how to create top ranking searchable and accessible documents chris pollett and elizabeth tu april,...

How to Create Top Ranking Searchable and Accessible Documents

Chris Pollett and Elizabeth Tu

April, 2010

Agenda

Part I Tips in Making Top Ranking Searchable Pages Tips in Making Accessible Documents

The LIST What are the Common Elements?

Part II Instructions on Creating Accessible Documents References

2Center for Faculty Development and Support

Tips in Making Top Ranking Searchable Pages

Elements in creating top ranking searchable pages: Anchor Text

Provide relevant descriptions for the title of content page, non-text information such as, images, programs, databases, links, navigation map, etc.

Link Structure Provide a variety of relevant external links pointing to

your site, links with anchor text and pointing to a variety of different links


Tips in Making Top Ranking Searchable Documents (continued)

Meta Tags Provides meta html or xhtml elements to explain

the page via keywords or other structured header elements so as the page will be grouped correctly

Keyword Frequency and Relevancy Provides relevant and repeated keywords for your

page to receive higher ranking or increase traffic


Tips in Making Accessible Documents

Accessible documents Digital documents which can be read by screen

reader software for users with disabilities

The LIST - To be considered as accessible documents, there

are four elements: Links Images Structure Tables


What are the Common Elements?

For creating top ranking searchable pages Anchor text , meta tags, keyword frequency

and relevancy to increase traffic or top ranking by the search engine for your page

For creating accessible documents Consider any Links, Images, and Structure

elements in your document.


PART II

INSTRUCTIONS ON CREATING ACCESSIBLE DOCUMENTS

7Center for Faculty Development and

Support

Links

If there are any web links in your documents, make sure to include the following information Provide a meaningful name for the website Add the URL web address Link the name of the website


Links (continued)

Instructions on how to create hyperlinks for your documents in MS Word 2007:

1. Highlight the name of the web site

2. On the Insert tab select Hyperlink from the Links group


Support

Links (continued)

3. In the Insert Hyperlink window, enter the URL in the Address box at the bottom.

4. Click OK.


Support

Links (continued)

Here is a sample of the name of the website which has been hyperlinked and URL displayed.

Note: The more relevant links you include in your document with anchor text and the more links pointing to your website, the more traffic you will have for your page.


Links (continued)

Why do I need to hyperlink the name of the website?

A: Screen reader software such as, JAWS, can provide a list of hyperlinks for users with disabilities. It is more meaningful to read the name of the website than the long URL or click here. See a sample of the Links list generated by JAWS below.


Images

If there are images, graphics, figures or any non-text information in your document, make sure to include descriptive alternative texts or caption.

1. Right-click on the image and select Format Picture at the bottom.


Images (continued)

2. In the Format Picture window, click the Alt Text tab.

3. Enter descriptive information in the Alternative text box.

4. Click OK .


Structure

Why is it important to have a structure for your document?

A: Screen reader software can provide a listing of heading style for users with disabilities to navigate quickly to any parts of the document. See a sample of the Heading list generated by JAWS below.


Structure

Instructions on how to assign heading style in MS Word 2007.

1. On Home tab, click on the More icon in the Styles group.


Structure (continued)

2. In the More Style pop-up box select your desirable style such as, Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc.



3. Go to View tab and check the Document Map box in Show/Hide group.

4. A list of your assigned heading style will appear on the Document Map panel on the left.



5. To change the style, right click the heading style and select Modify…



6. A preview of the format and specification of your default heading style will be displayed. Any changes you make in the Modify Style window will be reflected throughout your entire document .



7. Click on the Format button on the lower left corner and select Paragraph.

8. In the Paragraph window, use the Before and After boxes in the Spacingarea to format the spacing between paragraphs instead of using the carriage returns.

Note: Carriage returns will be read as “blank.”


Table

If you have any tabular information in your document, use Table instead of tab keys to organize it

Plan the sequence of your tabular information carefully. Screen reader reads the table from left to right, one cell at a time , and from the top row to the next.

Make sure to repeat header row when table expands to more than one page.


Table (continued)

Instructions on how to repeat header row in MS Word 2007.

1. Select the header row.

2. Right click it and select Table Properties .


Table (continued)

3. From Table Properties window click Row tab

4. Check the box next toRepeat as header rowat the top of each page.

5. Click OK.


Summary

Reaching out to as many people as

you can…


References

Definition of Anchor Text at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchor_text

The Anatomy of a Large-Scale Hypertextual Web Search Engine at http://infolab.stanford.edu/~backrub/google.html

Top 5 Ranking Factor at http://www.seomoz.org/article/search-ranking-factors

Traffic Generation Tips at http://ultimatetrafficblueprint.com/blog/2008/01/07/what-is-a-natural-link-structure/

Thanks to Chris Pollett for introducing the elements in creating top-ranking searchable pages

Thanks to Jean Shiota for providing technical support
