Mild-mannered designer by day…
I don’t actually think I’m a superhero. I mean, many people have this notion that superheroes have genetic mutations and have superpowers. Neither of which I have. Unless you count being a triplet as a genetic mutation 😉
Avoid the ticking time bomb with this podcast
There really is a ticking time bomb on most Shopify stores. All e-commerce stores for that matter.
It’s a hot topic that comes up every few months and yet we still don’t have a viable solution.
I’m talking about web accessibility.
Web accessibility ensures there are no barriers that prevent people with disabilities from interacting with or accessing your website.
Many merchants say they can’t do anything to improve their website accessibility because the platform itself, themes, or apps they use aren’t accessible.
I call B.S.
YOU can decide this is important. Push back on your vendors and demand for change. Make accessible design elements. Take responsibility for how customers access your shop.
A new podcast I recorded with Kurt Elster of Ethercycle on web accessibility goes in-depth on what merchants get out of having an accessible website and quick tips you can do now to avoid an explosion in your face.
Tools referenced from the podcast and more:
Does my website have to be compliant with ADA (article)
SEO Tip: Create an accessible website with this checklist (article)
10 Things People With Disabilities Wish Online Retailers Knew (article)
WebAim’s WCAG 2 Checklist (resource)
WebAim Color Contrast Checker (resource)
Text on background image a11y check (resource)
Accessible Brand Colors (resource)
axe – Web Accessibility Testing Chrome Extension (tool)
Disable HTML Chrome Extension (options to remove CSS, Javascript and HTML (tool)
Disable javascript for Chrome (tool)
Fable – User testing for accessibility (hire help)
If you’re concerned about basic accessibility issues on your Shopify website, you might consider buying my Website Rescues. I ensure basic accessibility fundamentals are included and clean up dozens of other problems that impact Shopify sites.
JSON-LD for SEO
Get more organic search traffic from Google without having to fight for better rankings by utilizing search enhancements called Rich Results.
Linking Llama
Link discontinued products to their best substitute. Keep discontinued products published on your website and continue to benefit from traffic to these pages.