Aberconwy Websites

Most websites are designed and written by IT professionals.  Whilst this suits many organisations it has its limitations, the biggest being updating the site. 

What happens if you want to add a new product or service, move premises or change telephone numbers etc ...?  Chances are any of these changes will mean you will need to re-employ your web designer. 

Wouldn't it be better if you could write your own articles in the same way as you would say a Microsoft Word document? 

Well now you can with our Content Management System. Even better, the system is written in Joomla! which is supported by a network of 1000s of developers worldwide, numerous textbooks and countless webpages.

Joomla! is a content management system or operating system.  The easiest way to think of it is you need Windows installed on a PC to make it do anything, well you need an operating system installed on the Internet to be able to do anything.  The reasons we use Joomla! are that it is free and that it is widely supported.  The code Joomla! is made with is what is called 'Open Source' this means that like minded individual developers get together accross the world via the Internet to create Joomla! and its associated extensions.  Try Googling Joomla! or take a visit to Amazon and have a look at all the books written on the subject.  There are many content management systems out there some good, some bad, some free, some not so free but with out question Joomla! is the best supported and most versitile.

Basically there are three reasons to consider accessibility when designing a website. The first is a legal implication.  The UK Disability Discrimination Act (1999) creates legal obligations on organisations and companies to ensure that people with disabilities can access their products and services.  Whilst the Act stops short of stating that ALL websites are legally required to conform to certain regulations it does state that companies maybe liable if they don't make their services accessible.  The second reason is a moral one, why should a user with say a visual impairment not be able to use your site just because you haven't considered their needs?  Especially when you consider that your website maybe the only way they can gain access to such a product or service.  The third reason is a business reason, there are over 8 million registered people with a disability in the United Kingdom alone, can you afford not to market your business to them?

How do you know if your current website is accessible?  The easiest way is to use an online webchecker like WAVE.  On the Wave website you can input your domain name and check for errors.  Or you could also employ a tester, someone with visual impairment perhaps?  They will have screen reading software and will be able to inform you of any areas of your site that are inaccessible.  Aberconwy websites have their own testers and we will be happy to quote, should you wish to employ our services.