Denver Web Design & Denver SEO - The Katz Web Design Blog

osCommerce accessibility stinks

osCommerce default installation is a huge mess for accessibility. Every piece of code that the platform spits out has endless tables and poorly coded HTML — finding your way through the code is like trying to clear brush.

The simple solution to osCommerce accessibility is to install the Simple Template System and put together a XHTML/CSS’ed out template.  That only solves one part of the problem, however, because your wonderful template is going to be wrapping around a whole slew of undesirable code.

Over a year ago, a client of mine wanted an osCommerce website. I wanted to create a masterpiece of accessibility. I tackled osCommerce head-on and re-wrote most of the code that creates the HTML.  It was a nightmare, but I created a nearly validating eCommerce website with osCommerce.

The experience was so scarring that I haven’t yet written about it Nearly every file was affected, so upgrading it would be a nightmare, but it’s truly an effort of love.

KWD presents: a nearly validating, tableless osCommerce website

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In anticipation of a magazine ad in Denver magazine 5280, we launched two static web pages featuring properties.

• 2250 South Marion Street
• 2372 South Humboldt Street

These pages are a preview to the WordPress real estate website I’ve been working on.  The complete site will be coming soon, including some nifty features that someone should turn into plugins!

Katz Web Design has just completed a landing page for Dish Network (a Fortune 300 company) to help them streamline their hiring process.

(By the way, if you’re looking for a sales job near Denver, Colorado [in Littleton], check out Dish. They’ve got great packages for sales representatives.)

The purpose of a landing page (or “Squeeze page,” “Funnel page”, or “Lead capture page&rdquo is to keep the user focused on only what you want them to do. In this case, Dish wanted users to:

1. Fill out a form to start their job application process
2. Become informed of the job benefits
3. Get directions to the application location

The landing page design is done in PHP, allowing for future expandability. This allows the text and images to be swapped out dynamically. The one landing page design can be used for many different job positions and locations, even different languages.

I will be writing articles based on the research and results from the landing page design in the near future, including A/B testing, dynamic content with PHP, Google Analytics & Adwords tracking, and more.

What would you like to know about landing page web design?

Ignite Matchmaking is a professional matchmaker in Denver, Colorado. Sheryl Williams, President of Ignite asked Katz Web Design to increase the effectiveness of her website. The Previous Ignite Matchmaking Homepage was not visually interesting, had little information about the matchmaking process, and was not well constructed (using XHTML and CSS).

The new home page has a graphic that outlines the five steps and calls users to action with a simple choice: I am a Man or I am a Woman. The site now has a blog that will entice visitors to stay longer.