Build Text Only Websites - And Style Them!

The easiest way to an accessible website is to build a text only website. Correct?

For many years the only 'accessible' part of a website was it's mirrored text-only version. Many developers thought simple text versions of their website were the only way to ensure visitors with screen readers (ergo with some form of disability) could access their website. Though it has to be said, some inexperienced developers could not even get a text only version right. The big problem was of course, now they had two sites with the same content - a nightmare to maintain, let us tell you!

Usually the problem is that, for a start, the site was built in ugly HTML Tables, sometimes without important 'ALT' tags for images and other important features on the page. Even worse, a lot of websites used Frames, a system that still doesn't work well (in terms of search engine marketing or accessibility).

The Magic Of CSS

CSS lets you build a text version of the site and style it!

Tables were never meant for website design layout. They are for holding data (information about league football, for instance). Most designers used tables because CSS was not supported well by all the browsers - but it is now. CSS was and is meant to be used for the design of your website - so forget about tables. What's more CSS gives designers total control of the look and feel of their website, including font sizes and styles, from one document - very useful for site wide changes to whole designs!

Another great thing about CSS is that it can be removed by the latest browsers. In Firefox you select 'View > Page Style > No Style' and hey presto - you have a virtual text-only website, if you're using CSS to it's full potential. This is how a search engine robot sees your website, too, so why not move you're important content to the top of the page, moving the site-wide navigation arrays to the bottom, out of the way? Using CSS, of course!

CSS isn't hard to learn the basics. For the first week you'll be bamboozled, but then it will get very simple very quickly if you know a little about HTML, if your keen on learning. CSS has some great benefits for:

Download Times
Website Accessibility
Search Engine Optimisation
Website Maintenance

CSS is good for everybody. It's good for disabled visitors to the site as they can create instant text versions of the site or even apply their own style sheet. It's good for you because you can edit colours and styles instantly across a thousand page website, saving time and money. It's good for your client, because the search engines can understand the CSS/HTML website you have created much easier and therefore include them in their indexes.

...so use it. Demand it if someone else is building your website on your behalf. And remember to make sure it validates at the W3C CSS Checker!

Shaun Anderson

Accessibility 101

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