Why Web Standards?
Hiring a web developer who adheres to current web standards will enable your site to outperform your competitors' web sites in the search engines and empower you to target customers your competitors can't.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Standards based web development is perfectly suited for search-engine-friendly programming, also known as on-page search engine optimization, for two reasons. First, web standards dictate that presentation coding must be removed from content, which makes it easier for the search engines to index web content. Second, web standards require semantic coding, which establishes content structure and enables developers to specify the hierarchy of data on each page to the search engines.
Error-free sites that comply with W3C web standards outperform error-ridden, table-based web sites on all major search engines. See our SEO results page.
Does that mean your competitors' table-based sites, full of programming errors, can not achieve good search results? No. It just means they will have to work much harder promoting the site to achieve the same rankings as an error-free, standards compliant web site will receive "naturally".
Ready to build a search-engine-friendly web site or convert an existing site into one that outperforms your competition? Visit our SEO Page for information about our search engine optimization services.
Web Accessibility Initiative Compliance (WAI)
Standards compliant web developers build sites that are handicap accessible. Even if the developer doesn't target a particular set of guidelines, following the standards improves accessibility. Accessibility is not only compassionate and socially responsible, it is also prudent. Successful legal action has been brought against companies for noncompliance with handicap accessibility guidelines, (external link) in particular the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Ensuring your site is accessible to handicapped visitors is also good business. For example, it is estimated that 7% of all men in the United States are color blind. (external link) According to the 2000 U.S. Census, 19.3% of US citizens age 5 and older have some type of disability. (external link)
For an example of how web standards enhance accessibility, compare the discouraged but still widely used practice of using tables to establish web page layout. The standards call for developers to discontinue this inefficient practice. The preferred technique is to employ cascading style sheets (CSS). Adhering to this standard enables visually impaired visitors to reset colors and font sizes based on their individual needs. On the other hand, table layouts are often inaccessible to visually impaired visitors, (external link) particularly those using a screenreader.
Did you know that sites with motion can induce seizures in visitors with photosensitive epilepsy? (external link)
Additional web accessibility information is available on our Links Page. Also see the sidepanel links on this page.
Cross Browser Compatibilty
A web page that renders as intended on a standards-compliant browser such as Mozilla Firefox or Apple Safari may appear distorted on a less compliant browser.
Your web pages also may not appear the same when viewed on a newer version of a browser. For example, when Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7, many sites built to render well on version 6 required programming modifications.
Web developers adhering to W3C standards build sites less likely to exhibit either type of cross-browser viewing anomaly.
Note: Microsoft has taken important steps to bring Internet Explorer 7 closer to W3C standards compliance. If you are still using IE6, please consider a free upgrade to Microsoft IE7 (external link) or Mozilla Firefox. (external link)
Cross Platform Compatibilty
Computer operating systems can also affect the way web pages are rendered. A web page may render well on an Apple computer but appear distorted on a computer running Windows, or Linux, or Unix.
W3C standards-compliant programming minimizes cross-platform compatibility problems.
Cross Device Compatibilty
Alternative devices, such as cell phones and printers, can alter the way a page appears. Web standards address these issues.
Forward Compatibility
Operating systems, browsers, and viewing devices are all evolving. A web site that was built to render on Microsoft Internet Explorer Version 5 may not render correctly on IE 6 or IE 7. Programming standards and techniques are evolving, too.
Professionally developed, W3C standards-compliant programming increases the life span of your site and minimizes the need for programming modifications to maintain compatibility in future viewing environments.
Upgrade To Standards Compliance
For a free quote on upgrading an existing site to standards compliant programming, please call Nick Stone in Central Virginia
434-284-2840
or use our contact form.
