Here's your favourite content writer in Glasgow with the lowdown on accessible websites.
You would imagine everyone would be on board with the idea of accessible websites. Everyone is but not every actually does it. You should want your website to be useable for everyone out there but excuse are easy to find: too technical, too expensive, what's SEO, anyway?
Making your site accessible isn't really like putting ramps on the internet and whoever came up that etaphor maybe wants to watch whether they're being sensitive. Maybe I'm being too cautious. But, yeah, everyone deserves a chance to get in on the action.
We put ramps on buildings, so why not adjust websites too? Yet some folk in this world are still in the dark ages thinking thoughts like "I don't have disabled customers." Well maybe you would were you to tweak your site so it's accessible for them! Their money's as good as anyone else's you know.
But no, some people are still stuck in the dark ages, thinking, "I don't have any disabled customers." Well, genius, maybe that's because your site is as accessible as a nuclear bunker.
Now, you might be thinking, "Okay, sure, society equality comes first but let me ask ... what's in it for me?" Well the fact that other people on this planet can do more than they could before. That thought. That's what's in it for you.
But, okay, what else is it for you? It's good for your SEO ratings. Course it would be. Making your site accessible helps you climb the Google ladder. Search engines rightly value websites that take measures so that everyone can access them.
Imagine your website as a night club with bouncers, velvet ropes, and a Barry Manilow tribute singer. Barry Manilove. I don't know. Copy-ca-Barry. Whateverr. So, right, yeah if your bouncers only let in people who can do a cartwheel, you're gonna have a pretty empty club. But if you let everyone in, you get a full house. More people means more party, and in website terms, more traffic means more SEO juice. Google loves it when everyone's invited.
You might ask if all this accessibility shiz is hard to do. No, you're not being asked to build some sort of iron bridge across the Humber. When it comes to alt text for images, proper headings, keyboard navigation, there are tools out there that can do it for you. It’s just good manners, really. It's like brushing your teeth or saying "please" and "thank you." You don't skip those. Well, some of you do, and I know who you are.
Don't forget about voice search. Ever tried talking to your phone? "Hey Alex, Siri, Google, what's the best content writer in Glasgow?" If your site isn't accessible, they're gonna mention someone else. Voice search loves accessible sites because they’re structured in a way that machines can understand.
Get on Alexa's good side. Other voice search products are available.
Look, I'm not saying your site needs to be perfect. No one’s perfect. Except maybe David Attenborough, Stephen Fry, and Paul Young. But making your site accessible is just good sense. It's good for people, it's good for business, and it's good for your SEO.
And if you need a content writer in Glasgow who can help you with all this, well, you know where to find me.
Comments