Web standards are important, right? Exactly what are web standards? Whether you realize it or not, you are aware of web standards, and they also effect your experience on the web. As a client, you shouldn't have to worry about them and of course it is the job of the web designer/web developer (us!)

Often times, companies and individual web designers take advantage of the fact that some people may not know what the "standards" are. Fully defining web standards would take a millennia, so to better represent how they work and why it is important here are some examples.

Why speed and clean code is important:

You're on a website that takes forever to display. Once it finally displays, and you click on the "Buy Now" link to read more about the product, it again, takes forever to load. What do you do? Leave the site and find another website willing to easily sell you the product you're looking for. You move on...

Why usability understanding is important:

You're looking for a psychologist in the area. This can be difficult because you don't know anyone who sees a psychologist right now and you want to be sure you find someone professional and properly educated.

The first site you visit has a very long video introduction that is difficult to understand. Once the video ends, you try to find information about their services and you keep coming back to videos and sound. Problem is, you're at work and the sound is off on your computer. You move on...

Why Site design, clarity and color is important:

You need a lawyer because your neighbor is suing you for defamation of character (Work with me here!) You need a great lawyer, an intelligent lawyer, a lawyer in the area. The first few lawyer's websites you come to have cartoon judges for icons and lawyers standing behind desks with white renaissance style wigs. You move on...

Notice that in each one of these scenarios a user is not willing to work at finding the information they need from the website. They can easily find it else where if needed. That is what makes web standards important.

The point of the story is to have your website represent your business. When someone visits the site, they understand what your company is about and how you can assist them. At Websitenabox our goal is to avoid the cluttered mess of 1990's style website designs and to create websites that focus on user experience, clean website design and up to date web standards. In short, to make the web a more beautiful place!