Colour blindness It is estimated that one in 12 men and one in 200 women have some form of colour blindness (http://www.iee.org/Policy/Areas/Health/cvdintro.cfm). You can check how Internet users with different strains of colour blindness are viewing your website at http://www.tesspub.com/colours.html.

Deaf users Deaf users are able to access Internet in much same way as able-bodied people with one key exception – audio content. If it is a key function of your website for people to be able to hear a message, then be sure to provide written transcripts.

Keyboard/voice only users Some of your site users do not have access to a mouse when browsing Internet. Try putting yourself in their position by navigating your website using only tab, shift-tab, and return keys.

Other users Other people who may access your website that have disadvantages include: 1 Epileptic users who must always be careful to avoid seeing flickering between 2 and 55 Hz 2 Web users from outside your industry who may not understand industry jargon or acronyms 3 Web users whose first language is not English and who may not be able to comprehend complicated language

To really put yourself in position of one of these web users try out DRC’s inaccessible website demonstration at http://www.drc-gb.org/newsroom/website.asp.

Secret Number 2 - Interaction

Goto your website. Just look at it. Go through a few pages. Imagine that you had hit 'Print' on each of those pages. Would experience of reading pages in hardcopy be exactly same as reading them on screen? If it would you don't own a website - you own an expensive brochure. Interaction is why internet was born - it is one attribute and opportunity that sets medium apart from print and anything else. Your website needs to be littered with things that enable interaction between you and your visitors. Feedback forms, downloads, bookmarking tools, contact options, newsletters etc.

Information and interaction - together these are only things that matter when it comes to internet. Now go back, look at your site and appraise it honestly in terms of how well it addresses each of two facets. Is it full of interactive features that enable people to get closer to your business and control their browsing experience? Does it provide lots of valuable information that is easy to find? Armed with these two secrets you can start to truly harness real power of internet. Good luck!

Michael Cheney Sales & Marketing Director, magnet4web.com (c)