Not everybody is the same as you. A straight-forward concept, but the reality is that many business owners forget this when they build a website. We all have different vision requirements, software, mobility constraints, and many more idiosyncrasies that define us as individual web users. We're all unique and it's important to not to make the mistake of denying someone access to your information, products, or services.

Think for a moment about the needs of a senior citizen. This older person has had more time to accumulate wealth, and therefore should be provided priority. But often times, their eyesight is not very good. Normally this is not an issue because text size can be adjusted accordingly. When you build a website however, larger text size may clash with the site's functionality, diminishing the usefulness and accessibility of important features.

The color scheme is an important part of the process when you make a website. Color blindness, in varying degrees, is quite a common problem, despite belief to the contrary. Color blindness commonly allows people to see colors, but not be able to properly distinguish between them. Try to avoid the use of colors to delineate meaning on your website, avoiding such things as 'items marked in red out of stock', while utilizing contrast.

Considering mobility restraints. The number of people who can't operate a mouse, at any time, may actually be higher than you think. Their coordination or agility may be restricted due to an accident. Consider users may not be using a mouse, for several reasons, when you make a website.

It does not take much effort to create a website that is fully accessible using just the keyboard. In order to get a feel for it, try simulating keyboard navigation by using just the keyboard, without the mouse, to navigate your favorite web sites for an hour or two. You will find that some sites are far easier than others to work with and to navigate. Now, how does your site compare?

Lastly, think about what software your visitor could already be using. There are many different configurations of browsers, operating systems and user preferences. Does your site exclude any of these? For example, many sites use JavaScript for menu navigation without realizing that many businesses disable JavaScript in order to keep their machines secure. Subsequently, any parties navigating to the page while at work wouldn't be able to follow the required link to complete a transaction. When you create a website, users shouldn't be prevented from navigating because of the software they run.

To recap, the three big issues are mobility, software, and sight. Cater to them, and they will cater to you. With these best practices in mind, you can confidently create a website that will maximize its intent. You'll get more visitors, more repeat visitors, and happier visitors. This is a great way to run a successful business.

When a company sets out to build a website, accessibility is an important factor that is often overlooked. Two important things to take into consideration are possible sight and mobility issues that potential visitors may be faced with. Color-blindness is an issue more often than you might think. Therefore, you want to make a website that does not rely on color to direct a site visitor. Another problem is mobility. Many people must navigate through a page relying on keyboard commands rather than a mouse, so you should create a website that allows easy keyboard navigation. Finally, you want to make sure that your site is accessible through a variety of browsers.