Website Evolution: From Fish Tale to High-Function

Marketing evolution in website development

Twenty-five years ago, I created my first website, Fishing With Bill, to showcase my passion for walleye fishing and promote my tournament sponsors. Since that time, I have witnessed an astonishing evolution in website development and digital marketing. In today’s competitive marketplace, a website isn’t a novelty anymore. Successful businesses and nonprofits understand the value of their digital presence. They know that a website is a key to increasing sales, building customer loyalty, and establishing brand recognition. Today, business and nonprofit leaders operate in a world of emerging artificial intelligence (Stay Ahead in SEO: Strike a Balance with AI-generated Content) and user-friendly, do-it-yourself website development options. It’s tempting to put on a “website developer’s hat” and think you can build the same website as a marketing company can build.

Websites Fulfill Their Marketing Potential

However, a website that’s simple to build is like an attractive cover on a book. While the book cover may look fantastic, the story inside may be a real dud. The same goes for websites. Thinking you’ll achieve exceptional marketing results, no matter what website developer, written content, or web platform you use, is an illusion. Webpages that aren’t built to attract visitors or get Google’s attention will fall short of their marketing potential. A website that’s “just OK” will achieve results that are “just OK.”

Modern, High-Functioning Marketing Tools

Will your business or nonprofit settle for a mediocre website that’s good enough? Or do you want a powerful, effective marketing tool that reaches your audience, makes you money, and builds your brand’s credibility? As a professional website developer since 2011, Packerland Websites has developed hundreds of modern, high-functioning marketing tools that lead to success.

Interactive, Optimized WordPress Websites

Instead of just a brochure on the internet, websites should be more interactive. Building an interactive website requires advanced design skills, especially on the “back end” of the website that visitors don’t see. Plus, a website should be easy to find. The WordPress websites we build have exceptional built-in search engine optimization (SEO) capabilities. SEO techniques help our clients rank on Google search engine results pages. Getting found in a crowded, competitive online marketplace is challenging. Yet it’s the first step to bringing visitors to your website where they can interact with your brand.

Versatile & Secure E-Commerce

Many companies want to create websites to sell their products online. Professionally developed e-commerce websites can exponentially expand your sales territory. Don’t miss out on easy sales with an inferior e-commerce store! A versatile, secure, and easy-to-manage e-commerce store doesn’t just happen. E-commerce websites require an attention to detail that only an experienced website developer can provide.

Accessibility for People with Disabilities

Accessibility is another factor to consider when designing a website. In addition to the obvious features like ramps, elevators, and closed captioning, the Americans with Disabilities Act also covers websites. Following ADA guidelines gives people with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else to engage with your website. (ADA Compliance for Websites: Stay Accessible and Out of Court).

Customer Service & Support

The final factor to consider in modern website development is the support available after a website is launched. At Packerland Websites, we take this customer service very seriously. We provide complimentary training and tutorials, enabling clients to update their websites with ease. For complex updates, clients can submit a support ticket to have their issue resolved within a week. Plus, they can call our offices in Green Bay, Wisconsin, or Marquette, Michigan, to talk with a native English-speaking website developer. Businesses and nonprofits with a DIY or AI-created website certainly don’t receive this level of customer service.

Contact Packerland Websites Today

Yes, it really matters who builds your website. Success hinges on the expertise of the developers and the advanced digital marketing tools they use. Our college-trained website developers create websites as tools to accomplish your specific goals. For a powerful, effective website, contact us today.

4 Tools to Ensure Website Accessibility, ADA Compliance

people pointing to the screen of a laptop computer to represent website accessibility

Only 3 percent of today’s websites are compliant the Americans with Disabilities Act. Yet that low percentage doesn’t necessarily safeguard your organization from potentially being sued for ADA noncompliance. Packerland Websites believes that following ADA guidelines doesn’t just avert messy court cases; it’s also the right thing to do. (Read our blog, ADA Compliance for Websites: Stay Accessible and Out of Court.) ADA guidelines give people with disabilities the same opportunity as everyone else to engage with your website.

Accessibility Guidelines & Common ADA Errors

Businesses and nonprofits have four essential tools to make their websites better comply with ADA guidelines. The first resource gives website owners a directory of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to follow. The quick reference lists WCAG 2 requirements and gives advisory techniques, examples of usage situations and examples where the website failed to meet the guidelines. Unless you are a website developer, this quick reference probably seems daunting. So, we’ll simplify this list and name the most common issues we see on websites that aren’t ADA compliant. Most commonly found ADA errors:

Low color contrast ratio of text, so text blends into the background, making it difficult to read
Alternative (alt) tags are missing for images. Alt tags are needed because screen reader software reads alt tags aloud, so users know what the image shows.
No announcement when the user navigates away from a website
A website isn’t navigable with keyboard only
Nondescript buttons like “Read More” or “Learn More” don’t include background code to tell the user where the button will take them
No Accessibility Statement which states the website owner’s efforts to be ADA compliant and a process to follow if a user experiences an ADA issue

Real-Time Evaluation & Feedback

The second resource is a browser extension to add an ADA guideline tool to a website. One extension we find helpful is the WAVE Evaluation Tool browser extension (link for Chrome users). This ADA tool evaluates web accessibility and provides feedback regarding accessibility issues. Additionally, WordPress plugins are sometimes added to a website for accessibility. Although they help a lot, WordPress Plugins are NOT a silver bullet for becoming ADA compliant.

Another online FREE option with nothing to download is https://www.experte.com/accessibility. We rarely endorse many third-party websites. With the EXPERTE.com Accessibility Test you can determine the accessibility your website. The tool crawls your website and checks for each subpage if it can be correctly displayed by screen readers. We really like that it will check multiple pages one scan and give screen shot results

Brand-Specific Accessibility Statements

The third resource is an Accessibility Statement Generator. An accessibility statement is an official, written commitment to support accommodations for all individuals with disabilities. The statement includes contact information for accommodation requests and remediation. The accessibility statement should be placed in the footer of every page of your website. We recommend using the Web Accessibility Initiative resource as an Accessibility Statement Generator tool.

Packerland Websites Offers ADA Services

Are the first three ADA-compliant website tools a bit over your head? We get it! The fourth and final resource is the Packerland Websites team. Packerland Websites created an ADA Compliance Report Card, so we can evaluate our clients’ websites and recommend ADA-accessibility updates. Because our team uses industry-leading practices to build websites on WordPress, our websites adapt well for people with disabilities. However, only a thorough evaluation of a website can show ADA accessibility for certain.

Websites that Engage People of All Abilities

These ADA-compliance resources are the Top 4 accessibility checking and standards tools that we recommend. The fourth resource, the Packerland Websites’ team, is the best of the four. Contact us link regarding a website review and ADA-accessibility report card for your website. We look forward to assuring that your organization meets ADA-compliance standards, so your website engages people of all abilities.

ADA Compliance for Websites: Stay Accessible & Out of Court

2 blind people walking with white canes to represent ADA Compliance for websites

A man wearing dark glasses walks into an optometrist’s office and says to the doctor, “Doc, I’m blind.” The doctor looks at him and says, “I see that,” to which the blind man responds, “Gee, you don’t have to rub it in!” This little joke innocently introduces you to a topic that’s no laughing matter. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) ensures individuals with disabilities have access to public services and public places. In addition to the obvious ADA features like ramps, elevators, and closed captioning, ADA regulations also cover websites. Our clients, as the owners of their websites, are ultimately responsible for making sure their website is accessible under the ADA guidelines, and therefore not vulnerable to legal action.

ADA Compliance: The Ethical and Business Benefits

Our team at Packerland Websites believes that following ADA guidelines doesn’t just help website owners avoid costly, cumbersome court cases. ADA compliance also is the right thing to do, ethically and business-wise. Complying with ADA guidelines gives people with disabilities the same opportunities as everyone else to engage with your website. Isn’t that what you want for your business or nonprofit?

Real-Life Consequences: Messy Legal Trouble

The following story really drives home this point. Recently, an Upper Michigan e-commerce company contacted us for advice. A New York attorney took advantage of an opportunity to sue the company for having an ADA-noncompliant website. Basically, the attorney argued that the website’s owner refused to work with people with sight impairments. However, the e-commerce company would have been willing to work with individuals who are sight-impaired and correct the noncompliance issues on the website, but they were unaware of these issues until the lawsuit was filed. By then, it was too late, and the UP company was required to pay a legal settlement and legal fees.

Quick Check: Is Your Website Required to be ADA Compliant?

Because of this ADA-noncompliance legal action, Packerland Websites is stepping up its messaging about ADA-compliant websites. So, you’re probably wondering, “Does my website need to be ADA compliant?” Most likely, the answer is Yes. Websites that are required to be ADA compliant:

Government websites and any organization receiving government money
Websites connected to businesses of public accommodation (hotels, stores, movie theaters, etc.)
Websites that sell goods or services
Websites intended for us by the general public

Taking Action: Bringing Your Website Up to ADA Standards

Your website probably falls into at least one of these categories. Surprisingly, less than 3 percent of today’s websites are ADA compliant. However, this statistic isn’t a strong defense in the event of an ADA lawsuit. Thus, we strongly encourage website owners, including our clients, to bring their websites up to ADA compliance levels. One primary goal of website design is to ensure that individuals with sight impairments and other disabilities have access to the material on a website in a way they can understand. Read about the four tools we recommend to check website accessibility and ADA compliance, then contact us to request ADA services.

Packerland Websites: Offering ADA Services

The Packerland Websites team can evaluate your website using our ADA-accessibility Report Card and recommend any remediation.

ADA Compliance: A Matter of Equality and Rights

The Americans with Disabilities Act isn’t a laughing matter. The ADA is serious protection, granting people with disabilities the same opportunities and rights as everyone else.

10 Essentials for Building a Great Municipal Website

Businesses aren’t the only entities that want a top-notch internet presence. Municipalities do, also. One important aspect of a municipality’s digital presence is its website. That’s where a city, village, or town can promote its brand in words and images.

Role of a Municipal Website

A municipal website performs multiple government-related roles:

Provide names and contact information of municipal leaders and department officials
Publish municipal meeting agendas and minutes as an additional way to comply with public notice laws
Inform residents of elections and polling information
List information about services like trash and leaf pick-up
Post municipal ordinances regarding snow removal, parking, pets, etc.
Post job openings, descriptions and application forms

A municipal website also performs multiple community-building roles:

Show prospective residents a slice of life
Highlight places of interest like parks and beaches
Attract business and industry with economic development information like available property and funding resources
Showcase events like a citywide rummage sale or concert series

Leveraging Social Media

To expand the reach of a municipal website, many municipalities publish a Facebook feed on their website. Others link their websites to their social media accounts: Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

Maintaining ADA Compliance

The overarching role of a website is to share information with visitors in a way that’s easy to find and understand for everyone, including people who are blind or use assistive technology. Thus, municipal websites are required to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Just like ramps for wheelchairs, websites need to prevent barriers to accessibility for those with disabilities. Individuals who are blind or use assistive technology need to be able comprehend the information on a municipal website. Fortunately, accessible design does not necessarily mean the price of a website skyrockets. ADA elements like color contrast and behind-the-scenes coding can be built into websites to maintain compliance.

Updating a Website with the Latest News

An easy-to-update website is a must for municipalities because of all the meeting agendas, public notices, minutes, and other information they post on a regular basis. A content management system like WordPress makes posting quick and intuitive. If a municipal official is familiar with Microsoft Word, it is likely to be easy to transition to WordPress. For website clients who need an introduction or refresher, the Packerland Websites team offers complimentary training, plus video and written tutorials.

Presenting a Municipality at Its Best

Lastly, a municipal website needs to be built by a professional who pulls together design, navigation, hosting, and security. To see these elements in action, view our portfolio of municipal websites.

3 Key Elements of Every Municipal Website

Fast-loading with reliable up-time, reducing frustration and wait time for website editors and visitors
Easy-to-navigate, funneling visitors quickly and easily to the webpages they want to view
Attractive-looking design, building a brand image that represents the municipality in its best light

Contact Packerland Websites

Every municipality needs a website, but government officials often lack the time, skills, and technology to create their own website. Packerland Websites partners with municipal leaders to design and manage websites that make you proud of where you live, work, and govern. If the website of your city, village or town is ready for a tune-up or complete rebuild, contact Packerland Websites.

What Municipalities Need to Know About Upcoming ADA Compliance

Marketing scare tactics are often used to get people to buy something, and what makes them even more effective is when they have some truth woven into their message.

A current website sales tactic targets entities in the public sector, like school districts and municipalities, and promotes compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Their sale pitch hinges on the premise that ADA compliance is inevitable and gives the impression you are already late.

The fear is that ADA compliance may become unreasonably expensive, technically difficult, and a real pain!

The scary truth is that accessibility to online content presented by public entities is in the process of being treated like accessibility to buildings. See https://www.ada.gov/websites2.htm

Here’s some background. ADA Title II requires that the programs, services and activities of public entities be accessible to people with disabilities. The U.S. Department of Justice is responsible for enforcing Title II and is also responsible for clarifying the rules surrounding accessible websites.

We believe that accessibility is important, and we predict that ADA compliance will become a mandate as time goes on. When this occurs, the requirements for handicapped accessible websites will be more strictly enforced.

The good news is this: An existing website, similar to an existing building, will be given more leeway in getting its accessibility up-to-date. One proposal granted municipalities two years in which to comply with the accessibility requirements.

More good news is that accessible design does not necessarily mean a lot of additional cost for the website owner. It’s possible that only small changes in color contrast or behind-the-scenes coding will be necessary to bring a website into compliance.

The third piece of good news is that the accessibility rules have not been formally adopted, so immediate compliance is unnecessary. Public entities have the opportunity to monitor the rule-making process of the USDOJ, watch for any new requirements and the exemptions that go with them, and note any deadlines set for ADA compliance.

A big challenge will be to find a website developer that you can get to know and trust. You will need someone to do the work with competence and timeliness, without a big price tag.

Packerland Websites is that developer. We have built websites for the local school district and for a number of municipalities. You can bet we’ll keep our eye on these compliance rulings and will be a trusted source for ADA compliance for your website, should the need arise.

In the meantime, don’t be swept away by the scare tactics of our competitors. It’s not worth it!