W3C is the latest watch word for web design standards, it means sites that adhere to standards of user functionality and ease of use.  After 12 years are pretty awful looking sites it is nice to see a pretty little badge that you can display on your website to show that it adheres to W3C standards.  the standard also refers to whats under the bonnet: i.e the code that is used to write or construct the website should be neatly arranged and free from errors and sloppy mistakes.

In summary it is set of ‘rules’ that when they are incorporate into the design and construction result in a nice looking, easy to use website.  In order to be able to pass the standards you must submit your site to the W3C validation site – this site then scans the CSS & XHTML for your website and if it is clean, it presents you with a nice little banner that you can use on your website.  If it is not, you are presented with a list of errors that need rectifying before they will approve your site.

Is it of any use?? – yes in short. It makes using the internet a much nicer experience, how frustrating is it when you want to purchase something online and the site that stocks your product is so awful that it makes it impossible to navigate through the site and successfully make your purchase.

I think it will take a few years before all of the terrible old dinosaur websites disappear, but in the meantime, always look for the little badge.  It means that the owners of the website really care about your experience of using their site and generally this means they will provide a good service form throughout your journey with them as a contact or supplier.

As you probably gathered, we’ve got the little badge on our site: www.jcpeters.co.uk