Code Correction for W3C ValidationWhat does it mean to be W3C validated? Well it means a lot of things. Aside from general professionalism, having your website W3C validated ensures cross-browser compatibility. This means that no matter what browser your visitors are using, be it Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera, Chrome, etc…, your website will look the same for everyone, and function the way you intended.
Being W3C validated also means you (or your developers) will spend less time squirming through code, as it will be more structured, easier to read, and much faster to modify.
Being W3C validated means your website will load faster, as it is compatible with your browser’s display expectations. The more accurate your code is, the easier it’ll be for your computer to read it. Additionally, the better the code, the smaller the files, meaning not only will your pages load faster because of the code structure itself, but the actual files of your site will be reduced in size by eliminating unnecessary lines of code.
Being W3C validated means your site will be “future proof” – or in other words, more compatible with future web technologies. If you’re using a specific doc type in your files, but using multiple languages and versions of code, not only will it confuse your browser, but many sections may not even render properly over time as things change. It’s important to always use proper and consistent coding with the doc type you’re using, or your site could run into serious rendering problems down the road!
Many experts will argue that being W3C validated means your site will rank better in search engines. They say your site is easier for search engines to read, and much quicker for them to process. While we haven’t found any solid evidence to validate this claim, it’s logical enough for us to say it’s true! If you’re concerned about where your site ranks in Google, Yahoo, Bing or any other popular search engine, we think being W3C validated should be your first course of action!
Lastly, being W3C validated is just a sign of coding professionalism. If your developer is not willing to make sure your site is W3C validated, chances are it’s because he/she doesn’t know how… either that, or they’re just too lazy to code correctly. If your site is not W3C compliant, you are running the risk of missing out on everything described above. In our world, W3C is a standard. If we have a developer apply to work with us and they cannot code to these standards, we do not allow them to join our team.
So if these benefits are important to you, and you’d like them implemented into your site, please give us a call! We can either review your current site and fix the issues your previous developer left behind or we can build a new site with W3C standards already in place.
Websites can be a big investment – don’t just settle for “good enough”! Learn more about the World Wide Web Consortium standards at http://www.W3C.org.
