If accessibility and compatibility don't inspire you enough then the biggest attraction for adhering to the design standards is that your web site begins to get ranked higher on the search engines very easily because the search engine rankings algorithms love web sites that have standards compliant design.But exactly what makes your web site design standards compliant?
The checklist can go on and on but here I am briefly going to touch upon the main points that can help make your web site design standards compliant. Here they are:
- Valid XHTML and CSS code
- Absence of needless plug-ins
- Absence of CSS hacks
- The code is well-structured
- There are no broken links
- There are no JavaScript errors
- Pages load fast
- All the pages and links are accessible to the visually and physically impaired
- The web pages are compatible with all major browsers and surfing devices
- The code is kept separate from the design
- The navigation is clearly defined
- The color contrasts and fonts don't strain the eyes
- Meaningful 404 error pages
This checklist can help you keep your web site design standards compliant. You may choose not to follow the checklist and it may not affect the performance of your web site in the immediate future but as more and more browsers are launched and as more and more people use devices other than PCs and laptops to access the Internet it will become harder to access your web site unless your web site design is standards compliant.
