Easy to find
and easy to use!
Web sites need designing from the outset to be search engine friendly, usable and accessible
Optimization Intro
Web site optimization is generally concerned with Search Engine Optimization (SEO) but sites should also be optimized for humans! The function and usability is very important because if it don't work as expected or gets you easily lost, then visitors aren't going to stay very long. Accessibility is also very relevant. Blind, disabled or old people are not the only ones who can benefit from web pages that cater for their needs.
Search Engine Optimization
Google, Yahoo and MSN are the three most used search engines and full-time professionals charge a lot of money to get your site on the first page of Google SERPs (search engine results pages). After all, if someone types "xwidget" into Google and your site is at the top of the results, a lot of people are likely to come your way. SEO is not an exact science, however, and there is no sure-fire formula to get to Number One, but there are plenty of things which will definitely help your site become more visible in search engines. A good understanding of such things as back links, keyword selection and content optimisation is essential before launching a site. Otherwise there will be a lot of rewriting when you discover nobody is finding what you are offering.
Usability
Many designers are obsessed with producing a stunning visual impact and I cannot fault that. Many designers, however, overlook the fact that people with modems, handheld devices or old computers may never see their creations because they take so long to appear on the screen. When targetted at a particular niche audience this may be just fine. But most websites want to reach as many people as possible and so the site has to be usable. Mystery, glamour or brilliance can be intriguing but the inclusion of some simple navigation, easily scanned text and obvious conventions will make the site function so much better. A usable site is a joy for users because they easily find what they are looking for and don't have to tax their brains or twiddle their thumbs to get around it.
Accessibility
As more and more people use the web, so more and more of these people have accessibility problems. Not everyone has broadband so music downloads are out, sites like Flickr, Second Life or Myspace are far too slow to navigate and video sites are out of the question. I've never used these sites so I don't know what I am missing but I certainly feel excluded from discussion about them.
Update: I have now got broadband and it is a completely new way of life! Things load so fast that it is very difficult to know how fast they are loading on a modem. Hopefully broadband will completely replace modems but till that day comes, it is still best to take care with large file sizes.
So how would I feel if I was visually, audially, physically or mentally impaired and I couldn't access the 'average' sites I visit now? No more shopping online, for myself or for my friends, and constant frustration at finding search results but then not being able to access the site? It would probably drive me away from participation and many sites would be poorer without me. I am not saying I am anything special, but that exclusion hurts the excluder as well as the excluded. The bottom line is that all sites should build at least minimum accessibility into their design or they risk damaging their own bottom line - losing 10% and more of their visitors.
Summary
Optimising is not the icing on the cake. It is necessary from the outset so that a site can be visible, usable and accessible to all the right visitors. Thankfully there are many no-nonsense ways to get the best from a site and help it grow in the right direction. 01010 can help you optimise appropriately.