SEO and Accessibility

Slide 1: SEO and Accessibility Christian Heilmann, February 2008, London, UK chris.heilmann@gmail.com / http://wait-till-i.com

Slide 2: Finding common ground

Slide 3: What are things that both search engine robots and people like?

Slide 4: Robots ✓ Good page titles ✓ Headings ✓ Links to follow ✓ Data, Data, Data

Slide 5: ✓ Information upfront ✓ Easy to of in chunks take information Humans ✓ Things that work ✓ No confusion ✓ No superfluous animations!

Slide 6: What do we think humans want?

Slide 7: BIG SHINY THINGS!

Slide 8: So this is how we build web sites.

Slide 9: ✓ 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!

Slide 10: This is also how we make them inaccessible and a pain to maintain.

Slide 12: The first thing we should think about is environment and availability.

Slide 13: Titles: the first impression.

Slide 14: <title> The business case for web standards | Main / Home Page </title>

Slide 15: <title> The business case for web standards | Main / Home Page </title>

Slide 16: <title> The business case for web standards | Main / Home Page </title>

Slide 17: <title> The business case for web standards | Main / Home Page </title>

Slide 18: <title> The business case for web standards | Main / Home Page </title>

Slide 19: Keywords & Descriptions?

Slide 21: How is all of this accessibility?

Slide 22: Even if the rest of your site is inaccessible...

Slide 23: ... this information and mashups can make the data accessible!

Slide 24: What about headings?

Slide 25: 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

Slide 26: 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

Slide 27: Provide hooks and milestones.

Slide 28: Do not overpromise, it causes grief.

Slide 29: <a href=”javascript:boo()”> is not a link.

Slide 30: <script src=”magicbadge.js”> </script> is not a link.

Slide 31: Do not expect scripting to work. It might not!

Slide 32: Avoid confusion.

Slide 33: Don’t understand an icon?

Slide 34: Not sure if it’ll load?

Slide 35: Alternative text to the rescue!

Slide 36: Accessibility = SEO = Common Sense

Slide 37: Questions?

Slide 38: 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/