Why a CSS Website Layout Will Make You Money
by Trenton Moss
Although CSS layouts have been around for years, they haven't become so commonplace
until recently. This was basically due to limited browser support (especially from
Netscape 4) - nowadays though, CSS 2.0 (which introduced positioning) is compatible
with over 99% of browsers out there (check out the browser stats over at
www.thecounter.com).
So, why should you convert your website from its current table-based layout to a CSS
layout? It'll make you money. Simple really. And here's four reasons to explain why:
Reduced bandwidth costs
Web pages using CSS for layout tend to have much smaller file sizes than those using
tabular layouts. It's not unusual to see reductions of 50% or more in file size when
switching from CSS to tables. Smaller file sizes obviously mean reduced bandwidth costs,
which for high traffic sites can mean enormous savings.
The main reason for this dramatic decrease in file size is that presentation information
is placed in the external CSS document, called up once when the homepage loads up and
then cached (stored) on to the user's computer. Table layouts on the other hand, place
all presentation information inside each HTML, which is then called up and downloaded
for every page on the site.
Additionally, CSS can be used to replace JavaScript image rollovers, again allowing a
large reduction in overall page size. See the article, CSS navigation menu for more on
this (http://www.webcredible.co.uk/user-friendly-resources/css/css-navigation-menu.shtml).
A higher search engine ranking
A CSS-based website will appear higher in the search engine rankings for three reasons:
The code is cleaner and therefore more accessible to search engines
Important content can be placed at the top of the HTML document
There is a greater density of content compared to coding
A higher search engine ranking means more site visitors, which, provided your website
is usable, should lead to an increase in enquiries or sales.
Faster download speed
A faster download speed will make you money? Well, yes. Slow download speed is often cited
as one of the biggest usability complaints for websites. A faster download speed therefore
leads to increased usability, and a web usability redesign can increase the sales/conversion
rate by 100% (source: www.useit.com).
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