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web site accessibility and usability audit

what we offer

web accessibility audit

A full risk-based audit of your web site for accessibilty and associated usability issues, giving us reasonable satisfaction over the accessibility of your entire site. This provides an expert opinion on your compliance with web standards, along with a detailed report identifying all issues along with their importance, and making practical recommendations for improvement. All audits include a free re-assement once our initial recommendations have been implemented, along with specialist advice to help you implement our recommendations.

Farrells Neckwear- an accessible web siteweb accessibility review - £249 fixed price

A low-cost initial review of key pages on your existing or new web site to highlight key issues, providing a statement on the level of accessibility achieved and making practical recommendations for improvement. This done using a combination of automated and manual testing. We offer this service at a fixed rate for all public-facing web sites.

web accessibility improvement

Normally once we have conducted our review or audit, your own in-house or contracted web developers would implment the recommendations. However, we can do this for you if you prefer, or if you do not have an existing supplier.

accessible web design

Please see our web design and development page if you are looking to commission a new site. We now routinely aim for 'AAA' compliance on new sites.

contract compliance

A report identifying whether your web agency has met your requirements for accessibility as defined in your contract.

how do I ensure my site is accessible?

Follow our quick two-point plan for existing web sites or our quick three point plan for new web sites:

existing sites: the Palmedia two point plan

  1. Obtain a full accessibility audit of your existing site and implement any recommendations
  2. Sign up for a quarterly accessibility review to ensure your site continues to be accessible

new sites: the Palmedia five point plan

  1. Build web accessibility into the initial specification and contract, specifying the standards you expect the site to meet.
  2. Employ a web developer with expertise and experience in developing accessible web sites (like us!) to ensure you site meets the standards when you launch
  3. Sign up for a quarterly accessibility review to enure your site continues to be accessible

 

All our web accessibility reports also highlight key usability issues. We can also review your site for compliance with other legislation and standards. We can also provide an 'accessibility' page for your site stating your level of compliance and providing advice for users on how best to use the site.

what is Accessibility?

Would you put a sign on your office saying 'blind clients not welcome'? How about a notice on your shop door saying ''Sorry no guide dogs or wheelchairs"? Of course not. Despite this, 9 in 10 UK web sites still do exactly this by failing to design web sites for accessibility.

Eclinic: W3C Level 3 Accessible web site from PalmediaNot only is is accessibility now a legal requirement, it's good for business. Failing is the quickest way to send up to a quarter of your potential customers straight to the competition- and it makes your site hard for others to use, too.

If designed well and built with accessibility in mind, your web site should be friendly and welcoming to all, even if they are blind, disabled, have difficulty using a mouse, or are looking at your site on a ten year old computer. Accessibility means making all the functionality and content of your site available to as many potential customers as possible.

To do this, we use a combination of good design, standards compliant code, and automated and manual testing.

what is usability?

Usability is about how easy your site is to use.It's about matching the design and content of the site to how people read information, how they navigate, and what seems natural and easy. Is it easy to find the information you are looking for? Is it easy to buy? Is it easy to contact you? Web sites look different on different computer and different web browsers. How easy is your site to use if you are using an Apple Mac, sat in a cyber-cafe, or behind a corporate firewall? It's closely linked with accessibility, and we would normally look at both together.

10 reasons to make and keep your web site accessible

  1. Accessibility Improves usability for everyone, according to a recent report by the Disability Rights Commission, making it easier for your customers to use, and encouraging them to buy and to return
  2. Allows you to access a new market of up to 8,500,000 disabled people in the UK alone, with a spending power of £50,000,000,000 per year, according to the Office for National Statistics
  3. Improves your market share and reach - how many of your competitors target this audience
  4. Helps you comply with legislation, such as the UK Disability Discrimination Act 1998, or US Section 508 - protecting your wallet and your reputation
  5. Reduces web site maintenance costs, by using recognised standards, consistent design, and techniques such as CSS (cascading style sheets)
  6. Reduces bandwidth costs if you use fewer large graphics, and faster loading time for all your customers
  7. Increase compatibility with alternative platforms and browsers
  8. Enhances your reputation as an ethical, considerate business, practicing inclusion not exclusion, and engaging in responsible business practice
  9. 'Future proof's your web site using globally recognised standards
  10. Reduces the costs of providing access in other ways. For example, if you currently provide braille or large print information, a customer may now find it easier to access the information online, saving you money.

Can you afford not to be accessible?

If you ask us to build a site for you, we'll make sure it is accessible. We'll agree with you what standards you want it to meet.

If you already have a site, we can audit your site for accessibility and usability, providing a detailed report with clear actions that your web developers can implement. When you've made any changes, we'll issue you with a certificate to confirm your compliance.

If you don't already have a web developer lined up, we can make the necessary changes for you.

If you're having a new site developed, we can review the new site to check it is accessible and easy to use, issuing a report for your developers to implement.

If you have a web site and don't know whether it is accessible or not, simply contact us to arrange a free initial review.

Contact us now to find out how we can help you today.