Web Standards: Why Even the Smallest Business Should Care

Standards: not just a bunch of flags and royal ensigns anymore. For the web, designing with standards is a movement and, more importantly, an improvement in the way we develop websites. And for our clients, web standards are something to be recognized for their excellent practice, and not as something taken to be befuddling, irrelevant jargon.

As a set of best practices, these standards and technical specifications mean building better websites that work across varying platforms “with less work, less maintenance, and at lower cost,” as Jefferey Zeldman notes. His book, Designing with Web Standards, discusses methods to prevent websites from becoming painfully obsolete painfully quickly. Web development’s persistent need to code and re-code sites (usually for browser updates and changes) can be prevented by adhering to these standards that provide for usability across browsers (like Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, and Safari, to name a few).

Even if you have a small business, the use of web standards on your website is important. Think greater visibility in web searches, and the peace of mind that even older browsers will be able to read standards-compliant code. The Web Standards Project explains many issues of both accessibility for people that comprise your users AND for the machines that present the aesthetically pleasing and relevant information in the form of websites. As a powerful tool in finding information, the web needs to be made accessible to persons with disabilities, and by using web standards for your website screen readers, voice browsers, and Braille translators can read your site properly. Instead of limiting your user group, having a broadly-accessible website means the inclusion of a much larger audience.

Perhaps there is a flag or banner to be waved in the face of costly web development that is forced to change with every new browser and device addition, as the advantages of using web standards become clear. And if that’s the case, then in this age of digital design that we are absolutely immersed in, I hold a little flag to the importance of knowing how it works and how to design responsibly.

To learn more about specific web standards and tutorials, visit the WC3, the World Wide Web Consortium on “Leading the Web to Its Full Potential.”