What are Web Standards?
The term “web standards” can mean different things to different people. For some, it is ‘table-free sites‘, for others it is ‘using valid code‘. However, web standards are much more than that. A site built to web standards should adhere to standards (HTML, XHTML, XML, CSS, etc) and pursue best practices (valid code, accessible code, semantically correct code, user-friendly URLs, etc).
In other words, a site built to web standards should ideally be lean, clean, CSS-based, accessible, usable and search engine friendly.
Advantages?
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Better accessibility - Sites built with web standards find it easier to conform to disability legislation.
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Better print facilities - Have a separate print style designed especially for printing. No more badly printed web-sites!
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Backwards compatibility - Web standards ensures that your site will be useable on any browser no matter how old. Older browsers may not be able to load the graphical styles, but your content will always be readable.
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Delivery to multiple devices - By separating content from design you can deliver your content to a mobile phone or a touch screen kiosk just by changing the stylesheet.
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Increased speed - Web standards produce cleaner code and smaller files. These download quicker increasing the speed of your site.
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More flexibility - Because design is controlled by a small set of files, it is possible to quickly and easily change the look of your site without a complete rebuild.
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Improved search engine placement - Search engines do not care about design, they only care about content. By separating the two, it makes it easier for the search engines to understand your site and rank it accordingly.
