I know you can add a class or ID attribute to anything but the tag p still means Paragraph no matter what class or ID you give it. The tag div has no inherent meaning which is why they are perfect for structure and layout. Of course in 2022 when HTML 5 is in full swing (lol) the div tag will lose it’s importance as we will have tags like

Incorrect, Tab index is defined then by the browser not the page, thus would fail on WCAG WAI Standards, although tab index’s are seldom used as they are pretty worthless.

BTW Paragraph tags can be given an ID or Style you know? same with a or so, in reality its the same? ie if you want your break at 50px rather than the usual crap you could have

Another factor that falls under my definition of clean code is markup that is in a logical order and uses logical, semantic tags. Not only does this make your code easier to work with in a text editor, the logical order has benefits for SEO and acessibility (It eliminates the “need” for tab index attributes, again bolstering the clenliness of the code.)

I think the standard I most strongly advocate is this idea of Semantic markup. Whenever I teach someone HTML I stress the importance of using the right tags for the job and not just paragraph tags all the time. I also stress the benefits of the div tag as it is semantically neutrual and can be given semantic meaning through CSS classes and IDs.

Google Adsense code is Valid, to whatever DocType they made it for, its mainly Javascript errors which are easily fixed. I’ve had adsense, analytics, all sorts from google added.

Google even admit themselves that “Clean Code” is better for SEO, although you may translate that to whatever you like, I would class clean code as HTML Valid, others would just say not. Either way, dirty code can cause loops within browsers, browsing problems with different languages and charsets. Remember Content >> CODE.

The more code you have on a website the Code2Content ratio changes, which effects SEO, thus HTML Strict would be the best DocType to adhere to.

Anyone can make a beautiful well designed website, the true skill in making such a website is coding it valid, and accessible, the code is part of the beauty, if the code is ugly, the site will display ugly on a variety of browsers unused by the designer, 99% of bugs I have come across with someones website that is due to the fact that its NOT HTML Valid and once its made valid the majority if not all of these problems and bugs are removed. I was the Hitler of the WebForumz for this, when someone posted “This does not display right” – Come back when its HTML Valid.

There are rules and regulations in the vast majority of Industries, which companies are forced to abide by, in the web industry there are none, only guidelines. This is why there are so many cowboys in the trade putting strain on the “Real” Designers and Coders who are working hard to make the web a better place. It’s about time people started to think and act upon the web standards and make them common place, I annoys me to hear phrases like “Ill make the site first then I will make it HTML Valid after” – WHY? Can you not code CLEANLY enough to have it valid in the first place?

Web Accessibility for me is like the wheelchair ramp for a shop, if people cannot get in your shop they will not buy, if people view your website and its a mess or cannot navigate it easily then they will leave, and you would have just lost out.

It’s true you cannot always be 100% perfect across every single browser on the planet, and its true that the Web and its Applications and uses change daily for the better/worse. Keeping up with the new technologies is what I would class as vital as a designer and coder, and its our responsibility. We are not accountants where 1+1 is 2, We are designers where our normal way of thinking or doing is changed, expanded upon, where we constantly learn new techniques and strive to better ourselves in such a complex and competitive industry.

-Adam

You see, Adam @ MinuteDesigns and I are locked in this perpetual argument about how Validation isn’t the absolute be all and end all of a project and I thought it would be a good post if I put my viewpoint out there.