Website accessibility is all about making sure anyone and everyone can access your website. There are many users out there who have disabilities or may be using devices that require additional accommodations. That being said, some things that can be done to improve accessibility will improve the user experience for everyone. Check out these tips on how to optimize your website accessibility:

Ensure your color scheme has an appropriate amount of contrast.

Color blindness is a very common condition among users. Make sure that your color scheme has enough contrast so that people with color blindness can still distinguish what exactly is on the page. Tools like colorfilter.wickline.org help to mimic colorblindness on your website so that you can see where to make changes.

Utilize alternative content where necessary.

Alternative content is useful for users with vision/hearing problems.  Alternative content means using text for non-text content. For instance, using words to describe images, or including transcripts along with videos for users who are hard of hearing. A text only version of your website can also be useful for users with slower internet connections or devices that are outdated.

Utilize skip links.

Skip links allow speech software to skip over links/navigation items that are repeated on every page. This is useful for people who are vision impaired and don’t want to listen to the same menu items being repeated on every page. Skip links allow users to skip over repetitive links so that they can access the primary page content.

Explain Select Menus.

The default value on select menus should describe what the menu is intended for. For instance, if a form is asking for your bodyweight it should label the default value of the select menu as ‘select body weight’ instead of leaving it blank or including number with no explanation. This will help to ensure everyone clearly understands the purpose of forms and fields.

Use descriptive link names.

Use descriptive links whenever you can! A link that says ‘click here’ isn’t nearly as useful as ‘click here to download Windows 2010.’ When in doubt, be more descriptive. 

Website usability is essentially the ease of use of a website. There are a variety of factors that go into usability including things like font, page load times, site search accessibility etc. It's important to ensure a high degree of usability so that more users can easily access and utilize your website. So how do you improve website usability?

Keep load times reasonable.

 Users are going to go to another website if a page takes too long to load. Users are fickle. They aren't going to sit around waiting for your website to perform better.

Use an easy to read font/color scheme.

What good is a website if a user can't read any of the content on it? Pick a normal font and color scheme to make life easy on your users. The last thing you want to do is burn your customers' retinas.

Intuitive navigation.

Another important factor in website usability is employing an intuitive navigation system. Make sure all the important sections of your website are easy to find and access in the nav system. It's important to also ensure that your nav system isn't overly complicated. Don't include too many menu items. Stick to the basics to keep it as streamlined as possible. 

Keep copy concise and explanatory.

A website with a high degree of usability makes great use of its copy. It's concise, easily digested, and very informative. There isn't much filler to discourage or frustrate users.

Make sure headings are clear and descriptive. 

People don't read website copy word for word. They skim and scan the entire page for what's important. That's why using clear and descriptive headings is useful. They can often replace a long-winded paragraph, and are much more user friendly. Would you rather read a sentence or five sentences to understand the same message? Exactly.

Make URLs meaningful and user-friendly.

Using meaningful URLs that have keywords in them can be helpful for users and search engines alike. They can help users understand where they are within a website, or the purpose of a page. 

Web design is a constantly evolving profession. There are new trends and technology popping up with regularity. As things change, it is important to take note of what you should and shouldn't do while designing a website. We are going to focus on what you shouldn't do. For example:

1. Making the design too flashy.

You know what they say, sometimes less is more. Everyone wants to create a website that wows people. That doesn't mean you need to jam pack it with tons of videos, images, and effects. You don't want to be overbearing and make your client's website look like a 13 year old's MySpace page. There's a reason minimalism has made a comeback recently. 

2. Not making a website responsive.

Not making a website design responsive can create a huge competitive disadvantage for any business. Users aren't just using computers to access the Internet. They're using phones, tablets, game consoles, and more. Mobile browsing is exploding in popularity. If your client can't afford a responsive design that's one thing. You should definitely recommend it if they can though!

3. Creating a confusing navigation system.

Having a confusing navigation system is like trying to figure out a terrible map. It can become virtually impossible to figure out where you need to go, and create a ton of frustration for anyone using it. You need to keep the navigation as simple and streamlined as possible. More options can create more confusion. Focus on what is essential for the user, and make important pages easy to access.

4. Using hard to read fonts.

There are some pretty cool, crazy looking fonts out there. That doesn't mean you should use them for a public facing website. Users need to be able to read what's on a web page without having to strain themselves. That means picking standard fonts and colors. That means no wingdings and no neon colored letters. Make life as easy as possible for users' eyes.

Social media marketing is one of the most important components of internet marketing. If it isn't already part of your marketing, it should be. Here are 20 tips to maximize your social media effectiveness:

1. Post regularly.

2. Post when your customers are most active. E.g. 9 am - 5 pm

3. Ensure you have company accounts on all social media channels that your customers utilize.

4. Always respond to mentions, comments, etc.

5. Thank people for sharing your content!

6. Don't only post your content. 

7. Use Google Alerts and custom list searches to quickly identify articles to share with your network.

8. Google Alerts and custom list searches are also useful for finding leads.

9. Ensure that you have a database to store lead information on.

10. Use social media management tools like HootSuite or TweetDeck to post and manage your accounts.

11. Use free or paid analytics tools to track click throughs. Bit.Ly or HubSpot are great free and paid options.

12. Use landing pages and forms to capture leads when people access your content.

13. Adapt your content and messaging based on your click throughs/engagement.

14. Establish which metrics to monitor on your social media accounts.

15. Keep track of these metrics, and create monthly reports to track progress!

Custom web design is a great way to build your online business presence. Instead of reading another article on the benefits and features of custom design, we found some great infographics for you! Check them out:

H/T to CoolInfoImages.com , MediaMarketers.com , Ocean19.com , TheNinjaWeb.com