25 September 2006
It is possible for websites to be beautiful, search-engine friendly and still have high levels of accessibility, an expert at E-consultancy has claimed.
However, very few organisations have successfully struck the balance, stated the company's chief executive officer, Ashley Fredlein.
The expert asserted that many sites, particularly in the fashion and luxury sectors, are very visually appealing, but feature a great deal of Flash and DHTML, which can reduce accessibility.
"It would be good if we, the industry, could give examples of how beautiful sites can be built which are also accessible and search friendly," Mr Friedlein suggests.
"Personally I think that navigation, ease-of-use, functionality etc can be beautiful in terms of customer experience."
He continues to cite one online portal with a high level of accessibility which is "far more beautiful than the luxury brand's sites which I can barely navigate".
Gregory Burke, the founder of disability charity DisabledGo, recently told the BBC that accessible websites would help companies to make money, as disabled persons spend around £80 billion each year.
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