Web Standards

Web standards is the term given to the recommendations made by the W3C to ensure the Internet is developed to a high standard. The W3C is the governing body for the Internet and any competent web designer should be designing their web sites in accordance to W3C web standards.

In order to understand web standards and their benefits, it is first necessary to learn a little about the Internet. Websites are written in a language called HTML, which a web browser (like Internet Explorer) interprets and then displays the output in the form of a web page. When the Internet became popular in the second half of the 90's, web designers looked for ways of creating visual layouts that could compare with those of printed material. They soon discovered that HTML could be manipulated to achieve this, normally by using tables and spacer images. However, HTML was never intended for this purpose. As a result, web designers were forced to use hacks and browser specific tags to achieve the complex layouts they desired. This resulted in invalid, unorganised, messy code and inefficient websites. The concept of valid code and web standards was something that not many people knew about.

Times are now starting to change. Many web designers are now starting to become aware of important issues such as web standards and accessibility and CSS/ HTML/ XHTML based design is becoming widespeard. Unfortunately though, there are still many web designers that ignore these issues and continue to create websites in an outdated and unprofessional manner. By being aware of web standards and their importance you will soon have some idea of why a good web designer will create websites to web standards. Here are the main advantages of having your site designed to W3C web standards:

Reduced Bandwidth

When websites are created to web standards they are striped away of unnecessary code making the page much smaller. The reduction in bandwidth may seem unimportant at first, but if your site generates heavy traffic the results could be dramatic.

Reach More Users

By having a well structured, valid web site, you will be able to reach more users on a number of different platforms such as mobile phones and PDAs as well as ordinary PCs. More and more people are using these portable devices to access the Internet so its important your website is available to them.

Ease of maintenance

Standards compliant sites make it much easier for the website to be maintained and developed. Clients are less likely to have to waste money on costly re-coding.

Compatibility with browsers of the future

By having a standard compliant site you can be sure your website will work in the future and be understood by all browsers.

Faster download speeds

By striping out messy, invalid HTML tags, file sizes can be reduced dramatically. This means that they will load faster, providing your users with a better experience.

Better Accessibility

Sites that keep the structure separate from the content make it easier for screen readers and other devices to interpret your site. Many users of the Internet have some kind of disability so its important your site does not neglect them. From 1st October 1999 The Disability Discrimination Act came into force stating that "service provider has to take reasonable steps to change a practice which makes it unreasonably difficult for disabled people to make use of its services". You can even be sued if your website does not cater for disabled users. By desiging with W3C accessibility guidelines in mind, you can be sure that disabled users will be able to use your website.

Better search engine rankings

By keeping content separate from presentation, search engines find it easier to understand your site.

A competitive edge

By having a well made site that has all the benefits listed here, you will have a significant advantage over your competitors. Also, you will have more credibility by having a professional web site.

Conclusion

Now you know the benefits of standards based design, make sure you never choose a web designer that does not design based on web standards. If you do, or if you already have a website that does not adhere to web standards, you are faced with two choices; either keep your existing site which makes your company look unprofessional or find a credible web designer to make a REAL website for you. For more information on web standards and their benefits, visit the W3C website. The W3C is the Internet governing body and their site provides a great deal of useful information.