Newsletter issue #35 - 1st February 2007
This issue
Hello and welcome to the February edition of the Webcredible newsletter!
In this issue:
- Feature article: Wikiasari - The convergence of usability and SEO?
- Top tip: Improve search results pages
- Useful program: Aardvark Firefox add-on
- Top link: DOM scripting & accessible JavaScript articles
- New articles in January
- Webcredible news in January
- Desk space available!
Enjoy!
Feature article: Wikiasari - The convergence of usability and SEO?
Wikipedia has announced they'll be releasing a new kind of search engine, one that ranks websites based on user reviews. This could fundamentally shake up the way search rankings are decided, as rankings will essentially become based on the user experience. So is this the end of search engine optimisation as we know it? Find out in this month's feature article...
Read this article in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/web-usability/wikiasari-seo.shtml.
Top tip: Improve search results pages
The usability of search results pages is of course essential. By running a search, users generally expect to find the information they're looking for quickly and efficiently. Follow these essential search results page guidelines and you'll be helping them no end:
- Repeat the search terms It's crucial that you remind users of the exact search terms they searched under, by placing the search terms in a highly prominent and easily visible place. This basically reminds users of the precise phrase they searched for and makes it easy for them to slightly refine their search based on the previous search terms (especially important if they made a spelling mistake).
- Allow users to easily search again If users aren't happy with their search results, it's crucial that they can easily search again. This is particularly important if the search didn't return any results. The obvious way to achieve this is to ensure that the search function is in a prominent place on the results page.
- Clearly display the number of results So as to immediately set expectations for users, do be sure that your search results clearly display the exact number of results that have been returned. This information can also help users decide whether to refine their search or not.
- Check for search terms that render no results There will often be a number of search terms regularly searched for that return no results, particularly for words commonly misspelt (such as the word, 'accessibility'!). By monitoring search terms you can tweak your search engine so that a search for 'accesability' automatically redirects to a search for 'accessibility'.
Useful program: Aardvark Firefox add-on
The Aardvark Firefox add-on, as the name suggests, only works in Firefox and actually offers rather limited functionality. It does have one fantastic feature however that makes it worth installing - a page clean-up prior to printing. Simply select the area of the page you want to print (usually the main content area) and it'll ensure that only this gets printed, resizing it perfectly on to the paper.
You can download this handy program at addons.mozilla.org/firefox/4111/.
Top link: DOM scripting & accessible JavaScript articles
Webcredible has recently launched a new articles section on our site, for DOM scripting & accessible JavaScript. If you're involved in front-end coding and what to find out how to use JavaScript to improve usability and accessibility then this new resources area is for you!
View this useful information at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/dom-scripting.
New articles in January
Read these and many other articles at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources.
Webcredible news in January
- Desk space available in Webcredible offices
- Newsletter subscriptions top 10,000
Read these news stories in full at www.webcredible.co.uk/about-us/latest-news.shtml.
Vote in our poll
We're running a poll to find out what you do online when looking for insurance. We'd really appreciate it if you took a moment to vote in our poll - it'll only take about 10 seconds of your time!
Put your opinion across and vote in our poll at www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/polls.
Training courses
Courses continue to sell out well in advance! Our next training courses will take place in our training centre in Aldgate, London in February and February:
- Usability testing training - Monday 19th February. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our usability testing training page.
- Writing for the web training - Tuesday 20th February & Tuesday 20th March. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our writing for the web training page.
- Web usability training - Wednesday 21st February & Wednesday 21st March. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web usability training page.
- Web accessibility training - Thursday 22nd February & Thursday 22nd March. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our web accessibility training page.
- Advanced CSS training - Friday 23rd February & Friday 23rd March. For more information and to reserve your place before it fills up please consult our advanced CSS training page.
About Webcredible
Based in London, UK, Webcredible is a user experience consultancy. Tailor-made usability, accessibility & design solutions include:
- User-centered design
- Accessible web design
- CMS services
- Usability
- Accessibility
- Training
- Website review lite
Please contact us on 0870 242 6095 or info at webcredible.co.uk, or consult www.webcredible.co.uk for further information.