Web Standards
What are Web Standards?
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and other standards bodies have created technologies (standards) for web page construction. The web standards most commonly used in the new wave of web 2.0 websites are XHTML and CSS. When developers refer to web standards they are generally refering to the correct use of W3C web coding technologies. The W3C provide a free website validator service which allows website owners to check if their website has been made to the correct web standards.
Why do Duyfken Studios use Web Standards?
Would you knowingly buy a car that wasn't made to the correct Australian safety standards? Neither would I, however many businesses still pay for websites which are not made to any kind of official standard. Duyfken Studios create all our websites to meet official World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) Web Standards to ensure our clients get a product constructed to the highest standard every time. We show this by providing XHTML and CSS validator links at the bottom of all our clients web pages.
Why are Web Standards good for business?
Accessibility
Valid XHTML and CSS ensures that our sites are coded in a way that separates the content from presentation. There are huge business gains to be had from this method such as easier maintenance, greater control over style, lower costs etc., but perhaps most importantly, accessible content. We are now entering the 2nd generation of the web and people are accessing the web using an increasing variety of methods. A valid web standards based site will mean your website will have the widest potential audience.
Usability
Everyone has seen bad site design. Whether it be a flash monstrosity that takes forever to load and leaves you guessing how to get to the information, or just a poorly laid out site. Duyfken Studios web standards based websites ensure your businesses message is not lost in a poorly navigable site. With web standards your pages are cleanly structured and focus and content is clear to your audience.
Compatibility
In the 2nd generation of the web, people are accessing the web using an increasing variety of browsers and hardware such as PDA's and mobile phones. Sites made to web standards will continue to function correctly in future internet devices (unlike many non-standards based sites), after all a standard doesn't change. A valid web standards based site will mean your website will have the greatest cross browser compatibility and be usable to customers viewing your site from portable hardware and screen readers. Why prevent these people from being able to view your site correctly with a non-standards based website?
Higher search engine rankings
Another benefit of a well constructed standards based website is that as well as being accessible to your customers, often it will also be more accessible to search engines . Poorly structured inaccessible websites can often mean that some of the relevance of your text is misinterpreted by search engines. This means you could be losing out in search engine listings. By having a cleanly structured web standards website you are helping to ensure that your site is correctly represented in search engines, and ensuring it is more relevant than non-standards based sites in your industry.
Increased Website performance
As style is separate from content when using web standards the files sizes of your pages is substantially reduced. This is because all visual content is handled by a CSS style sheet which is external to your pages. Sites made using valid XHTML and CSS web standards load quicker and the written content of your site is viewable instantly. Old non-standards tables based web pages can be treble the size of a standards web page meaning it will take 3 times as long to load.
Powerful designs
A plus side of a web-standards based site is that maintenance is made easier, meaning your site can be more easily altered. As style is handled by an external (CSS) Style Sheet it is possible to change a sites whole colour scheme by changing a few key values. This means that a redesign featuring the same written content is much easier and cost efficient than ever before.
Bandwidth costs money
As the size of your pages are reduced, business costs can also be reduced as less hosting bandwidth will be used (a serious consideration with a popular website).
