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Lemon Digital Design creates functional, flexible, accessible, usable, interoperable, standards compliant web sites. For our clients this means better usability, higher search engine results, lower maintenance cost, more flexibility and functionality. In summary: better and more successful web sites and a higher return on their investment.
What makes standard compliant websites superior and economically sound? Lemon Digital Design uses
- Use Valid HTML and Cascading Style Sheets (CSS)
- Pure CSS layouts as opposed to traditional and outdated table layouts
Valid HTML as per the recommendations of w3.org guarantees full cross browser and system compatibility as well as a future proof base for your design. It is the solid foundation all sites should adhere to.
Pure CSS layouts seperate the pages content from it's presentation logic, meaning it's content is always accessible with any kind of access tool and presentation can be adjusted to fit the tool. It makes your web page interoperable and device independent and you information universally accessible.
In real world and economical terms this means:
- Faster loading pages: By freeing the HTML of all presentational markup and concentrating on content page size becomes dramatically smaller. The external CSS file which remains in the browser cache memory only has to be loaded once during the visit of a web site. Visiting our site you will never have to download more than 8k (plus the size of the top image), which makes our pages load lightning fast, even on slow modem connections.
- Cost reduction: Faster loading pages and smaller page sizes save bandwidth. Bandwidth costs money.
- Reduction in workload and labour cost: Properly marked up CSS design are a breeze to maintain and highly configurable. Entire designs can be changed with ease and without ever having to change the pages content itself. One CSS file governs formatting and positioning of all elements on your pages. One parameter change in this file updates the entire design over the whole domain. Maintenance and design updates don't mean you have to start from scratch, and your business will save real money on a dramatically reduced workload your web site carries.
- Flexibility and accessibility: Have you clicked the links at the very top right of this page or looked at the print preview (in your browser choose "File" then "Print Preview") of any of our pages? CSS designs offer the flexibility and accessibility you need to address all user groups and access tools. They offer barrier free access for everyone and everything. (PLease also refer to the Help page to read more about this)
- Visual consistency: Seperating content from presentation logic and having one style sheet govern your entire site gurantees visual consistency across all pages.
- Better search engine results: Lighter HTML and optimised markup means that search engines do not have to weed through the jungle of markup in your HTML page. Elements are clearly structured and search engine bots read real content, real headlines and get a full view of what your page has to offer. Therefore your sites will rank higher and make it easier for bots to be rank you correctly and consistently. You present yourself on a plate instead of hiding in the bushes. (Please take a look at our Search Engine Opimisation Page to find out more about what we can do for you)
- Improved accessibility: The use of CSS to format your pages allows user groups and user agents to find their way around a lot easier. They can even use their own pre-defined styles to make sure they can find and identify the information they are looking for on yuor site.
- A competitive edge: Your website is more functional, more flexible, more optimised and more accessible. At the same time it saves money in terms of hosting bills and mostly in terms of work hours. You have a lean and highly configurable web presence. You have a competitive edge.
Ask your designer if he writes clean and valid HTML (or validate any of your pages through the W3 Validator which can be found here. Ask your designer whether he uses CSS to format his pages as opposed to outdated traditional table layouts. Insist on the clear benefits a valid pure CSS design offers and don't settle for anything less.
If you want to find out more about our design methods please refer to our article on the "Basics of s Professional Web Presence" which explains all of the above in more details and provides links to useful resources on the topic.
If you have any doubts or queries or if you would just like us to take a look through your web site please do not hesitate to contact us .