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