The big problem with standards compliant websites
The web design business is tough. Every potential client has a “friend” with a pirated copy of Adobe’s latest Creative Suite who’s happy to build a website for a hundred bucks and free pizza. A professional web developer, on the other hand, has spent countless hours perfecting the techniques to hand-code standards compliant websites, and he wants to charge accordingly. Compare the two and you understand one of the biggest problems with web standards…
Clients don’t get it.
If you want to build standards compliant websites, and get paid what you’re worth, you need to become an educator. Here’s what I tell potential clients about the benefits of standards compliance:
It future-proofs your website
Web pages that don’t validate have to rely on error correction by the browser to display properly. Of course browsers in the future might not make the same corrections they do today, which means your website could break as technology advances. A standards compliant website, however, can work for years to come since browsers are built to comply with existing standards.
It can improve search engine visibility
Search engines, like browsers, have to use error correction on pages that don’t validate. But there’s no way to tell how a search engine will process an error. It might only index a section of a page or skip pages with errors altogether. A standards compliant website is error-free, so your web pages have every opportunity to be indexed.
It helps with performance and cross-browser compatibility
A browser can render web pages that validate faster than those with errors. And since a browser doesn’t have to use error correction on a standards compliant website, the pages are more likely to look the same regardless of a visitor’s browser or operating system.
It helps ensure your website is accessible
Even if all the code is in place to allow disabled visitors to experience your website, an error on the page could render it inaccessible. A website that’s standards compliant isn’t necessarily accessible, but validation is an important first step.
It shows you’re dealing with a professional
Your software pirate friend may kick your butt if you shell out top dollar for a website, but remember that you get what you pay for. It takes a lot of time and effort for a professional developer to learn how to build websites the right way. They charge more because you benefit more.
I usually reword that last bit to be more forgiving. Still, the gist of the argument is there.
I also let potential clients know they don’t have to take my word at face value. I send them to these pages by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C): why validate and buy standards compliant web sites. It doesn’t take them long to reconsider their hiring criteria.
If you’ve taken the time to master tricks like source ordered content and create standards compliant websites, you should be rewarded for your efforts. The easiest way to do that is to educate potential clients about what makes your work great.
About Jason Garrison
Jason is a freelance web designer and developer who has a healthy obsession with web standards. When he’s not knee-deep in code, you can find him in a meditative state communing with the universe.
5 Comments
Compliance, OK. I’m of several minds…but no badges, please. Good for you not sticking one of those ugly suckers in your footer. ;-)
The best use for the validation tool, IMO, is to serve as additional sanity check. It will catch things you might not have noticed. And then you can fix them. Or you can say, “yeah, there’s no easy way around that, and I’m going to err on the side of aesthetics because it will take 20 billable hours to fix otherwise.” At least the decision becomes an informed one!
Cheers,
Greg
GREAT GUY! (and so good looking,too.)
Greg — Good points. I think it’s important to remember that validation is a tool, not a goal. There’s still a lot that should be done after the validation service says “Congratulations”. The only issue I have is with future-proofing. HTML5 does look to be the next standard, but considering it won’t be ready until 2022 I think XHTML 1.0 is as future-proof as developers can hope for.
Ileana — I’m glad you liked our “software pirate”. :)
Some great points there. As far as I understand xhtml 1.0 is a standard, like html 4 and hopefully it won’t lose support in browsers anytime soon – certainly not in my lifetime.
And I agree – no badges! Just common sense.
What is needed is some documented articles on how non-standards website failed somehow. However I doubt we’ll get many of those as the latest raft of browsers seem to fix a lot of coding bugs (including open tags) .
Ultimately when talking to business people its the framing of the pitch that makes all the difference. Should they even know what web standards is? Its kind of like an electrician coming around telling you about their stuff – you just want your lights fixed.
Because web standards does provide a better product then you might try walking in and just saying we provide these features (not how they are technically achieved). After all, a happy customer is one that has their expectations met.
I say this after banging my head against a brick wall with client’s eyes glazing over for a number of years. We’re the only group of professionals walking into their offices pleading with them to understand our science. Their concern is simply return on investment, will it make money, will it meet their customer’s needs.
Yes geek boys in their bedroom can undercut us with talentless rubbish… but there’s a lot more to a web solution than how it is stitched together technically.
Just a couple of things to consider. Often bringing web standards into that conversation makes it more cerebral for the client than its worth.
Make good products, get word of mouth. People won’t go back to the geek boy twice if they want to make money in business.
Nice article by the way. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a standardista through and through. But I’m learning to keep that as a technical conversation rather than a business one. How much money will you make me? That’s the real concern.