Web Standards
What are Web Standards
Web Standards are a widely accepted set of specifications that define how web sites should be constructed.
The Standards are developed and published by the World Wide Web Consortium (or W3C for short).
A web site is far more then just it's design. Just like a car, once the design is approved it has to be built
out of raw materials. The main raw material for a website is HTML and the W3C standards specify how this HTML
should be put together.
Why do we need Web Standards?
Staying with the car analogy, I'm sure you'll agree that you care very much how well your car is built
and you expect a certain standard of construction to ensure that your new car won't break down after a
few miles.
The construction of web sites is very similar - if the way a site is built doesn't meet the requirements of
the standards then you will almost certainly be increasing your long term costs as well as not making the
most of the search engines and accessibility.
Standards-compliant websites are easier (and cheaper) to maintain, can be indexed more easily by search
engines and their content can be more easily accessed on different platforms and browsers.
Is Building to the Standards more Expensive
Not at all! In fact the opposite is the case because a well constructed site will be easier to build and maintain.
How do I know if a site is Standards Compliant
You can verify the compliance of a site by using a number of online tools. The W3C website
has a list of them. And look for the yellow compliance logos - we have three of them on the footer of our site.
If your company is serious about's its online presence then you should insist on a standards compliant site.
Osmodus always builds websites using industry standard techniques. Call us on 01462 429 730 or email us using our online contact form to find out more.