| Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) are used
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| | it makes your textual content much more
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| within the HTML behind your Web site as a
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| | prominent within your HTML. This means
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| way of controlling how each page is laid
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| | the search engine spiders can easily find
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| out and what elements on it look like.
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| | your textual content, and that your
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| For instance, you can use CSS to make
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| | content is generally displayed in one
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| headings in your copy a standard size
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| | block, rather than being split up into
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| across the whole of your site.
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| | less readable chunks by HTML just to fit
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| CSS has been around for several years and
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| | it in to your design.
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| is supported by all the major browsers
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| | Using 'semantically correct XHTML' - ie
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| available today, including Internet
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| | heading tags around the headings and
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| Explorer for the PC and Mac, Firefox,
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| | sub-headings in your copy, and bold or
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| Safari and Opera.
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| | strong tags around content you wish to
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| Using CSS to control your Web site will
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| | highlight - tells the search engines
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| give you several benefits:
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| | those words are the most important on the
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| Makes your Web pages snappier
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| | page. This helps give the page a boost
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| By using CSS and writing your HTML code
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| | for searches which match the words which
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| to match standards like 'XHTML
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| | are marked as more important in this way.
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| Transitional' or 'XHTML Strict' you can
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| | Helps in passing the Disability
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| decrease the 'render time' of your pages.
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| | Discrimination Act
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| This is the time it takes between
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| | Using good CSS and XHTML makes it easy
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| downloading the page and actually showing
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| | for people with disabilities to change
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| it on screen to your Web site visitor.
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| | your pages the way they may need to for
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| When using tables for layout - the
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| | easy reading. This may be through
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| traditional alternative to using CSS -
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| | increasing or decreasing the font size,
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| and 'font' tags to control how the text
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| | or having it read to them through a
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| on the page looks, the browsers have a
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| | screen reader. The clean page coding that
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| lot more work to do before they show the
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| | goes along with using CSS means screen
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| page. Using CSS and the proper DocType
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| | readers can easily navigate through your
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| for the pages means the browser knows
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| | page and find the content, giving a good
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| what to expect from the code and can
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| | experience to visually impaired users.
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| display it much more quickly.
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| | Using CSS and XHTML also helps you comply
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| In practice, converting to a standards
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| | with the UK Disability Discrimination Act
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| based CSS layout on one client's Web site
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| | rules for accessible Web sites. This is a
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| reduced the time it took the page to
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| | valuable side-effect of using this kind
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| display by almost a quarter of a second.
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| | of coding and takes no extra development
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| Although this is a very small amount of
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| | time to be compliant.
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| time, it is more than enough to make a
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| | Helps browsing from different devices
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| Web site feel much more snappy and
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| | As well as helping screen readers, using
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| responsive, helping it give a good
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| | CSS means alternative devices like mobile
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| impression to your potential customers.
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| | phones and PDAs can show your content
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| Makes your Web site quicker to update
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| | effectively and easily. Although the
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| As well as making your pages display
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| | current market in the West for browsing
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| quicker, CSS makes it easier to make
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| | the Web through mobiles is small, it is
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| global updates to your Web site. Say
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| | growing and by using CSS you can create a
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| you're having a minor change in corporate
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| | Web site which is easily viewable on
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| image and want all your page headings
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| | these devices with little extra effort,.
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| changed from blue to green. With CSS
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| | So as more people use them it will be
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| controlling how your headings look, that
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| | simple to convert your site to work with
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| means changing the colour in one file and
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| | current or future devices..
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| the whole site shows the change - a two
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| | Downsides
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| minute job rather than having to edit
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| | Currently, Web browsers treat CSS
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| every page on the site.
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| | slightly differently, so when your Web
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| This flexibility gives you the
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| | site is created you may need slightly
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| opportunity to do more with your Web
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| | more cross-browser testing, and you will
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| site. Want to show your support for Red
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| | need to find a Web designer who
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| Nose Day? Again, one file change can put
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| | understands how to build a site in CSS
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| a little red nose next to all of your
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| | correctly. Most professional designers
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| headers, turn the text red and even make
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| | and developers are now seeing the
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| them display in a silly typeface. Turning
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| | benefits of creating standards based CSS
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| them back to normal for the next day is,
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| | sites, but it is worth ensuring that
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| once again, a single file change.
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| | anyone you hire to make your Web site
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| Good for Search Engine Optimisation
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| | does know CSS before starting a project.
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| Because using CSS removes lots of HTML
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| | But the downsides are small when compared
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| from your pages as layout and the look of
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| | to the immediate and ongoing benefits of
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| text is controlled through the CSS file,
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| | a CSS-based Web site.
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