No matter whether your web page uses a visual web editor or you code HTML yourself directly with a basic text editor, you need to validate your codes after accomplishing your design.
This article will guide you through validation means andintroduces you with the basics of HTML/CSS validators.
What do you mean by HTML or CSS?
In case you are not familiar with what “validating” is about, it is a technique that refers to the use of a computer program to make sure that a web page is designed with no errors.
An HTML validator makes sure that the HTML code on a web page complies with the standards set by the W3 Consortium.
HTML validators can have different types. Some of them only check for errors, while some of these can also suggest about your code when you type anything inappropriately.
On the other hand, a CSS validator checks your Cascading Style Sheet used on the web page.It thoroughly checks whether codes comply with the CSS standards set by the W3 Consortium. There are a number of ways, both free and commercial that have different aspects of validating a web page.
Why HTML and CSS Validation is Required?
There are so many reasons to validate your page. Take a look.
Helps Cross-Browser, Cross-Platform and Future Compatibility
Even though your web page opens perfectly in different browsers, your page may still contain some HTML or CSS errors that are often not figured out with the browser as a result of an existing bug. However, some other person on a different browser might not share that bug and might not be visible appropriately. It is also possible that later versions of your browser will fix that bug, and your page will be broken when people use its latest incarnation.
Coding your pages so that it is correct without errors will result in pages that are more likely to work across browsers and platforms (ie, different systems). It is also a form of insurance against future versions of browsers, since all browsers aim towards compliance with the existing HTML and CSS standards.
Search Engine Visibility
When there are errors in a web page, browsers typically try to compensate in different ways. Some may ignore the broken elements while others make assumptions about what the web designer was trying to achieve. The problem is that when search engines obtain your page and try to parse them for keywords, they will also have to make certain decisions about what to do with the errors. Like browsers, different search engines will probably make different decisions about those errors, resulting in certain parts of your web page (or perhaps even the entire page) not being indexed.
The safest way to make sure the search engines see the page you want them to see is to present them an error-free page. That way, there is no dispute about which part of your page comprises the content and which the formatting code.
Limitations: What Validation Does Not Do
Validating your web page does not ensure that it will appear the way you want it to. It merely ensures that your code is without HTML or CSS errors.
