Website Standards and Clean Code
Creating a trendy website with the help of current web standards isn’t that tough. You can have a lightning-fast, contemporary, clean and responsive website, with the help of the latest technology. 508 Compatibility that promotes accessibility for all across the globe.
A good performing website that cost less and reach more people is what everyone wants in today’s browsers, screen readers and wireless devices. The unavoidable technological developments are breaking the internet across the web world. A contemporary website that built with the help of modern coding practices makes a website perform well across the wide range of devices and help people with incapacities who are using special devices to access and use internet and stand the test of time.
Instead of investing in trendy, proprietary solutions that may not be sustainable in the long run, it is more cost-effective to create a website that is built to last.
Mixing and matching various stylesheets may seem appealing in the short term, but it is not a practical solution for ongoing website issues. It is important to take a holistic approach to building a website that is reliable and scalable.
508 COMPATIBILITY – FORWARD THINKING
WaSP promotes the use of standards in website design and development in order to make it easier and more affordable for people to create and access websites. These standards are supported by all modern web browsers. It may utilize a variety of design and development tools like Visual Studio Code or Adobe Dreamweaver or any other modern text editor. There are many resources available to learn about web standards, and this information is available in a variety of languages.
WHAT IS WEB STANDARDS COMPLIANT?
Javascript
JavaScript is a programming language that allows action. It allows developers to create interactive and dynamic elements on websites. In order for web standards to be effective, it is important for all web browsers to support them fully. While it is not always possible for software to be completely free of bugs, most modern web browsers have strong support for the latest standards.
HTML5, more accessibility, CSS3, structured markup and deeper DOM and JavaScript function calls are getting the latest developments and keep the web world forward.
Many well-known companies and organizations, such as Apple, Microsoft, Wikipedia, and WordPress, have adopted these standards. However, it is still important for developers to strive for clean and valid code, even though modern browsers may be forgiving of certain errors.
STANDARDS ARE THE TOOLS WITH WHICH ALL OF US CAN DESIGN AND BUILD SOPHISTICATED, BEAUTIFUL SITES THAT WILL WORK TODAY AND TOMORROW.
OLD BROWSERS ARE INCOMPETENT, INCOMPLETE, AND HAZARDOUS TO THE HEALTH OF THE WEB.
Many websites are outdated and not optimized for modern web browsers and devices. They might look great but the symptoms of decay already get started. This can result in poor performance and a breakdown of design and functionality on some devices. As browsers continue to evolve and improve, the performance of these older websites may worsen.
Modern web browsers are significantly different from their older counterparts and are designed to more fully support web standards. As a result, they are less forgiving of code and markup that does not comply with these standards. It is important for developers to ensure that their websites are built using up-to-date standards in order to ensure compatibility with modern browsers.
THE KNOWLEDGE OF WEB STANDARDS IS A NECESSITY FOR ANYONE WHO DESIGNS OR PRODUCES WEBSITES
We strive to follow these principles in our mission:
- Ensuring that our website layout, placement, and typography are well-controlled in desktop browsers, while also giving users the option to customize the presentation to meet their needs.
- Developing and maintaining advanced behaviors that work across multiple browsers and platforms.
- Adhering to accessibility laws and guidelines without sacrificing aesthetics, performance, or sophistication.
- Redesigning efficiently to reduce costs and avoid unnecessary work.
- Providing support for a range of emerging devices, including wireless gadgets, smartphones, Braille output devices, and screen readers for those with disabilities, with a single website.
- Offering sophisticated printed versions of any web page.
- Staying up-to-date with industry developments and using real semantic markup in all of our work.
PAGE RANKING AND SEO
SEO and analytics are closely related and essential for a successful website. It is possible for businesses to implement effective SEO and analytics strategies without breaking the bank. By creating well-planned SEO strategies, your website will become more easily discoverable by search engines and users. Quality content is crucial for successful SEO. Therefore, it’s important to focus on creating lean, keyword-rich, and relevant content that avoids buzzwords and jargon, and to use semantic markup to ensure that your content is easily understood by both humans and search engines. Additionally, using the latest coding practices for copy, CSS layout, and HTML5 can help improve the findability of your website.
ACCESSIBILITY – THE HEART OF WEB STANDARDS…
By following standards-based design principles, you can not only make it easier for search engines to discover your content, but you can also ensure that your website is accessible to visually impaired users who rely on screen readers. When structuring your website semantically, consider how users who rely on screen readers will navigate your site.
They often move from heading to heading (h2 to h2) and from section to section, much like sighted users scan a page visually. Pay special attention to forms and tables, as they can be challenging for screen reader users to navigate. Additionally, provide keyboard access for those who are unable to use a mouse, as keyboards and assistive devices are the primary means for these users to access the internet. By considering these factors, you can create a user experience that is accessible and enjoyable for all.
WELCOME MILLIONS OF VISITORS TO YOUR SITE WHO ARE LOCKED OUT – YES – THERE ARE MILLIONS OF DISABLED PEOPLE IN THE WORLD WHO HAVE ACCESS TO THE INTERNET
Google’s web crawlers look for the relevance of content when a user searches for something online. It’s helpful to think of web crawlers as blind users – Google is the biggest blind user on the web. By creating high-quality, well-written and well-structured content, you can not only serve the needs of blind users, but also attract millions of sighted users. It’s important to consider the needs of disabled users, as this demographic represents a significant portion of the population. In fact, the size of this group would be equivalent to a city the size of Los Angeles or New York.
It’s not smart to exclude disabled Americans from your website, as they are a valuable audience that can benefit from your products and services. Furthermore, by making your website accessible and conforming to guidelines, you can reach not only disabled users, but also many non-disabled users who may have otherwise ordered your products over the phone if your site had been accessible to them. In other words, by considering the needs of disabled users, you can also improve the user experience for a wider audience.
Section 508
Section 508 is a U.S. law that requires all websites under its jurisdiction to provide equal or equivalent access to everyone, including individuals with visual impairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, and photosensitive epilepsy. This law covers a wide range of equipment and technologies, including computers, fax machines, copiers, telephones, transaction machines, kiosks, and more, as well as websites. Section 508 became law in 2001 and applies to the following:
- Federal departments and agencies, including the U.S. Postal Service
- Deliverables from contractors who serve these entities
- Activities sponsored or funded by the Federal government
- Activities sponsored by states that have adopted the regulations
There are many resources available that can help you understand the specific standards and guidelines outlined in Section 508 and how to make your website compliant. Essentially, if you design your website according to web standards and follow these guidelines, your site should be accessible to screen readers, Lynx, mobile devices, old browsers, as well as modern, compliant browsers. Web standards and accessibility intersect in the belief that one web document should be accessible to all readers and users. It is even possible to make Flash and PDFs accessible. The key is to design and structure your website with the needs of all users in mind.
MYTH: ACCESSIBILITY IS EXPENSIVE
Many tasks that can improve the accessibility and usability of a website are quick and easy to complete. For example, adding labels to your web form or writing a table summary can take just a few minutes. Providing brief alt text for each image is another simple way to improve accessibility. Some higher-level conformance tasks may require more time and resources, but are still important to consider. For example, if you want to provide closed captions for web videos or caption live streaming media news feeds in real time, it may be helpful to refer to “Best Practices in Online Captioning” by Joe Clark. Overall, there are many simple and effective ways to improve the accessibility and usability of your website, and it’s worth taking the time to consider these options.
I highly recommend the book “Web Standards” for anyone involved in building things for the internet. Web standards are an exciting concept that brings us all together and helps us create a more cohesive online experience. It’s difficult to predict where we’ll go from here, but right now we’re making great progress with web standards. This book is a must-have for anyone interested in this topic.
To stay up-to-date with the latest standards and beta versions of new concepts, you can visit the W3C website. Their HTML5 Validator is a useful tool for identifying semantic errors within your webpage. Overall, staying informed about web standards and using tools like the HTML5 Validator can help you create a website that is accessible, user-friendly, and in line with industry best practices. Go to http://validator.W3.org/ for the latest information.
2023