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The Website Visitors Bill of Rights

While all Web sites are not created equal, every Web site visitor deserves an acceptable measure of usability, functionality and privacy. Giga Information Group, a research group, has put together a very useful set of unalienable rights for Web site visitors every entrepreneur should be aware of as they build their webs.

The Right to Accessible, Basic Company Information

Visitors have a right to: -- A company profile link -- The legal name and ownership visible on the home page -- Notification of the geographic areas served -- A link to the company's legal information on the home page

The Right to Accessible, Basic Contact Information

Visitors have a right to: -- A "Contact Us" link on the home page -- A physical mailing address for the primary office available on the contact page -- A phone number for the primary office on the contact page -- An electronic contact feature for the primary office on the contact page -- A link to the general feedback, questions and comments feature

The Right to Know What Can Be Done on a Site

Visitors have a right to: -- A description on the home page about the major objectives/tasks/actions that can be accomplished while on the site -- A direct link to accomplish these goals and objectives -- Purposeful, direct language that sets a clear expectation when a link is selected

The Right to Know if a Site is Applicable to a Visitor's Goals or Interests

Visitors have a right to: -- An easily identifiable description on the home page of how content is segmented to cater to various audiences visiting the site -- A home page designed so that visitors will be able to tell right away if the site contains applicable information

The Right to Essential Navigation Tools

Visitors have a right to: -- Global navigation bar(s) on the home page that are consistently formatted and placed throughout the site -- Page titles available in the body that effectively describe the page content -- A home page link on all interior pages -- Alternate text under all static images -- Alternate text under all applets, programmatic objects and scripts

The Right to a Consistent Usable Page Design

Visitors have a right to: -- HTML page titles that clearly describe each page's content -- Font colors that enhance the readability of the Web site's text -- Font sizes that enhance the readability of the Web site's text -- Underlines only used for linked text -- Colors for links that change after they have been visited -- Colors chosen for the link states that are readable against the Web site's selected background

The Right to Basic Site Support Tools

Visitors have a right to: -- A site map that contains active links to the content listed, and is linked from the home page -- A link to the site's search tool from the home page

The Right to a Detailed Accessible Privacy Policy

Visitors have a right to: -- A link to a privacy policy from the home page and every page that requires or accepts data -- The word "Privacy" in the link name that leads to the privacy policy -- A privacy policy that identifies exactly how (e.g., cookies) and what (personal information) data is being collected -- A privacy policy that identifies the intended use of the collected data -- A privacy policy that addresses whether the receipt of customer data is an integrated part of the company's business model -- A privacy policy that addresses the option of having personal information used for sending unsolicited materials by the company (e.g., mailing lists or any other marketing targeted back to the consumer) -- A privacy policy that addresses whether personal information is disclosed to third parties and the option and instructions to decline any third-party disclosures -- A privacy policy that addresses third-party privacy policies (e.g., third parties are governed by the same privacy policy or are not the responsibility of the site) -- A privacy policy that addresses whether personal information is stored on a secure server or whether its server is inaccessible from the Internet

Written from a report  by Giga Information Group, a provider of objective research, advice and continuous coaching on technology for e-Business. Giga helps clients make strategic decisions about the technologies, people and processes needed to excel in the new digital economy.