In today’s digital landscape, ensuring website accessibility is crucial for businesses aiming to be inclusive and reach the widest possible audience. Search engines such as Google are rumoured to be placing greater emphasis on rating web content based on how accessible it is to individuals with disabilities.  Everything Dinosaur team members are aware of the need to enhance website accessibility.

For many businesses the thought of having to redesign an on-line presence can be daunting.  Where do you start?  How do you ensure that you are following best practice?

How to Enhance Website Accessibility

Making a website more inclusive and accessible can be a challenge.  However, Everything Dinosaur team members are keen to enhance website accessibility and they want to make Everything Dinosaur. more user friendly and inclusive.

Many of our customers have additional needs and we wanted to make our web presence more accessible especially for those customers who might have a visual impairment.  A key aspect of website accessibility is maintaining sufficient contrast between the font colour and the background. Poor colour contrast can make text difficult to read, especially for individuals with visual impairments or other accessibility needs.

Fortunately, there is plenty of help on hand and team members at Everything Dinosaur have been utilising free software developed by the Utah State University to conduct a detailed audit of their website and to formulate easy to implement changes to enhance usability, make the site more inclusive and to improve accessibility.

Free Software

The software is known as WAVE and it can provide guidance to help businesses large and small to make their websites more inclusive.

Through the use of this free accessibility evaluation tools.  Team members were quickly able to identify those website elements such as images without alt text. Once corrected, this made the site much more user friendly for those visitors that rely on screen readers.

The new for 2022 Nanmu Studio Nutcracker Parasaurolophus dinosaur model in the green colour variant. It is important for all images to have alt text.  This enables users of screen readers and screen browsers to access all parts of the website.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The image (above) shows a team member holding a hand-painted dinosaur model from the Nanmu Studio range.

To view this range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal figures: Nanmu Studio Models.

Changing the Site Contrast to Enhance Website Accessibility

The contrast ratio between the white font and the pale blue background of the Everything Dinosaur website was analysed, and the decision was made to change the background colour to a dark green.

This seemingly small change has had a significant impact on the user experience. The increased contrast allows site visitors, including those with visual impairments or other accessibility challenges, to easily read and engage with Everything Dinosaur’s content. By addressing this key accessibility factor, the company has taken an important step towards creating a more inclusive on-line presence.

The background of Everything Dinosaur’s website has been changed to improve the contrast and therefore make the site easier to use for people with visual impairments.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Following Best Practice

Making sure that you are following best practice is essential.  Fortunately, the Utah State University software incorporates Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).  Users of this free tool can be confident that any changes made conform to the latest protocols.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur explained that considering the requirements of customers, especially those with additional needs does not have to be that daunting.

He added:

“Improving website accessibility benefits all site visitors.  Content that is easy to perceive and navigate is better for everyone. Removing barriers to access means that our website will be more inclusive and welcoming.  Some small changes can make a big difference.”

Everything Dinosaur’s focus on website accessibility demonstrates a dedication to inclusivity and a recognition of the importance of reaching all potential customers and stakeholders. By making these small but significant changes the company hopes to set an example for other businesses to follow, fostering a more inclusive and accessible on-line landscape.

Visit the award-winning and user friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys.

The Everything Dinosaur homepage has been upgraded and improved.  The new layout provides customers with more reassurance about the company’s ability to handle deliveries outside of the UK.  In addition, the new format highlights the huge number of 5-star customer reviews that have been received.  The homepage revamp is part of on-going improvements aimed at providing a better user experience.

The new Everything Dinosaur homepage includes several new features that emphasis the company’s ability to deliver parcels overseas. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

A New Everything Dinosaur Homepage

Team members have been working to improve site access for those in the community that have a visual impairment or use screen readers.  Font colours and background colours have been changed to make them easier to read.  Furthermore, the new homepage emphasises the company’s international credentials.  New pages have been created that provide information on international payment options, international deliveries and site security.

Visit the award-winning and now even more user friendly Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Models and Toys.

Mike from Everything Dinosaur confirmed that these new updates were part of an on-going process involving changes to the website to improve the experience of site visitors.

He added:

“We value the feedback we receive from our customers.  With so many five-star customer reviews we wanted to highlight them.  In addition, we felt the need to provide greater reassurance to customers overseas about our ability to handle international orders.”

Outlining the new features of the Everything Dinosaur homepage. Demonstrating trust by highlighting the huge number of 5-star customer reviews on both Google and Feefo. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Website Additions and Improvements

New features on the homepage include more visible social media buttons and specific pages providing more information on worldwide delivery.  The customer account links remain, but there are new links to Feefo customer feedback and a link to provide a Google review.  The homepage slider has been refreshed with new slides added.  These slides feature Eofauna Scientific Research models as well as Rebor, PNSO and Haolonggood.

Further changes are planned.  They are all aimed at improving the experience of the user.

For more information or to contact Everything Dinosaur about the website’s contents: Email Everything Dinosaur.

The team at Everything Dinosaur is brimming with excitement as our latest shipment of meticulously crafted “Beasts of the Mesozoic” dinosaur models has arrived! After weeks of anticipation, these scale model replicas of our favourite prehistoric giants are now taking up residence in our warehouse, ready to dispatch.

Sue, our resident dinosaur expert, couldn’t contain her excitement as she was surrounded by the Everything Dinosaur’s latest additions – The new Beasts of the Mesozoic dinosaur models. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur. 

Sue is a Big Fan of the Beasts of the Mesozoic Models

“It’s always a thrill when a new batch of these Beasts of the Mesozoic articulated dinosaur models comes in,” said Sue, our resident dinosaur expert. “The attention to detail on these specimens is truly remarkable – from the vibrant use of colours to the precise features, each one is a work of art.”

To view the wider range of the Beasts of the Mesozoic models in stock:  Beasts of the Mesozoic Models.

As Sue and the rest of the Everything Dinosaur team carefully unwrapped and sorted the new models, time has been set aside in the company’s busy schedule to ensure that fulfilment orders could be dispatched promptly. Whilst wanting to get the products to customers quickly, don’t worry we will make sure that all parcels are packed carefully.

Mike getting surrounded by parcels that are ready to dispatch. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

“It’s not just about putting these Beasts of the Mesozoic dinosaurs into stock,” explained team member Mike. “We want our customers to feel like they’re stepping back in time when they see these models. That’s why we take such care in picking and packing orders.”

With the new models now in place, the Everything Dinosaur team is working hard to complete the fulfilment programme. Packages are being carefully packed, orders are being verified, and the team is buzzing with anticipation to share these awe-inspiring creatures with our loyal customers.

“This is what we live for,” said Sue, gazing up at the huge pile of parcels. “Bringing the magic of dinosaurs to life and sparking that sense of wonder in people. It’s going to be an incredible few months ahead with new models constantly coming our way!”

Visit the Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Models and Gifts.

Today, we seem to rely on technology more and more each day. For example, our website continues to attract thousands of visitors. However, not everyone in society can browse our site easily. Having an accessible website is crucial for an on-line business. Ensuring that our website: Everything Dinosaur can be easily navigated and understood by users of all abilities is a priority. To this end, we have set about making some changes and improving website accessibility.

Improving Website Accessibility

A key aspect of website accessibility is providing sufficient contrast between the font colour and the colour of the background.  Poor colour contrast can make text difficult to read, especially for individuals with visual impairments like low vision or colour blindness.  A lack of contrast between the font colour and the background can also cause difficulties for people who suffer from frequent headaches or migraines.

Fortunately, some free software developed by Utah State University (WAVE), can be employed to help website owners make their sites more accessible. This software can identify many accessibility issues and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) errors.  These issues impact on the end-user experience and once factors such as contrast issues have been addressed, the site can be checked again to ensure it complies with best practice.

Everything Dinosaur conducted an analysis of our website’s colour scheme and made some updates to enhance accessibility.  The contrast ratio between the white font colour and the pale blue background was examined and the background colour changed to dark green to meet recommended guidelines. This small change has made a big difference.  It allows users with poor eyesight to easily read and engage with our content.

Helping to improve accessibility to Everything Dinosaur’s website. The image (top) shows the website’s previous design. The image (bottom) shows the new layout with the improved contrast between the font colour and the background. The sharper contrast will help site visitors with eyesight difficulties to view the website more easily.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Comparing “Before” and “After”

The image (above) shows two views of the Everything Dinosaur website.  The top image shows the original layout, whilst the image (bottom) shows the new high contrast layout.  The white font stands out against the new, dark green backdrop.  Beyond just improving the visual aspects of the site, enhancing website accessibility benefits all site visitors. Content that is easy to perceive and navigate is better for everyone. Removing barriers to access means that the Everything Dinosaur website will be more inclusive.

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“By changing the contrast we have improved our website.  It is now more inclusive, but we recognise that there is more work to be done.  Hopefully. the changes we have made are a step in the right direction.”

If you have a suggestion to make about improving website accessibility or any other aspect of the Everything Dinosaur website, please feel free to contact us: Email Everything Dinosaur.

Ordering on-line should be convenient, hassle free and easy.  However, purchasing from a mail order company can be fraught with problems.  At Everything Dinosaur, we receive lots of positive feedback about the quality of our packaging and our prompt deliveries.  We have received thousands of 5-star reviews for our customer service, sadly, many of our customers have shared with us some of their experiences and difficulties after purchasing from other businesses that have proved to be less dependable.  Everything Dinosaur parcels are treated with care.  From their shipment to the factory to our warehouse and to their despatch to you, our products and their packaging are treated with respect.

Let’s take you through the process of getting your order, packed and despatched and on its way.

Sue from Everything Dinosaur with another two parcels ready to begin their journey to customers. We pick, check and pack all the orders ourselves. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

The Journey of Everything Dinosaur Parcels

We pride ourselves at Everything Dinosaur for our careful product picking, packing and despatching.  The journey of your purchase is extremely important to us.  We invest in bespoke packaging and boxes to protect products.  In addition, we are committed to using environmentally friendly packaging materials as much as possible.   Team members go to great lengths to ensure that Everything Dinosaur parcels arrive promptly and in great condition.

Once an order has been placed, we pop out into the warehouse and select the items for you.  The products are inspected and brought to our packing room.  Each section of the warehouse is dedicated to a specific product line, such as PNSO, Haolonggood, Rebor, prehistoric plush and CollectA prehistoric animal figures.

A busy aisle in the Everything Dinosaur warehouse. In this section of our warehouse we store PNSO prehistoric animal figures. The racking opposite is for Beasts of the Mesozoic models. A well-organised warehouse helps us to pick orders for customers quickly. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Into the Packing Room

Once picked, the orders are laid out in the packing room.  The paperwork is added, including our free prehistoric animal fact sheets and the order is checked again.   An appropriate box is selected to ensure the customer’s items are provided with the best protection possible.  In addition, we use compostable packing chips to cushion the purchased items during their journey. This is a further demonstration of our commitment to sustainable practices.

Early morning and the first of the day’s parcels have been picked, checked and packed. These parcels will then get labelled with all the relevant information to speed them through customs and across borders. Some of the double-walled, bespoke cardboard is stored in the packing room for easy access. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys.

Parcels tend to be packed in batches, depending on their final destination.  For example, all UK parcels going out on our tracked service are packed together.  Parcels destined for Europe are also packed in batches.

Labels are prepared, checked against the invoice paperwork and adhered securely to the relevant parcel.  Then parcels are carefully crated or placed in collection sacks ready for collection by the various courier companies that we use.  Once again, a section of our warehouse is especially set aside for the storage of parcels awaiting despatch.

That’s how we pick, check, pack and despatch your order from our warehouse.  However, there is another part to this story…

International Freight Forwarding

Before items reach you, they have to reach us.  The first leg of your parcel’s journey begins at the factory where the goods are produced.  There are dinosaur fans all over the world and there are factories making figures all over the world too.  We rely on our freight forwarding partners Neon Freight to help us move what we stock on-line into our warehouse.

A freight forwarder is an organisation that arranges the transportation of goods on behalf of clients. In this instance, the freight forwarder meaning the company that manages the shipping of the dinosaur models from the factory to the Everything Dinosaur warehouse.

Neon Freight was founded over a decade ago. They have a simple mission, it is to be able to provide professional logistics solutions with a strong emphasis on a straightforward, people-oriented approach to delivery.  The friendly Neon Freight team works alongside us helping to streamline the international shipping process.  The dedicated and enthusiastic team help us to bring goods in from all over the world. They are genuinely interested in us and our customers.

The offices of Cheshire-based Neon Freight Ltd. Neon Freight handle international logistics for Everything Dinosaur. Picture credit: Neon Freight Ltd.

Picture credit: Neon Freight Ltd

Mike from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We suspect that we would have to travel a long way to find a more knowledgeable and friendly company.”

To visit the website of Neon Freight Ltd and to understand a little more about what freight forwarding entails: Freight Forwarder Meaning.

Taking Care of Everything Dinosaur Parcels

At Everything Dinosaur, we understand that the journey of your purchase is extremely important to you.  We take immense pride in the selection of items we choose to stock.  We work hand-in-hand with our partners like Neon Freight to ensure the challenges of a complex international market are overcome. Then, from the moment your order is placed, until the moment it is delivered, we go to great lengths to ensure that your parcel is handled with the utmost care and attention.

Everything Dinosaur parcels go on a remarkable journey, and we are with you every step of the way to ensure that you get your delivery.

Everything Dinosaur received some special visitors late last week. Judith Donaldson and Dean Burrows from the Digital Cheshire programme visited the warehouse.  Digital Cheshire provide fully funded business training programmes to help companies remain competitive. Team members have been undertaking some training to help Everything Dinosaur prepare for new company initiatives.  Judith (Senior Business Development Programme Manager) and her colleague Dean were given a tour of the warehouse and offices.

They were most impressed with the “dino van”!

Sue Judd from Everything Dinosaur with Dean Burrows and Judith Donaldson from the Digital Cheshire programme. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Sue from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“The training programme from Digital Cheshire has been extremely useful.  It has helped us broaden our skills and it has provided us with a better understanding of the digital world.”

Visiting Everything Dinosaur

The warehouse layout is currently being revised.  Additional racking is being put up to accommodate more dinosaur toys and models.  Each part of the warehouse is dedicated to a different product range. For example, there are parts of the warehouse dedicated to Rebor, to Nanmu Studio and for Papo prehistoric animal figures.  A properly organised warehouse makes the picking and packing of orders for customers much easier and more efficient.

With so many international orders to manage, a well organised warehouse is essential.

Dean Burrows Marketing, Communications & Business Engagement Lead at Cheshire East Council (Digital Cheshire Programme), enquired about Everything Dinosaur’s exports.  Sue explained that there were parcels for customers in the USA, Lithuania and Poland awaiting despatch.  Once these parcels had been collected by the various tracking companies, the next job was to email the relevant parcel tracking information.

Digital Cheshire provides fully funded masterclasses. Their mission is to help businesses by demystifying the digital world, instil confidence and increase productivity.

Sue explained that team members were always keen to learn new skills.

She added:

“Thanks to Digital Cheshire, we have been able to pick the brains of industry experts and learn about how new technologies such as AI can boost our productivity. For a company that sells dinosaur toys and models, we need to keep updating our skillset. After all, we don’t want to become extinct.”

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Toys and Models.

Everything Dinosaur is delighted to announce that the company is sponsoring the UK screenings of a new dinosaur documentary.  The film is entitled “WHY DINOSAURS?” and it sets out to explore our fascination with the Dinosauria.

The film was made by father and son Tony and James Pinto, and it examines our remarkable interest in dinosaurs. Many famous palaeontologists appear in the movie as it plots James’s progress from enthusiastic child with a passion for dinosaurs to him heading off to the prestigious UC Berkeley to study palaeontology. Our chum Dr Dean Lomax is one of the executive producers and he will be at the film screenings along with other special guests.

Everything Dinosaur is proud to be a sponsor of a new dinosaur documentary entitled “WHY DINOSAURS?”. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Special UK Screenings

This amazing documentary is being shown in four locations across the UK.  Everything Dinosaur team members will be attending the Sheffield screening on the 1st of June.

Here are details of the screenings:

• Friday 31st May 18.00 – 21.00 BST at the Everyman Crystal Palace, 25 Church Road, London, SE19 2TE
• Saturday 1st June 18.00 to 22.00 BST at the Showroom Workstation Cinema, 15 Paternoster Row Sheffield City Centre S1 2BX
• Wednesday 5th June 18.00 to 22.00 BST at the Bristol Aquarium, Anchor Road Bristol BS1 5TT
• Saturday 8th June starting at 14.00 BST at the Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Church St, Lyme Regis DT7 3QB

Numerous special events and activities have been planned around these screenings.  Filmgoers will have the chance to meet Dr Lomax, an eminent palaeontologist.  In addition, other special guests at the screenings include PBS Eons Kallie Moore, Wyoming palaeontologist Jessica Lippincott and Crystal Palace dinosaur historian Sarah Jayne.  Plus, there will be lots of other special guests too.  Everything Dinosaur will be going to the Sheffield event.

The website of British palaeontologist Dr Dean Lomax: Dr Dean Lomax British Palaeontologist.

There is also a free screening arranged for Friday 7th June at Lyme Regis.  This free screening is aimed at helping students, schoolchildren, teachers and educationalists.  This is part of our support for local schools and teachers in the Dorset area.

At Everything Dinosaur, we try our best to help the wider community of dinosaur fans and prehistoric animal enthusiasts, this is our way of helping this community and also saying a little thank you to our customers.

Everything Dinosaur is one of the sponsors of the UK screenings.  Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur

Supporting a Dinosaur Documentary as well as the Wider Community

A spokesperson from Everything Dinosaur commented:

“We believe it’s important to support the arts and cultural events in our community. Sponsoring the UK screenings of this independent film aligns perfectly with our values and mission. Not only does it allow us to raise awareness of our brand, but it also demonstrates our commitment to giving a voice to fans of prehistoric animals.  Everything Dinosaur is thrilled to be a part of these exciting events and to play a role in celebrating the hard work and talent of the filmmakers.”

Visit the award-winning Everything Dinosaur website: Dinosaur Models, Toys and Figures.