| Cascading Stylesheets become more and more | | | | from the real content. |
| important in today's webdesign. | | | | So make sure you put your logo text and your menu |
| But before you decide to get started using CSS you | | | | at the bottom of your HTML document at put it at |
| should know why CSS is so important and what its | | | | the top using CSS! |
| advantages are. | | | | 4. CSS is compatible with newer browsers |
| 1. The content is separated from the design | | | | Because more and more browsers are used other |
| Because you are able to create a separate | | | | than Internet Explorer on a Windows machine, you |
| Stylesheet and link it to all your webdocuments, you | | | | need to be sure that your website is accessible by all |
| have great control over how your website looks. So | | | | major and newer browsers. |
| if you want to change a certain aspect of your page, | | | | By using webstandards, defined by the w3c, you are |
| you only need to alter one file: your Stylesheet! | | | | making sure your content is viewable in the future. |
| This Of course, generates some great flexibility. This | | | | Because there are so many browsers these days, it |
| flexibility is not available when your website is using | | | | is impossible to test your website in all these |
| tables for layout, inline font tags or inline defined | | | | browsers on different configurations. Coding to |
| colors. | | | | standards is then the only practical solution. |
| A single CSS file can contain positioning, layout, font, | | | | 5. CSS can be used to display the same content on |
| colors and style information for an entire web site. | | | | different media. |
| 2. You site uses less bandwidth and loads faster | | | | Because you are able to define different stylesheets |
| Because stylesheets are so lightweight, your website | | | | for different media you have great flexibility in |
| will load much faster. The main reason is because you | | | | presenting your content. |
| do not need table layouts anymore for the | | | | The printer for example, is a medium on itself. If |
| positioning of elements. Since text loads really really | | | | someone prints out your website, you will be able to |
| fast your website will be visible in a flash. | | | | modify the look of it. Add an extra black and white |
| This means that visitors will be happier when surfing | | | | logo, remove the advertisements and change the |
| your website. They only have to download the | | | | colors to black and white values. It's all done easily by |
| Stylesheet once, and it's automatically reused for | | | | using cascading stylesheets. And the best thing is, |
| every page. So the only thing that needs to be | | | | visitors do not even have to know you created a |
| loaded is the actual content. | | | | new Stylesheet especially for the printer. |
| On average a website will load five to ten times | | | | Stylesheets can also be created specifically for PDA's |
| faster if it makes use of cascading style sheets. | | | | and such. As you will understand, this adds some |
| 3. Your website will automatically gain better search | | | | great flexibility to the presentation of your web |
| engine results | | | | document. |
| With CSS, you can position any element, anywhere | | | | Conclusion |
| you want. So if your menu is at the bottom of your | | | | Cascading Style Sheets are created to make things |
| HTML document, you can bring it up using absolute | | | | easier. It gives you great control of your website and |
| positioning. The reason this is useful is to make sure | | | | makes your visitors happy when they are surfing |
| the search engine spiders pick up the main content | | | | your website. |
| first. | | | | You are prepared for the future and will gain better |
| Another advantage you automatically gain is that | | | | search engine results automatically. Start using CSS to |
| your HTML code is much cleaner. So the search | | | | its full potential today! It will suit you well. |
| engine spider will not have to separate the junk code | | | | |