Content accessibility

1 - Findings & Impacts

Be careful when using Javascript to request your content

• Google is the only search engine that is able to interpret Javascript. Therefore, using it will penalize your website if you wish to rank on other search engines
• Javascript is also very 'greedy' resource-wise. Do not forget to bear in mind that the longer a page takes to execute, the more difficult it will be for Google to explore it.
• Google is able to render javascript but still needs links to navigate between pages.

2 - Recommendations

The content must be displayed directly in the HTML source code. They should not be called afterwards, especially not in Javascript

• Google recommends the use of "progressive improvement" in the design of a website (info here),
• Javascript should not be used to create backgrounds
• This approach to designing a site is called 'bottom-up' or 'layers' - the layers are developed from the most basic and the most universal to the most specific, as follows:

PE strategy consists of the following core principles:

1. Semantic layer (XHTML, XML):

• Basic content should be accessible to all web browsers
• Basic functionality should be accessible to all web browsers
• Sparse, semantic markup contains all content

2. Visual layer (CSS):

• Enhanced layout is provided by externally linked CSS

3. Event layer (JavaScript, AJAX):

• Enhanced behavior is provided by unobtrusive, externally linked JavaScript

4. End-user web browser preferences are respected