There is much talk today about SEO tips (Search Engine Optimization tips) and how to land higher in a SE’s (Search Engine) SERPS (Search Engine Results Position). But little is talked about how properly used “White Hat” SEO techniques will inadvertently assist in website accessibility.Â

Most times it’s very true, that marketing a websites and accessifying a website will butt heads. Accessibility states that content is king, and end-user usability/accessibility must prevail before any marketing hype - and especially any “black hat” usage. SEO has stated in the past that alls fair in love and SERPS! Accessibility was not considered, sometimes not even a option.Â

Well, fast forward into the ever evolving world of SEO. Content has always been prime SEO consideration, but never more than now. In fact, content - and more importantly for this article - accessible content stands as the basis for all SEO work. Next to the high priority of obtaining Incoming Back links (IBL) from that high PR (PageRank) site that drive so many SEO professionals crazy, there is, “The Copy” (The Content).Â

Keyword rich copy is important, yes, but now it seems more than ever, that the actual layout, or page markup - of a website - needs to be rich. Rich in accessibility. If you think about it, when a user has problems accessing a site, whether it be inaccessible navigation, or content way “below the fold” - while advertisements about Viagra are at the top of the page, what do you think a SE’s searchbot will think (can they think?)Â

SE’s are becoming much more capable in their discernment of a page or site that is targeting real people, or just trying to make an AdSense buck. So the shift has been for the good of accessibility!Â

When a person wants a website built for their Mom-and-Pop store, what I like to ask them is a very simple question (among many other questions of course), “Do you have an older Aunt/Uncle/relative that has a sight impairment, or do you know of anyone who suffers from any disability?” Most times, statistics tell us that they do know of a loved one who fits that category. I then launch into my “Accessibility Statement”. As I evangelize the accessibility movement (Web Design Standards Movement), I most likely will get the reply of, “that sounds great…but will that help my website be on Google’s top ten in one month?”Â

I’m sorry to say, but unless you’re linked from Google itself, along with 5 other PR10 sites, you’re gonna be sandboxed for awhile! But - and this is a big but - accessifying your website will most definitely help your SERPS in the long run!Â

About the AuthorÂ

Martin Espericueta has been involved in Web Design Standards for four years now. As a member of the Web Standards Group, as well as membership in the Guild of Accessible Web Designers, Martin strives to achieve maximum accessibility in his designs, while using the latest, cutting-edge eXtensible HyperText Mark-up Language/CSS markup. These coding practices fully validate with the W3C stanÂ

Web Design: Advanced SEO with Web Design Templates customizationÂ

(Thu Apr 19th, 2007, by Dave Collado)Â

One of the most frequently asked questions we receive about our web design templates is, “Do the forms, newsletters subscriptions and search fields on your web design templates actually work, and how will the search engines be able to find and index my web design template?”Â

I’m glad you asked! Any web design template purchase alone (meaning a purchase that do not include professional customizations) consists of the design only (or just the web design template PSD file(s), HTML file(s), Flash files(s) fonts etc.); custom design such as programming, SEO (search engine optimization) or scripting is not included. All forms such as a newsletter subscription or a search field are inactive.Â

Web design template Customization
Notwithstanding professional customizations may be purchased separately to fit that individual business’s needs. Please, check the price list here or chat with a design consultant now to ask about our low budget customization package now only $349.99. To make your web site based on our web design template unique our low budget package comprises customizing the site name, changing links, adding your logo, contact form script, and up to 5 pages of content; up loading and testing of site to your server also included.Â

Search Engine Optimization
Fact of the matter is that the esthetics characteristics of your web design template are of no or little relevance to having visitors find your site; conversely Google (or most major search engines) play a major roll in this equation. First of all if you have no idea what a search engine really is, you should check out some of these articles (for example PageRank in a Nutshell or How Do Search Engines Work?) available at http://foamers.net/blogger/archives/category/google-pagerank/ right now. Are you going? You should go…. I can’t hear the mouse clicking!Â

Now that you understand how search engine really work; another really useful resource you’ll want to discover is Google’s Webmaster tools. If you do not already use Gmail or some other type of Google Account services you’ll need to create one before you can access this service. Webmaster tools is something very special indeed, and not just cause it’s free, but because it’s stacked with some really awesome statistics, diagnostics for the management of Google’s crawling and indexing of your website, as well as many answers to sometimes very hard to find optimization questions you’d wished you knew the answer to. To learn more about Google and how to optimize your web design template for higher ranking, got to http://www.google.com/webmasters/Â

But I digress. Listen, besides substituting the dummy text on your web design template with your own text and weather you choose a Flash web design template or whatever the underlining technology used to built your web design template may be, the long and short of it is that this is merely the beginning; depending on what skills you posses, you’re going to have to make some choices. If you have experience in Flash and HTML then you should think about making these customizations yourself. Also our after sales template help section provides lots of comprehensive web design template editing tutorials that would give you a great start.Â

On the other hand, if you prefer to avoid HTML like the plague. Then professional customizations are a great solution provided, that together your template customization specialist and you have a clear understanding of your individual business needs and everything that is to be expected upon completion.Â

About the AuthorÂ

Dave Collado is the Senior Design Consultant at www.foamers.net who provides quality website templates customization, Flash templates customization, CSS templates, web design tutorials, and many other web design and web hosting services. This article may be republished providing it remains fully intact. Please attribute the author by name and link (URL).

For more info please visit: http://www.semaphore-software.com/web/web_design_multimedia.htmÂ