CSS layouts have been in vogue for many years. But, they are not as popular as they are today. Initially, these layouts were supported by a limited number of browsers. But after the introduction of CSS 2.0, they are compatible with more than 99% of browsers.

CSS layouts are more user-friendly and also search engine friendly. You do not need to think, but switch over to this layout from traditional table-based layouts. Following are the reasons to explain why:

Web pages using CSS for layout tend to have much smaller file sizes than those using tabular layouts. It is not unusual to see reductions of 50% or more in file size when switching from CSS to tables. Smaller file sizes clearly mean reduced bandwidth costs, which can help high traffic sites make huge savings. The main reason for this dramatic drop off in file size is that presentation information is stored in the external CSS document which is called up only 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.

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 and there is a greater density of content than coding.
With CSS-based layouts, you can experience faster downloading of pages. Slow download speed is often cited as one of the biggest usability problems for websites. A faster download speed therefore leads to increased usability, and a web usability redesign can increase the sales conversion rate by 100%.

CSS downloads faster than tables because:

1. Browsers read through tables twice before displaying their contents, once to work out their structure and once to determine their content.
2. Tables appear on the screen all in one go - no part of the table will appear until the entire table is downloaded and rendered.
3. Tables encourage the use of spacer images to aid with positioning.
4. CSS generally requires less code than cumbersome tables.
5. With CSS you can control the order items download on to the screen - make the content appear before slow-loading images and your site users will definitely appreciate it.

The more people you can reach, the more visitors you’ll get to your site and the more enquiries or sales you should get. A CSS-based website is compatible with PDAs, mobile phones, in-car browsers and WebTV. Don’t underestimate the importance of this: In 2008 alone an estimated 58 million PDAs will be sold. You can make an additional CSS document specifically for handheld devices, which will be called up in place of the regular CSS document, thereby ensuring your website is accessible to this lucrative market. This isn’t possible with a tabular layout.

Tags: CSS Layout Websites Make Business