CSS – Cascading Style Sheets
This title sounds like it could be techy stuff...and it is, however, it does have direct relevance to the web sites I build and to the quality of the web sites my clients have.
Back in the old days (i.e. a few years ago !), people used to build web sites by using tables to position all the text, images etc on the page. That's not what tables were really for and it had/has a number of disadvantages. CSS provides a means of building web pages without using tables for layout and it overcomes the disadvantages inherent with tables. Web sites built with CSS
- load faster
- are easier to change and maintain
- are quicker to build (and so cheaper to build)
- are search engine friendly and so naturally rank higher in the lists
- have huge flexibility in how they are designed
Another massive advantage of CSS built sites is that, if used properly, they allow the separation of appearance from content. What does that mean ? Well, it means that the words that you want people to read are held in separate files from all the information about detailed layout, colours, fonts etc. - the styling. For most people who use web sites that's not really that important. However, if you have some visual impairment then you may find it easier to view a web site with all the layout and graphics turned off. If all the detailed code about layout, colours and fonts is all embedded in the same file as the content, then it is going to be very difficult to read. Much better to keep the content and the presentation separate.
People who have severe visual impairments often use screen readers to gain access to web sites. Screen readers read out the code behind the web page. Again, if all the detailed code about the appearance of the site is mixed up with the content itself, then the user will have to listen to a lot of gobbledygook before getting to the word which you really want people to read.
So CSS is a tool which a professional web builder uses to create modern, fast, flexible web sites that are easy to use by people who are sighted and those that have reduced visual abilities.
I always use CSS to build web sites as separating content and presentation is a major part of the work I do to make web sites as accessible as possible to as many people as possible. Accessibility is important to me, it is a legal requirement and it makes good business and moral sense. You can read more about this on the accessibility page.
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