Companies which consider website accessibility, making their websites accessible to people with disabilities are more likely to generate website traffic, it has been indicated.

Internet marketing publication Big Mouth Media suggested that although interacting with audiences is a crucial factor of online advertising, many firms "overlook basic factors of accessibility, which makes their site less valuable to many internet users".

As a result, providing contact details of offline trading points and creating of site maps was mooted as an ideal way of ensuring as wide an audience as possible is able to access the company's goods and services.

Meanwhile, incorporating features such as descriptive tags was also reported to have an effect on search engine rankings.

The publication added: "Furthermore, your site will now have the edge over your competitors and will also appeal to users with disabilities ... very valuable traffic that can potentially convert into a sale or repeated visits."

Providing such contact information was also reported to be a way of adding additional content to websites which "search engine spiders will love" and ultimately could be the vital factor in coming top of organic listings.

Earlier this year, Peter Abrahams, practice leader for Bloor Research, claimed website usability and accessibility is "crucial" for those companies wishing to boost their search rankings.