Lawsuits – Website Accessibility

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The number of Federal Website Accessibility lawsuits has tripled in 2018!

That is, the number of lawsuits against companies alleging that plaintiffs with a disability could not use websites because they were not coded to work with assistive technologies or otherwise accessible to them exploded in 2018 with an alarming 177% increase from 2017! There are no signs of it slowing down either. 

In case you aren’t familiar with the regulations, Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.0 AA) is the guide used to provide website accessibility for disabled visitors. Because website accessibility is a civil right, there are a growing number of individuals taking legal action against companies who are not in compliance.

What can you do?  If you are newly designing a website or redesigning, it is imperative to design for inclusion! Make sure your web developer understands the regulations and is implementing them as the site is being designed.  If you currently have a website, have it reviewed for compliance and fix anything that would hinder accessibility.  

If you have any questions or need help with website compliance, give us a call or shoot us an email 315.797.5088, [email protected]. 

Your ADA compliance specialist.

Web Hosting: Keeping Your Website Live

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In order to make your website accessible on the World Wide Web, you need to have it hosted. With website hosting, your hosting service houses your website on its server and connects it to the Internet.

Website hosting is different from your site’s actual domain name. Like hosting, domain names are renewed on a yearly basis, so the two are often confused. Think of them this way: the domain name is like your website’s street address, but the hosting is its actual home.

Hosting can vary based on the complexity of your website – a static, one-page website will only need the most basic hosting, while sites that will employ a Content Management System (CMS) or use eCommerce will require hosting that can accommodate databases and applications that are part of the CMS, such as a database of news articles. If you will have data that should be kept secure (credit cards numbers, personally identifiable information, et al), you will need a Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificate through your website host.

Brockett Creative Group’s hosting through its subsidiary tSpark allows you to use the hosting that you need based on your website requirements. tSpark hosting also guarantees a 99.95% uptime, because your website isn’t effective if it’s not connecting to the Internet.

To learn more about hosting with tSpark, email or call us at 315-797-5088.

Media Buys: Purchasing Advertising in Traditional Media

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When you’re running a business in any capacity, you want to focus on moving forward and upward, not get bogged down in minutia. Among the more dreaded of these tasks is media buying, or the purchase and placement of advertisements for television, radio, and print.

Considerations that go into a media buy include:

  • Time slot
  • Ad length (radio and television) or size (print)
  • Channel(s)
  • Publication(s)
  • Page placement (print)

There are several benefits to using an agency such as Brockett Creative Group to do your media buying. The agency advocates for your business (and your budget) and monitors and audits all aspects of the media buy on your behalf. We will get tear sheets – which help determine if the ad was 100% accurate – as well as spot check ads by tuning in or reviewing them in the publication.

At times, print ads can be printed where the image is blurred, was printed in black and white rather than color, with images cut off, or an entirely wrong ad was run. Similarly, with television and radio advertising, the ads running may be cut short or be the wrong ad. The agency then works on your behalf with the media outlet to make good on any of these errors.

An advertising agency like Brockett Creative Group can not only take on this duty for you, but we can also work on the advertisements themselves. Email or call us at 315-797-5088 to get buying those ad placements!

Better Together: Online/Offline Marketing Integration

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Online and offline marketing strategies can be very effective when done right. Both methods are designed to attract the attention of potential customers and continue to hold the attention (and hopefully affection) of current customers.

There are several methods Brockett Creative Group uses to integrate these two facets of brand marketing:

 

  • We ensure that your online and offline marketing efforts have a consistent look and message, so that the consumer’s opinion of your brand is reinforced each time they see one of your marketing pieces (be it a business card or an advertisement on YouTube).
  • Quick Response (QR) Codes can also be an effective marketing tool. They can be used on business cards so that contact information can be loaded and saved directly to one’s contact list, they can be used on print ads to take the consumer to the commerce page on your website, or they can be used on a poster in a window so passersby can get information about an upcoming event.
  • Trackable links are used to show you what is driving traffic to your website. For example, you may include a coupon in a specific publication with a unique url (let’s say yourproduct.com/coupon). The consumer types that address into their browser to visit the page, and your analytics will tell you that the traffic came from your investment in the publication. Not only will your website get more hits, but you will also be able to tell which marketing vehicles provide you with the greatest return on investment, allowing you to strategically spend your marketing budget.

To begin integrating your online and offline marketing, email or call Brockett Creative Group at 315-797-5088.

Website design: More Than Just a Pretty Homepage

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Chances are, the first thing you notice about a website is how it looks – a good-looking website is far more likely to engage you than one that is displeasing to look at for any reason. The look is also what many people think of first when it comes to website design, but there is much more to it than one might first imagine.

Like your logo, your website is a representation of your brand that should reflect your corporate purpose and values. Its design should incorporate the various aspects of your brand identity (logo, colors, etc.) into a cohesive site that is pleasing to the eye.

In addition to having the right look, a website must also be designed to be functional and user-friendly. You could have the most attractive website that was ever created, but if visitors cannot navigate and use it easily, it will be for naught. Sitemaps and wireframes are the first steps to structuring a website that will offer users a positive web experience – they’re like blueprints for a building. From there, we can accommodate any number of website applications, from photo galleries to contact forms to shopping carts.

The ever-growing use of mobile technology also impacts website design. Responsive Web Design(RWD) allows your website to perform optimally on such mobile devices as smartphones and tablets. Good RWD allows users to view and interact with the site as easily and comprehensively as you can on a desktop or notebook. eCommerce sites can also be adapted with RWD, so customers can make purchases at their convenience.

At Brockett Creative Group, we design your website with both form and functionality in mind – the end products reflects your brand and provides a quality user experience. Email us or call us at 315-797-5088, and let’s discuss how we can optimize your website’s design.

What’s Up with Website Apps?

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At their most basic, website applications (apps) help users interact with your website, adding value to their experience.

Web applications are what allow us to have the interactive experience with websites that we enjoy today, unlike the static websites of the past. Any time you fill out an information form, login, use a shopping cart, check webmail (e.g. Gmail), use a map, or manage your website with a Content Management System, you are using a website application. They are also what allow websites to store information that you provide so that you don’t have to re-enter it with every interaction (think credit cards on your go-to shopping sites).

Web applications are also built to be compatible with any number of browsers and operating systems, so someone using an iPhone during the day and a PC at night will have a consistent experience.

Proper coding of web applications is essential, as weak coding can lead to security vulnerability. Considering the information gathered and stored by these apps, any security weakness has the potential for devastating consequences.

Among the web applications built by Brockett Creative Group are:

  • MyPath, an app that allows site users to create and organize destination itineraries
  • Job and Internship Placement that connects job seekers with employers and offers job search tips and information

If you’d like to learn more about how BCG can help you with applications for your website, email us or call us at 315-797-5088.