Publishers, search engine marketers and media consultants have shouted “content is king” in unison since the turn to digital media. The message can’t be neglected: your content is most important when spreading the word via online media. But the quality of the content doesn’t matter if your core target audience cannot get access to your publication. Dozens of digital media fail when it comes to direct access for a traditional end user, whose most qualified IT consultant is the neighbor’s teenage son. Easy to use technology is a must-have when implementing an e-publishing solution.

To ensure ease of use, you must avoid solutions that require client plugins or high download times, use unstructured controls and non-intuitive navigation, or may cause issues with browser incompatibility.

Ease of use can be very subjective, but selecting an e-publishing provider that does not fall into the pitfalls listed above will provide acceptable accessibility for your readers. In the end you will get the real litmus test when you place your first publication online: If your readers complain, the ease-of-use test failed. If you don’t hear a word, your readers are silently accepting your new way of publishing online. To read more about the benefits and challenges of e-publishing, get our free e-Publishing white paper.