Presentation at an internal SEO summit about the overlap of Accessibility and SEO

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

2. Finding common
ground

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

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

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

6. What do we think
humans want?

7. BIG SHINY THINGS!

8. So this is how we
build web sites.

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!

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

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

13. Titles: the first
impression.

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

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

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

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

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

19. Keywords &
Descriptions?

21. How is all of this
accessibility?

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

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

24. What about
headings?

25. Steps to a better developer life Getting
rid of existing problems Click the start
button on your Windows Select quot;Shut
Downquot; 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

26. Steps to a better developer life
Getting rid of existing problems
• Click the start button on your windows
• Select quot;Shut Downquot;
• 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

27. Provide hooks and
milestones.

28. Do not overpromise,
it causes grief.

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

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

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

32. Avoid confusion.

33. Don’t understand an
icon?

34. Not sure if it’ll load?

35. Alternative text to
the rescue!

36. Accessibility
=
SEO
=
Common Sense

37. Questions?

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/