Web Standards

Web standards are a set of guidelines or specifications created to:

deliver the greatest benefit to the greatest number of Web users,
ensure the long-term viability of any Web document,
simplify code and lower the cost of production,
deliver sites that are accessible to more people and more types of Internet devices, and
continue to function correctly as traditional desktop browsers evolve, and as new Internet devices come to market.

What do Web standards have to do with me?

Quite a bit, actually. You should ensure that the Web developer you hire uses these practices as guidelines. Why? Sites built to Web standards are:

Affordable

They’re easier to code, so production costs are lower. They’re easier to update and maintain. Separating style from content makes redesigns less expensive and easier. Bandwidth costs for high-traffic web sites can be significantly reduced due to the smaller file sizes usually achievable with tableless code.

Accessible

Standards compliant sites are accessible to a larger audience—blind persons, people with colour-blindness, people with mobility restrictions—and can be accessed by a wider range of devices—handhelds, screen readers, text browsers, search engines. An ever expanding number of countries, provinces, and states are requiring web sites be accessible to persons with disabilities. You can get ahead of the curve.

Easy to Update or Change

Want a new colour? Want to add a new section to the site? It’s easy to do if your site is built to standards. Separation of content (text) from the presentation (design and formatting) allows you to make a single change to your site’s CSS style sheet, and change the look an entire page, section, or site.

Easy to Use

Sites load faster and are more responsive; there’s less waiting and more doing. They are compatible with more versions of a larger selection of browsers and platforms. They are future-proof: they will continue to function on future browsers and can accommodate other devices such as PDAs and mobile phones.

Easy to Find

Search engine spiders love standards-based web sites—they are easier for search engine spiders to index.

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