Web standards design
Using Web standards to design and build your site means anyone with a Web-enabled device will be able to do business with you. Combining standards with accessibility techniques will ensure your site reaches the widest possible audience.
In order for the Web to reach its full potential, the most fundamental Web technologies must be compatible with one another and allow any hardware and software used to access the Web to work together.
Ian Jacobs, Head of W3C Communications
The success of the Web relies on the open standards developed and published by the World Wide Web Consortium. They instruct authors how to correctly code pages, and tell devices how to display those pages.
The following are some compelling reasons why you should embrace Web standards.
Compatibility and consistency
At the heart of Web standards is the “design once, publish everywhere” ethos. There are more than 10,000 Web-enabled devices currently in use. Designing specifically for even a handful of them would be a time-consuming and futile undertaking.
If you want a guarantee, buy a toaster.
Clint Eastwood
There is no guarantee your site will work as intended with every device, under all circumstances, but adhering to W3C standards is the closest you’ll ever get. The alternative is a crapshoot, at best.
Just like the W3C, standards are here to stay; adopting them ensures forward- and backward-compatibility.
Flexibility
People are increasingly accessing Web content with devices other than desktop computers. Even coffee shops and pubs are Wi-Fi enabled. This means people can relax sipping a latte — or a Guinness — while surfing the Web on their mobile phones and PDAs.
Using Web standards ensures your content will be available regardless of the medium used to access it.
Accessible by design
Web standards are the foundation of an accessible site. They ensure you don’t unnecessarily exclude anyone from accessing your site or from doing business with you.
We shall not fail or falter; we shall not weaken or tire…Give us the tools and we will finish the job.
Winston Churchill
Making a site accessible requires thorough testing throughout the development process, assuring its quality.
An accessible site also helps you to meet your duties under the Disability Discrimination Act.
Improved experience for everyone
One of the problems with old-school and non-standards-based sites is the bloated code required to make even the simplest of designs. This mountain of code has to be downloaded every time someone views a page.
But, everyone’s in a hurry; they want everything now.
A fundamental principle of developing with standards is separating the page content from the presentation. Typically, standards-based sites require only about a quarter of the code of old-school ones. This results in pages that are lean, lightweight and quick to load.
Internet users make up their minds about the quality of a website in the blink of an eye.
First impressions count for web
If your site takes too long to load, visitors may just move on to your competitor’s site. After all, it’s only a click away.
Easier and cheaper maintenance
Fashions change. One year is equivalent to five Internet years, so a site more than a couple of years old can look really dated. Using standards means your whole site can be redesigned by editing just one file.
Lean, lightweight code means whoever edits, updates, or maintains your site will have a much easier job.
This also means your site will use fewer resources. With a large site this can mean significant savings in hosting charges.
Increased search engine visibility
Typically, 90% of a site’s visitors will arrive via search engines, and standards-based sites achieve higher rankings than equivalent old-school sites.
Separating the content from the style instructions increases the ratio of content to code. This means it will be much easier for search engine spiders to read your site’s content.
Validation also ensures the spiders don't choke on your site’s code and stop in their tracks.
Return on investment
There is no more compelling reason to embrace standards than the commercial one.
When Tesco used Web standards to develop their TescoAccess site, they forecast revenue of £1.6 million in the first 12 months. The actual figure was £13 million. Not bad for an investment of £35,000.
What are you waiting for?
Get in touch if you would like your next Web site to be standards-based, accessible and usable by a wide audience.
You can also book an accessibility audit to get an idea of accessible your site is current. Audits start at £597 for a ten-page review.