Expert: SEO could suffer as a result of bad accessibility

29/07/2008

Websites that are inaccessible for internet users with a disability may also be an indicator of inadequate search engine optimisation strategies, it has been claimed.

Businesses who fail to account for the needs of the 8.5 million disabled people who currently live in the UK could be missing out on the opportunity to tap into a "huge" market, according to E-consultancy's Graham Charlton.

Furthermore, an inaccessible site could also mean that the web property has not been properly optimised for search engines, he explained, stating: "If your website's not accessible for disabled users, the chances are that your search engine optimisation is not that great either."

According to Mr Charlton, about 3.5 million people in the UK are unable to utilise a normal keyboard - something that website designers might want to consider when developing a new site.

Tips suggested by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative include filling in alt tags with the most appropriate text, providing captions and transcriptions for audio content and enabling sensible line-by-line reading in tables.