Three cheers for DDA compliance.
Google have recently passed comment on the whole Web 2.0 phenomenon; surely the very Earth itself must tremble with the weight of wisdom being imparted. No? Oh well.
So what have they said about Web 2.0? Basically it boils down to this: Make sure JavaScript is not the only route to your content. This is simple repetition of what they have been saying all along really.
However, before I get accused of Google bashing, I will say that this article includes some very sound advice, especially for UK sites. At the very core of Google’s message is "build a site to be accessible", and this is so relevant in the UK considering DDA compliance. The Disability Discrimination Act states that:
a service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services
.
It goes on to say:
What services are affected by the Disability Discrimination Act? An airline company provides a flight reservation and booking service to the public on its website. This is a provision of a service and is subject to the act
.
So, if your website provides a service (is providing information on your services considered a service?) then it must be accessible to all.
The DDA is the best thing to ever happen to search. Finally large, sluggish corporations are taking notice. Following years of advice from their SEO agencies, asking them to change this and that on their sites, suddenly the threat of a good old fashioned court case, bought by the disabled, in a high-profile media circus, suddenly makes them sit up and pay attention. Well, it would, wouldn’t it?
JavaScript is evaporating before our very eyes. Images without ALT text are suddenly growing the stuff overnight. SEO consultancy is getting easier; if your recommendations are backed up by confirmation from Google and the weight of legislation, they tend to be taken seriously.
However, with the cancerous spread of Web 2.0 (remind me to post my thoughts on this detestable phrase at some point) we are seeing more and more JavaScript being introduced into sites in the form of Ajax-driven, trendy front-ends. Don’t get me wrong, Ajax has its place and if implemented well and with accessibility in mind, it can be a fantastic addition to a site. Google Maps is a perfect example of this; disable JavaScript and you are presented with a plain HTML alternative. The experience is no way near as slick, but the service is provided and the information is available.
However, so many of these Web 2.0 sites are dying a death because the people commissioning them have been won-over by a flashy design and some exciting functionality, without giving a second though to either the disabled or their own search engine performance. Search engines take one sniff and turn their noses up in disgust at the perceived lack of content.
If your site is DDA compliant, then the chances are it is pretty accessible to search engines too.
Tags: accessibility, ajax, dda, Google, web 2.0