicker. This leads to the first | | | | sniffing' scripts can now be re-deployed to add value |
| and most obvious saving -- lower bandwidth costs. | | | | to the site for visitors. |
| What is not so obvious, however, is that faster | | | | Web standards helps you break free from |
| loading pages can also generate additional traffic and | | | | proprietary technologies |
| revenue. For example, when redesigned their site | | | | Using Web standards can free organisations from |
| using web standards they estimated they saved | | | | being captives of browsers dependent on proprietary |
| 40,000 Gb of bandwidth per year -- but they also | | | | tags and rendering behaviour. For example, IBM's |
| found that their advertising revenues increased. The | | | | move to Open Source desktop clients has reportedly |
| quicker loading pages encouraged people to spend | | | | been held back due to their web based systems |
| more time on the site - and consequently advertising | | | | being built on top of the non-standard Internet |
| revenues went up. | | | | Explorer web browser. |
| Accessible websites make more money | | | | Less errors in pages means less time dealing with |
| Julie Howell, Digital Policy Development Officer at the | | | | complaints |
| RNIB, talking about one of Tesco's websites -- a | | | | Without working to standards - it is not possible to |
| website designed to provide easier access for blind | | | | check for markup errors; there are no rules to check |
| and visually impaired people, | | | | against. Standards base web pages can be checked |
| "Many fully-sighted people find Tesco's simply | | | | against code validators such as the W3C validator - |
| designed Access site offers them a better user | | | | highlighting any errors - and allowing you to get those |
| experience than any other supermarket website. | | | | errors fixed. If you website works for more people |
| Developed for vision-impaired users, it now takes a | | | | on more browsers you won't have to spend time |
| surprising £13 million a year, and seems to | | | | replying to emails from people complaining your site |
| attract a much wider audience than originally | | | | doesn't work. |
| intended." | | | | Content is future-proofed and compatible with older |
| Accessible websites attract more people | | | | browsers. |
| Apart from the 10 million Disabled people in the UK | | | | Pages built using web standards will display more |
| and 50 million in America, accessible websites will be | | | | consistently across browsers and platforms, including |
| easier to use by older people, people with slow | | | | older browsers. Your content will not necessarily look |
| connections or older technologies and people with low | | | | the same in old 'non-standard compliant' browser but |
| literacy. Older people are the fastest growing group | | | | the bottom line is that the content will still be |
| of new users in many countries. As many older | | | | available. |
| people have multiple impairments, accessible sites are | | | | Greater search engine visibility |
| likely to be more attractive to this group. | | | | Search engines are able to index web pages more |
| Disabled people and older people have money to | | | | accurately if the content on those pages is well |
| spend | | | | structured. For example, when keywords appear in |
| In the UK Disabled people have £50 billion of | | | | page headings many search engines give extra |
| disposable income, in the USA they have US$175 | | | | weight to those words when indexing the page. A |
| billion. Older people currently control over 80% of the | | | | web page where headings are improperly marked up |
| wealth of the UK. As was demonstrated by Tesco -- | | | | is likely to suffer in the search rankings compared |
| making your website even a little more accessible not | | | | with a page with the same content that is marked |
| only brings you good press -- it attracts the attention | | | | up correctly. An accessible website will have |
| of the community of older people and disabled web | | | | alternative text for images and multimedia - and this |
| surfers - who spend their money on your website | | | | will provide more text be indexed by search engines. |
| rather than your competitors. | | | | Accessible websites designed using Web Standards |
| Web Standards means shorter development times | | | | leads to real measurable benefits: more visitors, |
| and re-usable content | | | | increased income, decreased cost, greater search |
| Production and maintenance costs are lower when | | | | engine visibility, faster loading and easier to use |
| content is package in highly structured ways, for | | | | pages. Sell the benefits to websites commissioners, |
| example, when standard (X)HTML is used. Separating | | | | not the ideology. |
| the structure of content, i.e., headings, lists, images, | | | | |