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