What are web standards
and why should you care?
Web technology is changing and expanding at an alarmingly rapid pace. Think of all the web technologies we have today, many that we did not have as recent as 5-6 years ago. We use the web for banking, ordering our movies, viewing our digital pictures, playing on-line games, buying our digital music, watching videos, checking email, ordering just about anything we need, sharing our documents, and chatting with our friends. And the web is now on our cell phones and hand-held devices. Without web standards, content on a website could be built in so many different ways that getting them to work consistently across the multitude of platforms would be a nightmare. In fact, it already is a nightmare. This is why the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) created web standards.
What are web standards?
The W3C developed a set of technical standards and best practices for delivering information via the World Wide Web, which provide a reliable structure from which web technology can build and expand. Their objective is to have all of the software developers and content designers working from the same set of technical guidelines. This way, when a web designer builds a website, he/she can be confident that the content of the website will be accessible by all current platforms (browsers, pdas, cell phones, RSS readers) and any future platforms that may develop in the years to come.
You can think of web standards in the same way you think about the English language. There are certain rules or standards in place that define proper English, the way it is written and spoken. This way, everyone that speaks the language can easily read and understand what you write. For example, reading English from left to right is a standard. But, suppose I were to write this article so you had to read it from right to left. Some people would jump on board and figure it out, but the broader audience would get frustrated and not bother to read this at all. This is how standards are helpful. If there were no standards, then English could be written in any way making your chances of understanding less likely, especially over time.
What is the W3C?
The W3C is "a forum for information, commerce, communication, and collective understanding." Their goal is to develop interoperable technologies (specifications, guidelines, software, and tools) to lead the web to its full potential. As the internet becomes more mature, website design standards are now an essential part of a website. These standards are followed by industry leaders such as Microsoft, Apple, Macromedia, AOL, and others.
W3C's mission is to "lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing protocols and guidelines that ensure long-term growth for the Web." Want more information on the W3C? Check out their website: www.w3.org/
Why are standards important?
Standards are the future. They are the foundation that web technology is built on today. The W3C says it best. "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." In short, if your web designer is using web standards, it means he/she is adhering to "best practices" in web design (valid code, accessible code, user-friendly URLs, etc.). And, best practices mean tangible benefits to you.
What are the tangible benefits?
By using standards, your website's foundation is built upon technologies that have been developed and tested by leading experts in the Web community. By coding your website to these standards, you ensure your site will deliver the greatest benefits to the greatest number of web users by:
- Functioning appropriately across current web browsers such as Internet Explorer, Firefox, Safari, Netscape, etc.;
- Continuing to work correctly in the future as browsers evolve;
- Ensuring the long-term viability of any web document on your site;
- Getting better page ranking by search engine spiders such as Google;
- Delivering sites that are accessible to more people including those with disabilities and/or those with unconventional browsers;
- Simplifying code and lowering the cost of production; and,
- Functioning correctly for future web technologies such as cell phones, smart phones, handheld devices/PDAs, etc.
Can you give me a practical example of how web standards can help?
Sure. Have you ever been to a website where the text overlaps other text or an image? Or perhaps you see a bunch of html code at the bottom of the page? Or, you get a message that you can't access the site with your browser? These are examples of sites that are not built to W3C standards.
How did this happen? Well, it used to be that as long as your website worked in Internet Explorer (IE), you were good to go. IE used to have 95% of the market share. Today, they only have 60%, with Mozilla's Firefox browser gaining rapidly (30% as of Sept 2006). Different browsers read sites differently and can ultimately make portions unusable or invisible, change layout, etc. If your site is built to W3C standards, it won't matter if your clients are using Firefox, IE or Safari, or any new future browser. But, if your site isn't built to web standards, you will run into problems, especially in the future.
The biggest example of how web standards can help is yet to come. Web standards position you and your website for the future. Web technology is taking off and standards are the foundation. Today, you can skate by without a compliant web site, but tomorrow it's simply not going to work.
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