Sitemorse | Blog

Make sure you spend all of this year’s budget

6 Dec 2019, 9 a.m.

Budget’s are often tight, so it’s a good idea to not waste an opportunity to invest in your website and the team that run it. If your financial year ends on 31st December, don’t let your 2019-2020 left over budget go to waste.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 49 – website accessibility in retail

5 Dec 2019, 3 p.m.

This week we take a look the progress retailers are making towards their websites being accessible. We also have a tip for making accessible videos and we take a look at online education websites.

The role automation plays in managing brand risk and consistency

4 Dec 2019, 9 a.m.

Brand is a topical area within organisations, and needs to managed appropriately to reduce risks. Find out how automation can play a key role in this.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 49 - Updating Spelling in a Report or SMARTVIEW

2 Dec 2019, 9 a.m.

Spelling is an area that Sitemorse assessments covers. We check the lang attribute within a page to determine which language dictionary to compare that page's words against but you can also add your own words to your dictionary, for example, if your organisation uses a term which isn’t in the dictionary.

Sitemorse and dania software announce collaboration on web accessibility

29 Nov 2019, 2:41 p.m.

We are please to announce a new collaboration agreement with dania software, supporting each other in bringing awareness to and improving web accessibility in the public sector.

How do we compare against the competition?

29 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Our services are often compared to our competitors in the market, especially Siteimprove. We’ve put together some information on the areas we get commonly asked about relating to the differences between our services.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 48 – website accessibility remains a hot topic.

28 Nov 2019, 3 p.m.

The latest instalment of our weekly accessibility bulletin is out, and website accessibility remains a hot topic, we’re looking at how UK Police Forces are progressing and advise that has been given to the sector.

Digital accessibility can impact your reputation

27 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Digital accessibility compliance is crucial for those with accessibility needs and many organisations are being reported on in the media about the extent of their compliance levels, one of the best known examples of this is the high profile Domino’s case in the US.

UK Police Force Websites, what's happening with Accessibility?

26 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

This week the results of the UK Police Forces INDEX for 2019 Q4 have been released. How are sites doing, are they meeting the WCAG 2.1 guidelines?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 48 - Setting alternative text for images

25 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Alt (alternative) text is used on a webpage to describe the appearance and function of an image and is important for accessibility compliance. This week Helen is looking at setting alt text for images.

Five tips for successful annual appraisals for the digital team

22 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Digital teams are often small and specialist (and sometimes are just one person) making the appraisal process challenging, especially if the rest of the organisation doesn’t quite understand what the digital team does. Read our tips for successful annual appraisals for the digital team in your organisation.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 47 – website accessibility is a growing issue

21 Nov 2019, 3 p.m.

Our weekly accessibility bulletin is out, this week we’re look at UK Central Government’s progress, what can be done to make sites compliant and how the UK Public sector in general is doing.

UK Central Government Websites, what's happening with Accessibility?

20 Nov 2019, 1:51 p.m.

The 2019 Q4 UK Central Government INDEX has been released this week. How are sites doing, are they meeting the WCAG 2.1 guidelines?

Everything you do should be accessible

19 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Accessibility is a hot topic across all sectors spanning all continents. The WCAG 2.1 Guidelines have been in force for over a year now and there are separate regulations covering various sectors across the globe.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 47 - Images diagnostics

18 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Images are used on a website for decorative purposes and to convey information, some even say they can improve User Experience. Images should be used correctly on a website, Helen is this week looking at how actions relating to images are shown within a Sitemorse assessment.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 46 – website accessibility is a global issue

14 Nov 2019, 3 p.m.

We’ve released our weekly accessibility bulletin, we’ve seen the release of the UK Local Government INDEX for Q4, big companies in Australia not meeting the regulations and more on litigation is the US.

Four great web management approaches from Sitemorse clients

13 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Our clients include some true digital rockstars who follow good practices to deliver a great online experience for all.

Q4 2019 INDEX - UK Local Government, what's happening with Accessibility?

12 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

The Q4 2019 INDEX results for the UK Local Government sector has been released this week. How are the authorities doing? Are sites meeting accessibility regulations?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 46 - What are INDEX assessments

11 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

The Sitemorse INDEX has been running for over 15 years now. This week in our Technical Service Bulletin, Helen will be going through what the INDEX is and how to view the results of the INDEX.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 45 – accessibility compliance isn't going away

7 Nov 2019, 3 p.m.

Our weekly accessibility bulletin is out, we’ve seen the release of the UK & IE Universities INDEX for Q4, ADA cases on the increase and the Haro bicycle case.

Bloomreach and Sitemorse Partnership, bringing real-time digital experience reporting

7 Nov 2019, 10 a.m.

Bloomreach and Sitemorse have announced their strategic technology partnership that will enable Bloomreach customers to leverage the power of Sitemorse from within the Bloomreach Digital Experience Platform, brX.

Five reasons why improving accessibility is a strategic investment

6 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Accessibility is a key topic within digital teams. Although we often hear improving accessibility will only benefit those with disabilities, however, this isn’t true. Improving accessibility improves User Experience for all and is an opportunity to educate your digital team.

Q4 2019 INDEX - UK & IE Universities, what's happening with Accessibility?

5 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

The Q4 2019 INDEX results for UK & IE Universities has been released this week. How are the Universities doing? Are sites meeting accessibility regulations?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 45 - What are Key Pages

4 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

Key pages form part of our daily assessments for our DIGITALCONFIDENCE service, they can be set to any page of your site and run every day to assess your most important pages compliance. In this week’s technical service bulletin, Helen is look at what Key Pages are and how to configure them.

Bracknell Forest Council online for all - demonstrating accessibility excellence

1 Nov 2019, 9 a.m.

The Digital Services Team at Bracknell Forest Council have been leading the charge on accessibility be it from the internal education to external excellence online. Find out more about how the authority have improved.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 44 – website accessibility is a global issue.

31 Oct 2019, 3 p.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, we’ve seen articles that are discussing the need to make websites accessible and shows that this is a topic that applies across multiple sectors and geographies.

Eight characteristics of Digital Rockstars

30 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Digital rockstars are people that make things happen and get things done, creating and managing websites that deliver great content and excellent customer experiences that are fully compliant with the law, often on a relatively low budget.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 44 - Social media site assessments

28 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

As part of our daily assessments Sitemorse can run your social media pages, find out how this service works in our technical service bulletin this week.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 43 – focus on making websites accessible

24 Oct 2019, 3 p.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, and lots has been talked about this week, but in a different way. There is a focus on making websites accessible rather than just litigation cases.

Eight good practices for a web content audit

23 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

We recently wrote about websites suffering from digital bloat. This week we’re looking at best practices around content audits.

Accessibility Across UK & IE Universities and Higher Education Establishments

22 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Public Sector Bodies are legally responsible for their website meeting accessibility requirements, even if they have outsourced their website to a supplier. Sitemorse have published a State of the Nation report that assesses the progress that the UK Higher Education Sector are making to ensure that their websites are accessible.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 43 - Page titles and metadata

21 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Page titles and metadata are used by search engines to rank pages in search results. Find out more about them in our technical service bulletin this week.

State of the Nation Report on Accessibility Across UK Local Authorities

18 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

In collaboration with Socitm, we have published a State of the Nation report that assesses the progress that UK Local Authorities are making to ensure that their websites are accessible. Public Sector Bodies are legally responsible for their website meeting accessibility requirements, even if they have outsourced their website to a supplier.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 42 – Domino’s Pizza non-ruling, and more.

17 Oct 2019, 3 p.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, and lots has been talked about this week. More on the Domino’s Pizza case, UK Central Government compliance levels and best practices for accessibility.

Accessibility Across UK Central Government

17 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

We’re publishing a State of the Nation report that assesses the progress that UK Central Government organisations are making to ensure that their websites are accessible. Public Sector Bodies are legally responsible for their website meeting accessibility requirements, even if they have outsourced their website to a supplier.

Act now to prevent mixed content on your website being blocked by Chrome

16 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Google is changing it's security settings in their Chrome browser would automatically block mixed content. Find out how Sitemorse can help identify pages with mixed content.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 42 - Downloading Heartbeat Monitoring History

15 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Heartbeat is the uptime and availability monitoring system from Sitemorse. This week in our technical service bulletin, we’re looking at how to download the monitoring history data.

We are having a new CMS... - so what, visitors don't know this - actions now drive improvement.

9 Oct 2019, 9:50 a.m.

There are almost always improvements you can make to your website and its content that are not wholly dependent on your CMS. Use Sitemorse to focus on a programme of continuous improvement. We are having a new CMS...-so what, visitors don't know this-actions now drive improvement.

Clarity, knowledge and engagement: Working with your digital team

9 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Digital teams rely on their members to deliver strong digital experiences including content is of high quality and fully compliant with the law. So what can digital teams do to make sure they are able to fulfil their roles?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 41 - Sharing reports with other users

7 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Reports from Sitemorse can be shared with different users or organisations. This week’s technical service bulletin goes into the detail of how to share a report.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 40 – how can website accessibility best be addressed?

5 Oct 2019, 8:05 a.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, and lots has been talked about this week. Are UK Local Government authorities meeting accessibility standards? How website accessibility affects your online business and more.

Accessibility Across UK Local Authorities

4 Oct 2019, 4:48 p.m.

Public Sector Bodies are legally responsible for their website meeting accessibility requirements, even if they have outsourced their website to a supplier. Sitemorse, in collaboration with Socitm, are publishing a State of the Nation report that assesses the progress that UK Local Authorities are making to ensure that their websites are accessible.

How to reduce digital bloat on your website

2 Oct 2019, 9 a.m.

Out-of-date pages, ancient PDFs, old news items, microsites from long-expired campaigns and newsletters that nobody reads leads to extreme “digital bloat”, so how do you tackle this?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 40 - Benefits of Sitemorse CMS Integration (SCI)

30 Sep 2019, 9 a.m.

INCMS enables seamless publishing control from within your CMS provider. This week Helen Grimbly, is looking at how INCMS works and the benefits.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 39 – Beyoncé, Accessibility Statements and Priorities

26 Sep 2019, 3 p.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, and lots has been talked about this week. The deadline has come for UK Public Sector bodies to publish an accessibility statement, Hotels INDEX results have been published and the Beyonce case has been looked into.

Hotels – Is Accessibility the top of their to do list?

25 Sep 2019, 1:22 p.m.

The results of the Q3 2019 Hotels INDEX have been released. Have sites improved, can we sites making progress towards accessibility compliance?

Technical Service Bulletin Week 39 - Assessing pages in an Intranet or behind a firewall

23 Sep 2019, 9 a.m.

Sitemorse isn’t just limited to assessing live content available to the public, we can also assess pages behind a firewall or in an Intranet. Find out more in this weeks technical service bulletin.

Global Top 250 Retailers / UK Retail 500 scoring poorly for accessibility

20 Sep 2019, 9 a.m.

The results of both the 2019 Q3 Global Top 250 Retailers INDEX and UK Retail 500 INDEX have been released this week. We’re summarising the results of both sectors this week to see how the retailers are fairing in terms of accessibility.

Accessibility Bulletin Week 38 – court cases continue in the US and a new service in the UK

19 Sep 2019, 3 p.m.

This week’s accessibility bulletin is out, and with more talk of cases in the US should organisations be taking note and getting themselves compliant? We’re looking at these cases aswell as a new service launching in the UK.

Our new and shiny email category

17 Sep 2019, 9 a.m.

We’ve released the first of our updated assessment category summary pages. The first to be released is Email, find out more about the updates that have taken place and the unique features in the email category.

Technical Service Bulletin Week 38 - Running assessments from the dashboard

16 Sep 2019, 9 a.m.

The Sitemorse dashboard allows managers to have a quick overview of their digital footprint, but it also has other features too. This week in our technical service bulletin, Helen will be at how to run assessments from the dashboard.

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