The benefits

1. Reaching more people
2. Findability in search engines
3. A website that performs well in all browsers, on all devices and in all operating systems
4. Making clear agreements on building quality
5. A faster website at lower costs
6. A sustainable and flexible website that is future-ready
7. A pleasant user experience for your visitors

Reaching more people

Having a website that complies with the Web Guidelines helps you reach a larger target group. You ensure that your website can be read and used by everyone. Including visitors who have impaired vision, visitors who are blind or deaf, or, for instance, colour blind or dyslectic. Moreover, people who are not as skillful with the Internet and people who are not very fluent in the primary language of your website benefit from an accessible website as well.

Findability in search engines

For many of your visitors a search engine is the starting point in their search for your information. Ensure that they can find it quickly. Technically speaking, a website that has been built according to Web Guidelines is already optimally geared to search engines. Firstly, because only as much code is used as is needed. Secondly, because the information must be placed in code in order of importance. By writing concise, comprehensible texts and using friendly web addresses (which is also part of the Web Guidelines) you contribute even further to the findability of the information on your website.

A website that functions in all browsers, and on all devices and operating systems

Would you want your website to be accessible on mobile phones, in other browsers than Internet Explorer and on computers that use another operating system? The Web Guidelines make it possible. It so happens that they make the use of up to date web standards and Cascading Style Sheets obligatory. This means that the basic functionality of a website should always be operational, even in the instance of the visitor making use of an old browser (such as Internet Explorer 6) or not being able to see Flash.

Making clear agreements on building quality

As the project manager, the Web Guidelines give you a tool to make clear agreements with your supplier. If you demand that the completed website must meet the Web Guidelines and have this checked later on, you can be sure that you commission a website that is technically sound and can easily be expanded or changed in future. Also, talking to your supplier becomes a lot easier, as you can simply demand that the website must comply with the Web Guidelines. Thus, as the project leader, you do not need to know all the technical terms in order to make agreements.

A faster website at lower costs

Do not keep your visitor waiting: provide a fast website and save on bandwidth. Since your website does not use superfluous or obsolete code, it loads faster. For your visitor, this yields a website that responds quickly. For you, it means lower costs for bandwidth usage.

A sustainable and flexible website that is future-ready

Invest in the long term. By using the Web Guidelines it will take little effort to implement a new house style or add extra functionality later on. After all, the Web Guidelines impose the separation of structure and presentation. This enables you to adjust and expand these elements separately.

A pleasant user experience for your visitors

By using the Web Guidelines you have laid a solid basis for customer- and user-friendliness. This results in satisfied visitors who are able to find the information they need and are not frustrated by incomprehensible forms or dysfunctional menus. This likewise produces a favourable effect on the image of your organisation. Note: the Web Guidelines do not encompass all the guidelines for user-friendliness by far. Many guidelines in this field are hard to capture in normative rules. Therefore, always involve a designer or a usability expert in your project, or search the Internet for information on design, interaction and usability.