I was asked to submit a report stating why we should use web standards to design and develop websites. Below is a list of reasons why we shoudl use web standards to make the web better.

1. Code Efficiency:

The larger the files are, the longer they will take to download, and the more bandwidth they will use. By separating content for styles and using good clean semantic xhtml and efficient CSS we can save on bandwidth and provide customers with faster loading, more efficient pages. It also allows code to be re-used more easily across the sites.

2. Ease of maintenance:

By separating style and content any change requests can be carried out with minimum of effort. By using well coded CSS, site wide changes can be made by changing the minimum amount of code and can therefore be completed quicker. Standardising the layout of pages and stylesheets for each site will make working on different sites easier and quicker and will also allow promotions be rolled out across each site with minimum effort.

3. Accessibility and usability:

Web pages created using web standards mean better accessibility to customers with disabilities and users of alternative devices such as screen readers. An accessible site also complies with the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). There are 8.5 million disabled people in UK meaning a potential 8.5million more customers to an accessible website. A site coded to web standards will also aid usability.

4. Search Engine Optimisation:

Using semantic xhtml for mark-up and following best practice guidelines will allow for better organic SEO. Well-coded web pages make life easier for web crawlers. Correct use of meta tags, pages descriptions, headers, keywords etc in the development phase of web pages will greatly improve search engine rankings by default.

5. Mobiles and devices:

Because the content and styles are separate it will be easy to create dedicated mobile stylesheets if the requirement is there. Use of mobile devices for Internet access is on the rise and shouldn’t be ignored. Device specific stylesheets can be created easily should there be a need.

6. Good practice:

Using current web standards for developing websites is good practice and helps to future proof the sites and make future development both quicker and easier.