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Good reasons to have an accessible, standards-based website:

  1. Future-proofing - sites built properly will perform as they should in newer browsers as they develop, and in the rapidly expanding range of mobile and hand-held devices.
  2. Faster downloads and rendering in the browser. Standards-based sites use less code and form smaller files.
  3. Higher search engine ranking - the separation of content and presentation (typical of a standards-based site) means that the content represents a larger part of the total overall file size. Combined with thoughtful markup this will improve search engine rankings significantly.
  4. Compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act. Falling foul of the Act could prove costly. But more importantly, there is no moral justification for excluding users with special needs or making access to your website difficult.
  5. Easier site development and maintenance.
  6. Simpler adaptation - a standards-based document can be easily adapted for print and for alternative browsing devices like handheld computers and web-enabled phones, simply by linking to an alternative CSS file. You can also make site-wide changes to presentation by editing a single file.
  7. Credibility - the use of current, rather than old and deprecated methods, helps 'position' companies as technologically advanced.
  8. Increased audience reach to the millions of special needs users frustrated by sites built using older methods.
  9. Increased audience reach to users of the latest technologies.
  10. Increased sales - customers are more likely to use and return to accessible, usable sites.
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Still unconvinced?

Well, the business, legal and technological arguments touched on already are pretty compelling. But for a full exploration of these and some of the aesthetic, and ethical issues involved, read the excellent, “Designing with Web Standards” by Jeffrey Zeldman.