The Business Benefits of Web Standards

Reducing dependency on any one developer

A common challenge for web developers when assuming management of existing sites is the code written by other developers. In many cases, they are faced with poor HTML code quality that may also rely on undocumented features or hacks and specific coding practices. Lack of documentation is also often problematic.

Following standards-compliance in requirements documents is a very effective way to ensure measurable quality of the final product, the W3C being an impartial judge.

Because standards are very well documented, another person taking over some standard-compliant code can hit the ground running - and will not need to become familiar with the previous developer's coding practices. This also significantly reduces vendor lock-in.

Benefits to web site visitors

Thanks to accessibility, faster loading web pages, and compatibility with more browsers (not limited to the one or two browsers using for testing), visitors are more likely to appreciate your service and come back later.

Using web standards and separating structure from presentation brings a host of benefits for today and tomorrow.

Today, it means more audience, lower cost to produce new content, and becoming compliant with accessibility requirements.

For tomorrow, it means reducing vendor lock-in, reducing cost of maintenance, and having a more flexible web site in terms of presentation. Last but not least, use of standards opens the door to XML technologies.

All these factors also contribute to easier site management, a larger audience and a better return on investment. Geeks, marketers and bean-counters can all benefit from a standard-based web site. This is more than one could even dream of.

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