Why standards compliant code with CSS?
There are a number of reasons that your website should be coded with valid code and CSS and tested in several browsers.
Consistency
Coding with web standards in mind and testing in multiple browsers (not just Internet Explorer) will ensure that your website looks good consistently for all users of your website. While it is true that somewhere in the neighborhood of 85% or so of users are using Internet Explorer to view your website, there are still 15% of your customers and potential customers who are not using Internet Explorer. Many people use FireFox on PC and some are now using Apple's popular Safari browser. And now with the number of Mac users on the rise, more and more people will be viewing your website with Safari, Apple's Internet browser, or FireFox for Mac. There are other browsers out there as well, but this covers 98% of users out there.
Even if the number of your users who browser the Internet with Internet Explorer is 100%, can you be certain that your website looks great in all current versions of Internet Explorer? Testing in multiple browsers is essential if you want your business' image and website's functionality to be consistent for all of your users.
5iveLeaf Design Studio works on both Macs and PCs. We test in multiple browsing environments to make sure your website looks great no matter who your user is.
Accessibility
How does your current site measure up when someone visits your site using an assistive device such as a screen reader or Braille reader? Are users with disabilities still getting the information they came for with the same ease as non-impaired users of your site? Chances are that if your site is not coded with web standards, users with disabilities of sight or hearing are not experiencing your site the way you intended. And if you are a Federal agency, you are mandated by law to conform to web accessibility standards.
Speed
Many websites use out there today simply use too much code to display formatting, text styles, etc. By using CSS all of the code that controls how the website "looks" is kept out of the page itself and is housed in a separate document. This means that your pages are lean and load faster than those not coded with CSS.
The Bottom Line
Optimizing your site's code with valid standards compliant code and CSS will provide your users with a more consistent, accessible, and speedy experience. If you would like 5iveLeaf Design Studio to examine your website to see if your website's code could use some updating, please use our get a quote page and tell us that you would like a free code analysis.