Accessibility search
-
Hello there,
One of the sites we do work for is a chain of care homes. We are in the process of adding a page reader so any visitors they have who are visually impaired will find it easier to access the info they need.
We're doing this from a usability point of view more than anything (given their target audience), but while looking to see if there were any accessibility news sites /directories we could leverage for some links I came across mentions of the old Google Accessibility search. It seems to have been before my time as an SEO, so I wondered:
-
is this still relevant, or has it just been assimilated into the regular algorithm (the only mentions I could find were very dated)
-
if relevant and separate from the main search, are there many who use it
-
what other things should we take into account when trying to optimise for this (assuming it's still relevant, of course)
Cheers guys!
-
-
Cheers Ryan,
That's kind of what I suspected - most of the best practice things that also affect SEO in some way (alt tags etc) we're already doing, and we were going to put together a press release highlighting the extra accessibility lengths we've gone to that will hopefully get a bit of attention. So as long as I'm not missing anything, that's cool!
-
I am not aware of any part of Google's algorithm which compares two websites and says "site A is accessible and site B is not, so give site A a boost".
The relevant points I can share are many accessibility features tie into SEO:
-
ALT tags for images are considered an accessibility feature, and they also add strong SEO benefits.
-
Receiving an accessibility certification can offer numerous benefits. You may be listed in the company's directory which would offer your site positive exposure and a link. You can offer a press release announcing your site is now compliant. You can display a trust badge which always looks good and helps visitors trust your site more. You would clearly be used more frequently by visitors who depend on websites being compliant so your stats such as time on site, bounce rate, etc would improve slightly.
-
An accessibility inspection of your website will often reveal issues which impact SEO. Invisible or hidden objects, empty links, etc.
-
-
Thanks for those links Ryan. the W3C is what we us for checking DDA compliance, but I guess it's good to have other sources as a sanity check. My question, however, largely relates to the Google Accessibility search and the SEO benefits of ensuring we're compliant? As I said, I could only find old posts on the subject so I didn't know if it had gone the way of other Google initiatives from days gone by?
-
A few links that may help:
The W3C's Accessibility Initiative website: http://www.w3.org/WAI/
A tool for checking the accessibility of a web page: http://wave.webaim.org/
The company SEOmoz uses for accessibility certification: http://www.rampweb.com/
-
Thanks for that, looks very thorough. I should probably have pointed out that all our sites are DDA compliant anyway, but given this company runs care homes it seems more important - especially if it gives us a rankings edge over the competition.
-
No really SEO related, but a good read anyhow
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/gg701983(v=VS.85).aspx
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Review snippets not shown on google search results
Hi, In Moz it shows that we have a review snippet for a keyword/page, but it is not shown on google SERP. Can anyone explain why it isnt shown on Google search results, and what we should do in order to get it shown ?
On-Page Optimization | | jensatlieto0 -
Frustrated by Google Search Result
We have a page on our website for our review of the "Voltage" shisha flavor by "Social Smoke" (Social Smoke is the brand). Voltage is one of their hookah tobacco flavors. https://www.hookah.org/social-smoke-voltage-flavored-hookh-tobacco/. When I search for "Social Smoke Voltage Review", our page is at the bottom of the first page result. We have a video, decent content on the page, and a review function. We've implemented correct Schema code too: https://goo.gl/iwCP7E. When I use the page grade tool on Moz. Our page ranks B for that keyword but the results number 1 and 2 and 3 on Google all rank C or D. Our video and review schemas don't show up on Google search result either. We have a good community online. Our social media pages are popular. We share the blog posts on the social media accounts fairly regularly too. We have an old and established website. From what I understand we are following all of Google's standards and rules too. What does a website owner gotta do?
On-Page Optimization | | Heydarian0 -
Category Pages are not Shown when searched for "brandname Category name"
Hi, Someone googled our brand name + category page name and our category page didn't showed up first so he says it's a bad job/thing. so help me to fix this. Googled "sepalika acid reflux" without quotes. Thank you.
On-Page Optimization | | Sepalika0 -
Directories and Search Engine Site Submissions and Technorati Tags Important?
I use a wordpress for out website 50campfires.com and we have a site map set up along with google analytics and web master tools. I believe wordpress automatically sends information to the search engines with changes in the site map. Do I need to submit to search engines manually once a month? Is directories like DMOZ still relevant with SEO today? And what are your opinions on Technorati Tags? I never heard of them before reading this article. I m new to SEO and any insights are helpful. 2Sqv5C2.png EEQFpIx.png 2Sqv5C2.png
On-Page Optimization | | revonick1 -
How to optimise a page for a regional search without it looking clumsy?
What's is the best way to go about optimising a page for a regional search phrase. E.g. 'Physiotherapy CITY' and keep the text looking natural and not manipulated? Previously I've added the search phrase 'Physiotherapy CITY' to TITLE and H1 but this can look clumsy when used in the H1 tag. If I grade a page using MOZ on-page optimisation it will suggest I add the search phrase to the H1. What the recommended way of doing regional on-page optimisation?
On-Page Optimization | | benners0 -
Getting access to clients websites for onsite seo
I understand on site seo fine, as I have tweeked up my own website a fair bit. But I am thinking about doing Onsite and Offsite SEO for clients, as I have had a few request now. So my question is what is the best way to get access to clients websites. So I can make the required adjustments. I have one client, who had a company create a website for him, but they have since closed down.
On-Page Optimization | | aussieseoguy0 -
Does the positioning of the text on a webpage matter for search engines?
Does the positioning of the text on a webpage matter for search engines? Do you need to place the text at the upperside of a webpage or is at the bottom also a good option?
On-Page Optimization | | HMK-NL0 -
Email in Local Search Directory Listings
Hi! I am relatively new to the world of SEO . . . let's say I'm still testing the waters. My role is at the company I work for is Local Search Specialist. I'm claiming/verifying/publishing listings for my employer's clients in attributing search directories. Yada yada yada. You guys are pros. Anyway, I have become apprehensive when listing a client's email in directories besides Google Places. I know that content matching between the client's website, Places, and attributing directories is a must; but spam is the worst. I'm trying to avoid spammers and sketchy directories contact the clients with sales pitches via email as much as possible. Should I create an additional email specifically for these directory listings and keep tabs to see if real people are using it as a means of contact? Not list the email at all? What should I do?!?!?!?!?!?!? Any insight/words of wisdom is appreciated!
On-Page Optimization | | CakeWebsites0