Introduction
Benefits of standards
1. Simpler development and maintenance
- Semantic and properly structured HTML is easy to understand code when created by someone else
2. Forward compatibility
- Use of defined standards and valid code reduces risk of future browsers not understanding code
3. Faster downloading and rendering of pages
- Less HTML = smaller files sizes and quicker downloads
4. Better accessibility
- Semantic HTML makes it easier for screen readers and alternative devices to interpret content
5. Better search engine rankings
- Separating content from presentation and behavior improves search engine rankings with proper use of <h1>, <h2>, etc.
6. Adaptation across media types
- Standards-based design easily adapts to print and other media devices, by linking to different CSS files.
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