| Tables used to be the in thing when it came to | | | | So how about tables? Web designers who favor |
| designing web sites. As with many other things | | | | tables assert that they make the design process |
| though, new techniques and methods standards are | | | | easier and less time consuming. More so, they assert |
| bound to emerge with time. When once tables were | | | | that tables are more compatible with various web |
| seen in most web pages, some experts now suggest | | | | browsers. On the other hand, proponents of tableless |
| that tables should be thrown out of the window. | | | | formats assert that tables do not adhere to web |
| In simple words, tableless web design is basically a | | | | standards and web accessibility. |
| method whereby page layout control is achieved | | | | Over the years, people have been trying to come up |
| without the use of HTML tables. Instead, text and | | | | with web standards that are based on logic and that |
| other elements on a page are arranged using CSS | | | | would make it easier for everyone involved to |
| (Cascading Style Sheets). This language is the | | | | access web sites. Text readers, bots, mobile devices, |
| brainchild of the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium). | | | | and other elements were all taken into consideration. |
| It was designed in such a way as to improve web | | | | As such, the tableless format has come into popular |
| accessibility as well as to make use of HTML for | | | | use. |
| semantic purposes rather than presentational | | | | Why should you follow this standard? Here are a few |
| purposes. | | | | reasons as to why you should go tableless: |
| One thing that has been making the headlines in the | | | | The current W3C standards dictate the use of |
| past year or so is the term SEO (Search Engine | | | | tableless design. |
| Optimization) techniques. With search engines such as | | | | Practically all browsers in use today support CSS for |
| Google and Yahoo making big waves in the | | | | controlling layouts. As such, your site will be |
| information sector, web designers are scrambling to | | | | compatible with most any browser. |
| get on their good side. The one main goal of a web | | | | It is easier to make global changes to the layout with |
| designer is to get his site on the top pages for | | | | the use of CSS. That is, if the coding is properly |
| search results. How is this achieved? By making ones | | | | done, of course. |
| site search engine friendly. | | | | Web site accessibility for people with special needs is |
| Search engines make use of various techniques to | | | | done more easily with the proper implementation of |
| index all existing web sites. Based on these various | | | | content into XHTML documents. In this case, CSS is |
| techniques, they assign a page rank to the web site. | | | | used only for the layout and style. |
| The higher the page rank, the more chances it will be | | | | Unnecessary code is eliminated with the use of |
| high up in the search engine results. The higher up the | | | | XHTML and CSS, making for a sleeker and more |
| site is in ranking, the more chances that people will | | | | manageable code. |
| visit the site. That means good news for the web | | | | Tableless formats make it easier for search engines |
| site. That is where semantics and HTML come in. | | | | to index a web site. |