Publishing information and enabling traditional business processes online has become a reality for many organizations in both the public and private sectors. But many Websites and services fail to be accessible to all of their intended audiences.

Pixelera has created our own set of internal guidelines that are followed to ensure any Website we create is accessible. These guidelines follow industry-recognized standards and provide a number of benefits to those who integrate them into their Websites. Consider the following:

• While the primary intent of the Web accessibility movement is to benefit people with disabilities, organizations meeting the new standards are discovering that improving accessibility also helps them to address emerging communications challenges;
• An accessible Website is often rendered properly in handheld devices – a growing trend that is only expected to continue to rise;
• Accessible Websites load quicker because images are used carefully and are limited. Considering that the majority of Internet users are accessing the Internet with low-speed dial-up services, this only makes sense.
• Accessible Websites can help drive more traffic to your Website due to improved search engine rankings through extended us of HTML and alt tags on images.
• An accessible Website allows you to display your social responsibility and creates a positive image of your organization.

An accessible Website can benefit any organization and its targeted users by providing information and services in a format that is universally accessible. Your Website is a first point of contact with your constituents, potential clients, investors and other stakeholders. By offering an accessible Website, an organization can expand its market reach on-line, and send a powerful message to its audience — that it is committed to service, equity and open communication.

Website accessibility should be seriously considered when creating or reviewing your Internet marketing and communications programs. By creating an accessible, well-designed Web site, you can increase your reach by ensuring that information is delivered to all targeted Web users, regardless of their physical and technical needs, and at the same time maintaining the physical appeal of the site.

Contact Pixelera to discover how we can help you with Website accessibility.