Ok, this was expected . . .

Hi all, been a bit busy recently, so missed the normal MLF, Twitter and FB action, anyway, I did say a while ago that I was going to get started on this Mobility Furniture eShop, well it has started! Finally got all the products up (via mySQL headaches), pricing structure etc, and now its a case of getting the rest of the subcategories in place, and getting the 700+ products in the right places.

Traffic is coming in nicely (this has always performed well, even before I worked "properly" on it).

Mobility Furniture
Wheelchairs & Accessories
Scooters

A couple of decent players in this field, but not much competition, and after checking their SEO out (and getting an offer from one, made me realise it was time to get in!) I do think I will be spanking them soon!

And I love a good challenge!

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Kip - if people are unfamiliar with a website they'll often checkout the About Us page - and it's currently blank...

...in fact I guess it's still uncompleted, as you've got Footer Text test test test - so not spanking them just yet, but may be after a few more tweaks!

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Cheers Mr B, still a fair bit of work to do yet, but spent a few days with my Pater, who is going to be doing some backend work too (teaching him the backend, he knows more about the product that I ever will)

So starting to generate search engine interest, best way to get +700 pages indexed? Drop a few links in MLF and SMM platforms!

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Just out of interest, 'cos I had a discussion about this with someone in this field not too long ago.

But since a lot of the buyers will be disabled themselves and could have say, a visual disability, do you plan to make sure the website is fully disability-compliant since you sell disability aids?

I know most people don't bother with this but I imagine for many, it would be seen as more important on a site like this.

Sure, many buyers will be relatives of the disabled perosn and may be fine, but there are bound to be disbaled buyers coming to the website who will want or expect the pages they browse, to be adeqate for their visits. It would be a major plus for you to be 100% compliant and then you could put up a star badge on your website to proclaim this, perhaps even a local and online press release about it to say that others dont comply (competitors) but you do. Just a thought.

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You mean to satisfy the DDA, (oct 2004), alt tags, font sizes etc?


http://www.delorie.com/web/lynxview....iture.co.uk%2F <<viewed in text only

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Good to see you are still busy, been missing your entries.

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Hey Mark, still alive, just been up to my neck in it! Hope you are well buddy!

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Yes to meet DDA. That link was dead by the way.

I worked on the software Jobcentre Plus/DWP use for processing ESA claim and you'd be surprised of the stuff that's involved before it was passed fit for purpose to meet DDA regs. Not just the basic obvious things but also stuff like, for example when using acronyms you should put the words in full followed by the acronym in brackets e.g. 'Employment Support Allowance (ESA)' and, no using full stops in ALT tags. So not just coding aspects either.

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Sorry, the link needed cookie history, which you obviously don't have from my machine!

I know the DDA very well, I helped champion it in Falmouth and some of the UK prior to it being released proper. It also spills over a bit like the Data Protection act, as long as you are showing willing to add extra help and support for a disabled person (a lot of shops had to add ramps, widen aisles etc), this could be as simple as a doorbell outside that alerted the staff, so they could pop out and help (some buildings could not have ramps, electric doors etc fitted), the text only site works, which was the main thing, I will get the text size in there shortly, before it goes completely live (thanks for that, I would have missed that).

A healthy 700+ pages indexed so far, and the products are not in the right categories yet, so the sitemap is due to treble in size and need the big G to get back in there, performing better than expected so far though, with a nice healthy sub 20 bounce rate

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Okay, I'm going to assume this website is not yet at the proof-read-to-b*ggery stage and leave the nitpicking aside.

It's a good-looking site. It looks a lot more professional than a lot of the other sites out there. I admit that there are quite a few companies that I know to be reputable (because I know the b&m businesses) but their websites are so shonky that I'd rather cough up the taxi fare and physically visit the store than purchase online with them. That's probably an unfair assessment - visual appeal is not related to security or efficiency - but I'm probably not the only person who's put off by an online shop that looks less-than-slick.

I tried the search feature within the site - I put in the two parameters that were most important to me on my first chair, which were "lightweight" and "folding". These are common desirable characteristics, but no results came back. I'm guessing this will resolve itself as more verbose product descriptions are added, but it's pretty important. Particularly in terms of the younger market of disabled adults, I'm damned if I'll spend ages clicking through every chair offered. I just want to be able to compare the 'maybes'.

I'd suggest making the contact details a little more prominent. Many of your customers will be first-time buyers, and the experience of acquiring impairment in adult life is both traumatic and confusing. There's a great deal to learn and it can be really helpful if you can ask a person for advice, rather than trying to figure it all out on your own. Another thing to consider is coding up some sort of questionnaire that asks a few multiple choice questions (price range, attendant/manual/power, weight of user, indoor/outdoor use, etc) and then suggests a choice of, say, five suitable chairs. Because honestly, the first time I was chair shopping I didn't even know what I was looking for or what was available.

I think Indizine is right that attention needs to be given to the accessibility of the site. Regardless of the DDA, or even the Equality Act (2010) which has now replaced it, if you're thinking of access in terms of legal compliance you're probably coming at it from the wrong end. Make it client-centric. It doesn't matter how pretty the site is, if Gran's screen reader won't work with it, she won't be impressed and won't want to give you her money.

It's the difference between grudgingly installing a bare lightbulb in your shop because the H&S officer said it was too dimly lit, and designing an attractive lighting setup that displays your wares to your customers in the way that is most attractive to them. Why wouldn't you want a website to have "usability by target market" at the top of the features list? Particularly with chairs like those currently listed which are more to do with low price and high durability, a big chunk of the market is going to be older people whose eyes are giving out alongside their legs.

Although, speaking as an incredibly stylish young(ish) crip cruising around on £6k of customised active user chair and loving my spending power... even though I don't use a screen reader myself, I will ALWAYS favour companies that have given proper thought to access, and I can confirm that within the disabled community it's a big selling point.

Lecture ceases, but please ask more questions... questions are good!

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