Accessibility is a much talked about web design issue. Help the elderly get online to make their lives easier. Think about it, our post offices are disappearing, public transport can be unreliable and infrequent, especially for those of us who live out in the sticks. The elderly are being encouraged to go online to shop, pay their car tax and do a multitude of other tasks that are possible to do online but quite difficult and time consuming to do at the post office, supermarket or bank. The fact is that many elderly people are starting to use the internet and this trend will only increase.

So why do so many small business owners fail to realise that this trend exists? Many do not have a website because they advertise in the local paper or directory book. I’m not saying stop doing this. But don’t ignore the ever growing trend of online users.

Designing websites which work for the widest possible proportion of your target market should be the aim of every web designer. Multimedia functionality helps to engage users but we’ve seen how Flash animation and navigation is poor in terms of accessibility and can diminish SEO results. So how can we cater for everyone. Well, research shows that a website that we create which can make all users happy. A usable website is good for SEO because it helps to create repeat visitors. Task completion times are shorter which decreases time on site which, it could be argued, is poor in terms of cold, hard SEO metrics. But if we were to take this nonsensical view then we wouldn’t be considering the bigger picture. That is why we should consider all elements of a web presence and look at the end results. Conversions are all that really matters. Web traffic is just that. Traffic.

Ultimately, all website design decision must be justified by mapping back to business objectives. Will our stakeholders like it? Will our customers like it? These are the pertinent questions.

Ok so if you’ve found this post the chances are that you’ve either got an old website which needs updating or you’ve only recently had a new one created for your business but think it may be lacking a little something.

Let’s begin by looking at a few simple indicators that your website needs a complete revamp or maybe just a few little tweaks here and there. A professional web designer should have the experience and expertise to redesign or tweak a website solution to your requirements. But it isn’t always that simple. What if your requirements were wrong in the first place or your website are been built on an unsuitable solution to grow with your business.

So let’s look at a couple of typical fixes to common website problems. Unfortunately not all problems are straightforward so it’s always best to look at the website in the context of the business requirements before undertaking any potentially expensive remedies. The following the meant as a guide only as multiple variables could have compounded the problem.

Problem: Website slow.

Potential Issues: Server speed, image size, code quality.

Solutions: Change server, optimise images, optimise code.

Problem: Poor organic SEO conversion rates.

Potential Issues: Poor website copy, inaccessible web design, usability issues.

Solutions: Enlist the help of a professional copywriter, perform an Accessibility Audit, undertake Usability testing.

It is worth noting that the accessibility testing and its remedial actions should always precede usability testing. The design recommendations of the accessibility testing should be incorporated into the website before usability testing is carried out by people with disabilities.

In my opinion a complete redesign is only required if the original design’s fundamental design is wrong. The decision of whether to redesign, revamp or tweak should be made during the Analysis phase but it must be noted that a website should be a constantly changing entity anyway.