MUG Tuesday, May 31, 2016

Agenda Introductions-Brag Google Analytics Accessibility overview new report data discussion Accessibility overview accessible web pages Search Engine Optimization

Google Analytics

Web Accessibility

Overview Making websites accessible to individuals with disabilities, who sometimes access sites with the use of assistive technology, improves the functionality of websites on cell phones and other mobile devices. Moreover, accessible website design is a best practice with respect to diversity and inclusion. Finally, it also required by Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and a number of other federal laws in addition to state laws and mandates such as the Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act.

Section 508 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Under Section 508, agencies must give disabled employees and members of the public access to information that is comparable to access available to others. Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) The first major legislative effort to secure an equal playing field for individuals with disabilities.

The Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act The Illinois Information Technology Accessibility Act (IITAA) requires Illinois agencies and universities to ensure that their web sites, information systems, and information technologies are accessible to people with disabilities.

Screenreaders Screen readers are audio interfaces. Rather than displaying web content visually for users in a "window" or screen on the monitor, screen readers convert text into synthesized speech so that users can listen to the content. The technology makes independent access to information possible for a population that would otherwise always need the support and assistance of others.

Screenreaders will… Announce the page title (the <title> element in the HTML markup) when first loading a web page. Will read the alternative text of images, if alt text is present. JAWS precedes the alternative text with the word "graphic.” Ignore images without alternative text and say nothing, but users can set their preferences to read the file name. Announce headings and identify the heading level. JAWS, for example, precedes <h2> headings with "heading level 2." Some screen readers announce the number of links on a page as soon as the page finishes loading in the browser.

Screenreaders inaccessible vs accessible documents

Alt Text When defining the alt attribute (alt text) on an image, context matters the most. Alternative text provides screen reader software users with access to all of the non-text information. This is why context matters the most, as you want to think about what information is the most important, the more pertinent, that you are trying to get across with an image. screenreader examples of alt text

Alt Text Example

Headings & Sub-Headings JAWS users skim the page to get an overall impression of a page's content is to jump from heading to heading. Users can hear an outline of the page's main ideas, then backtrack to read the parts they are most interested in. Without headings, this method of skimming through content is completely useless. good use of heading levels 2 and 3

Links The purpose of descriptive links is to provide users with the proper context of where clicking the link will take them. Screen reader users often navigate websites going from link to link, using the tab key (or shift-tab to go backwards), so providing links that make sense is vitally important and necessary. In most cases, the proper link text is probably already in your content, and it just needs to be emphasized as the link. Extraneous words used as links such as; "click here" or "more" should be avoided.

Links good example of accessible links

Search Engine Optimization

Top Tips for SEO Make the website about one thing. Mention keywords where they matter most. Link to internal pages on your site. Use a URL structure that includes keywords. Remove anything that slows down your website. Use keywords in your images. Link to other websites with relevant content. Update your website frequently. Have other websites link to you. Stop changing your domain name. Write like a human.

Thank You!