The FT Bowen Craggs Web Effectiveness Index includes accessibility checks

The 5th annual Financial Times Bowen Craggs Index was published 20 April 2011 ( http://www.bowencraggs.com/ftindex/). It is an in-depth analysis of the web effectiveness of 75 of the world's top companies.

The overall web effectiveness is calculated by giving scores to the following aspects of the web presence:

• Quality of construction
• Clarity of messaging
• Ease of contact
• How well different users are served:
  • Society
  • Investors
  • The media
  • Job seekers
  • Customers

This year the Index includes checks for accessibility developed by myself in conjunction with the OneVoice for Accessible ICT Coalition http://www.onevoiceict.org/.

The index has a maximum score of 280. This year the top company is Siemens with a score of 217, edging out Royal Dutch Shell from the top spot; Siemens got marginally better whilst Shell remained at 210.

The index shows a great range with the bottom sites just scraping over 100.

It shows that there is a great deal that corporations, even the best, can do to improve their web effectiveness; including, of course, improving accessibility for people with disabilities.