| The easiest way to an accessible website is to build | | | | whole designs!Another great thing about CSS is that |
| a text only website. Correct?For many years the | | | | it can be removed by the latest browsers. In Firefox |
| only 'accessible' part of a website was it's mirrored | | | | you select 'View > Page Style > No Style' and hey |
| text-only version. Many developers thought simple | | | | presto - you have a virtual text-only website, if |
| text versions of their website were the only way to | | | | you're using CSS to it's full potential. This is how a |
| ensure visitors with screen readers (ergo with some | | | | search engine robot sees your website, too, so why |
| form of disability) could access their website. Though | | | | not move you're important content to the top of the |
| it has to be said, some inexperienced developers | | | | page, moving the site-wide navigation arrays to the |
| could not even get a text only version right. The big | | | | bottom, out of the way? Using CSS, of course!CSS |
| problem was of course, now they had two sites with | | | | isn't hard to learn the basics. For the first week you'll |
| the same content - a nightmare to maintain, let us tell | | | | be bamboozled, but then it will get very simple very |
| you!Usually the problem is that, for a start, the site | | | | quickly if you know a little about HTML, if your keen |
| was built in ugly HTML Tables, sometimes without | | | | on learning. CSS has some great benefits |
| important 'ALT' tags for images and other important | | | | for:Download Times |
| features on the page. Even worse, a lot of websites | | | | Website Accessibility |
| used Frames, a system that still doesn't work well (in | | | | Search Engine Optimisation |
| terms of search engine marketing or accessibility).The | | | | Website MaintenanceCSS is good for everybody. It's |
| Magic Of CSSCSS lets you build a text version of the | | | | good for disabled visitors to the site as they can |
| site and style it!Tables were never meant for | | | | create instant text versions of the site or even apply |
| website design layout. They are for holding data | | | | their own style sheet. It's good for you because you |
| (information about league football, for instance). Most | | | | can edit colours and styles instantly across a |
| designers used tables because CSS was not | | | | thousand page website, saving time and money. It's |
| supported well by all the browsers - but it is now. | | | | good for your client, because the search engines can |
| CSS was and is meant to be used for the design of | | | | understand the CSS/HTML website you have created |
| your website - so forget about tables. What's more | | | | much easier and therefore include them in their |
| CSS gives designers total control of the look and feel | | | | indexes....so use it. Demand it if someone else is |
| of their website, including font sizes and styles, from | | | | building your website on your behalf. And remember |
| one document - very useful for site wide changes to | | | | to make sure it validates at the W3C CSS Checker! |