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Cascading Stylesheets: 5 Reasons To Use CSS

By: Hilco van der Meer

Article Word Count: 1799 words  [Comments (0)]
Total Views: 131 Views
















Cascading Stylesheets become more and more important in today's













webdesign.



























But before you decide to get started using CSS you should know













why CSS is so important and what its advantages are.



























1. The content is separated from the design



























Because you are able to create a separate Stylesheet and link it













to all your webdocuments, you have great control over how your













website looks. So if you want to change a certain aspect of your













page, you only need to alter one file: your Stylesheet!



























This Of course, generates some great flexibility. This













flexibility is not available when your website is using tables













for layout, inline font tags or inline defined colors.



























A single CSS file can contain positioning, layout, font, colors













and style information for an entire web site.



























2. You site uses less bandwidth and loads faster



























Because stylesheets are so lightweight, your website will load













much faster. The main reason is because you do not need table













layouts anymore for the positioning of elements. Since text













loads really really fast your website will be visible in a













flash.



























This means that visitors will be happier when surfing your













website. They only have to download the Stylesheet once, and













it's automatically reused for every page. So the only thing that













needs to be loaded is the actual content.



























On average a website will load five to ten times faster if it













makes use of cascading style sheets.



























3. Your website will automatically gain better search engine













results




























With CSS, you can position any element, anywhere you want. So if













your menu is at the bottom of your HTML document, you can bring













it up using absolute positioning. The reason this is useful is













to make sure the search engine spiders pick up the main content













first.



























Another advantage you automatically gain is that your HTML code













is much cleaner. So the search engine spider will not have to













separate the junk code from the real content.



























So make sure you put your logo text and your menu at the bottom













of your HTML document at put it at the top using CSS!



























4. CSS is compatible with newer browsers



























Because more and more browsers are used other than Internet













Explorer on a Windows machine, you need to be sure that your













website is accessible by all major and newer browsers.



























By using webstandards, defined by the w3c, you are making sure













your content is viewable in the future.



























Because there are so many browsers these days, it is impossible













to test your website in all these browsers on different













configurations. Coding to standards is then the only practical













solution.



























5. CSS can be used to display the same content on different













media.




























Because you are able to define different stylesheets for













different media you have great flexibility in presenting your













content.



























The printer for example, is a medium on itself. If someone













prints out your website, you will be able to modify the look of













it. Add an extra black and white logo, remove the advertisements













and change the colors to black and white values. It's all done













easily by using cascading stylesheets. And the best thing is,













visitors do not even have to know you created a new Stylesheet













especially for the printer.



























Stylesheets can also be created specifically for PDA's and such.













As you will understand, this adds some great flexibility to the













presentation of your web document.



























Conclusion



























Cascading Style Sheets are created to make things easier. It













gives you great control of your website and makes your visitors













happy when they are surfing your website.



























You are prepared for the future and will gain better search













engine results automatically. Start using CSS to its full













potential today! It will suit you well.













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