| "Web standards" has a long pedigree as a buzzword | | | | message, not necessarily all the graphics - is available |
| (okay, "buzzphrase") but it really is a simple concept. | | | | to visitors using cell phones, netbooks, PDAs and |
| All it means is that you're using the right coding | | | | other non-desktop browsers. Many of these devices |
| standards as propounded by the World Wide Web | | | | have difficulty making sense of non-standard, |
| Consortium (W3C). The two most important aspects | | | | table-based layouts and large images. One of the |
| of this evolving set of guidelines are XHTML | | | | changes seen in what is called Web 2.0, or the |
| (eXtensible HyperText Markup Language) and CSS | | | | second-generation Web, is the proliferation of |
| (Cascading Style Sheets). The W3C says that the | | | | platforms. There is no other way but standards by |
| XHTML family is the "next step in the evolution of | | | | which uniformity across these platforms can be |
| the Internet." They said this is 2003, too. | | | | achieved. As a business goal, you simply must reach |
| For good-looking and user-friendly Web sites | | | | everyone who wants to reach you. |
| designers have depended on any number of "hacks" | | | | Retrofitting your site, or remaking it entirely, to |
| to get the job done. Among the most common, one | | | | comply with the current standards (meaning |
| still being used today, is the utilization of tables to do | | | | "somewhere between Web 2.0 and 3.0" at the |
| a page layout. As the XHTML and CSS capabilities | | | | moment) can mean leaving behind some very useful |
| have improved, it has become easier for these | | | | but non-standard plug-ins and add-ons. Any number |
| hacker-designers to create Web pages that are | | | | of calendars, bulletin boards and other widgets that |
| attractive as well as compliant with current standards. | | | | you have come to rely on - that is, that your |
| How important is this? | | | | customers have come to rely on - would have to be |
| Retrofitting or re-doing? | | | | dumped. It may make more sense for some people |
| Still, businesspeople who care primarily about sales | | | | to delay total standards compliance and leave the |
| margins and profits might wonder how important it is | | | | useful add-ins on the pages where they're doing a |
| to be compliant if things are working all right as they | | | | good job, at least until the widget's developers adapt |
| are. Are there benefits to standards-based | | | | them to current standards. |
| redesigns? Are there good reasons why your Web | | | | Lots of upside potential |
| site should be W3C compliant? | | | | On the other hand, having a standards-based site |
| First of all, there are some design issues - make that | | | | makes a lot of things easier, one of which is updating |
| "designer" issues. It can be hard to find designers | | | | content and performing routine maintenance. CSS |
| that can build a good-looking site that is also | | | | allows you to change global settings of color scheme, |
| compliant with all standards. It not only takes more | | | | typography and other design elements with a few |
| time to build that kind of site, which means more | | | | clicks. Since no style information is in the HTML |
| expense for penny-pinching business owners, but | | | | anymore, the underlying code, whether you see it |
| some designers just will not (or cannot) seem to get | | | | and understand it or not, is much cleaner and less |
| all the way up to speed with the underlying | | | | bulky. This translates to smaller file sizes, faster |
| technology of what they are doing. They are making | | | | uploads and downloads, reduced hosting costs (to a |
| good visual presentations, and whatever they need | | | | small degree, at least) and other simple but profound |
| to do for functionality, they will do, standards or no | | | | advantages. |
| standards. | | | | Finally, Web standards will ensure that your site is |
| Hidden problems | | | | accessible not only to your customers but to the |
| Another reason there has been some lag in overall | | | | search engines, too. Non-standard and poorly |
| conversion to standards-based sites is the ease with | | | | constructed sites can mask or mangle your content |
| which a non-standards-based one can be built. The | | | | so that search spiders misinterpret it, losing you page |
| WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) | | | | ranking and listings. Your site's keywords will also be |
| programs like Adobe's Dreamweaver have made the | | | | at risk, and there goes your entire SEO plan in one |
| designer's job a lot easier, without their having to | | | | fell swoop. |
| learn a single line of any kind of code. The sites often | | | | Clearly, Web standards represent actual, tangible |
| are jaw-dropping gorgeous, and may even work | | | | benefits to business. There is simply no other way to |
| pretty much smoothly, even when the underlying | | | | ensure that your site will look and act right. If it |
| structure is something less than standards-based. | | | | doesn't do what it is supposed to, your business |
| Bad code is not always visible in the preview (visual) | | | | suffers. Although standards are an ever-evolving |
| work areas that designers use in these programs | | | | thing, you should do your best to stay abreast of at |
| (they can show the code in another area). It doesn't | | | | least the major changes, without thinking you have |
| take much to make your site buggy in one or more | | | | to revise your design (or code) daily. Keep reading |
| of the popular browsers, or even inaccessible for | | | | the W3C site and its press releases, and you will |
| reasons that could be difficult to troubleshoot after all | | | | know what to do - and when.Moonrise Productions is |
| the work is done. | | | | a custom web design company specializing in custom |
| Standards at work | | | | web development and design. Whether you need |
| Web standards now allow a site's look to be | | | | web application development or flex development, |
| separated from its written content, or text. When | | | | contact us and we'll get it done right. |
| this is done right, your site's important content - the | | | | |