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Like many technologies, the internet has its own system of
standards. The World Wide Web Consortium or
W3C is the governing body that
monitors and develops web standards. Companies such as Microsoft,
Mozzila and Apple all create their
web browsers to render web pages according to these
standards.
Unfortunately, not all versions and brands of web browsers
render a given page the same. In some cases, an entire page of
a given web site may not ever display.
For example, a web company may
develop a site that looks fantastic and functions perfectly when
viewed within Internet Explorer on a Windows
system.
This in
fact may be the same system setup that the receiving client views
their completed site in before they give the final OK and the site
goes live. Then a customer using a different browser views the
site, but can't view all of the buttons on the navigation bar,
or may not see a very important message in their shopping cart.
This is
where designing to web
standards comes into play. By incorporating the
current industry web standards into your design, your site can
achieve true cross-browser compatibility.
Another important benefit to designing with web standards is
the flexibility, expandability and mobility of your site. Feature
enhancements, upgrades and maintenance becomes more easily managed.
Moving
from one hosting company to another is possible with little or
no changes to the site. |
