SEO and
Accessibility
Christian Heilmann, February 2008, London, UK
chris.heilmann@gmail.com / http://wait-till-i.com

Finding common
ground

What are things that
both search engine
robots and people
like?

Robots
✓ Good page titles
✓ Headings
✓ Links to follow
✓ Data, Data, Data

✓ Information upfront
✓ Easy to of in
chunks
take
information
Humans ✓ Things that work
✓ No confusion
✓ No superfluous
animations!

What do we think
humans want?

BIG SHINY THINGS!

So this is how we
build web sites.

✓ Make them pretty
✓ Make them engaging
✓ Big buttons, possibly animated
✓ Make them “something new”
✓ Social, oh yes!
✓ We got your social right here: “send to
friend”!
✓ Set up a marketing plan, talk to the right
people about them!

This is also how we
make them
inaccessible and a
pain to maintain.

The first thing we
should think about
is environment and
availability.

Titles: the first
impression.

<title>
The business case for
web standards | Main /
Home Page
</title>

<title>
The business case for
web standards | Main /
Home Page
</title>

<title>
The business case for
web standards | Main /
Home Page
</title>

<title>
The business case for
web standards | Main /
Home Page
</title>

<title>
The business case for
web standards | Main /
Home Page
</title>

Keywords &
Descriptions?

How is all of this
accessibility?

Even if the rest of
your site is
inaccessible...

... this information
and mashups can
make the data
accessible!

What about
headings?

Steps to a better developer life Getting
rid of existing problems Click the start
button on your Windows Select \"Shut
Down\" Replace with a Mac Taking your
first steps into a larger world Start Mac
Get Textmate Get VirtueDesktops Get
Quicksilver Linking back to the days or
olde Get Parallels, test on Windows

Steps to a better developer life
Getting rid of existing problems
• Click the start button on your windows
• Select \"Shut Down\"
• Replace with a Mac
Taking your first steps into a larger world
• Start Mac
• Get Textmate
• Get VirtueDesktops
• Get Quicksilver
Linking back to the days of olde
• Get Parallels, test on Windows

Provide hooks and
milestones.

Do not overpromise,
it causes grief.

<a href=”javascript:boo()”>
is not a link.

<script src=”magicbadge.js”>
</script>
is not a link.

Do not expect
scripting to work.
It might not!

Avoid confusion.

Don’t understand an
icon?

Not sure if it’ll load?

Alternative text to
the rescue!

Accessibility
=
SEO
=
Common Sense

Questions?

Flickr Thnks
Robot:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/uberculture/1385828839/
Powers:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/esparta/482348262/
Shiny thing:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/restlessglobetrotter/2004524018/
Sheep:
http://flickr.com/photos/gi/95023423
Kids:
http://flickr.com/photos/yogi/58372577/