The Value of Validation.

   To those in the know, the worth is well known – but what about the majority who aren’t in the profession, what’s Validation worth to them?
   For most, Validation is something that some sites proclaim - but doesn't seem to actually do anything.
   That’s where the real shame of things lie, as Validation has much more value than you may think, or have been lead to believe!

Validation – at a glance.
   Possibly the best way to look at Validation is to use the simple analogy of a car M.O.T.
   It is a simple indication that everything beneath the bonnet of your website is running smoothly and it should be safe to use on the Internet with little chance of it breaking down.
 
Validation – a closer look.
   It’s not just how well your website should run though – it is a fair statement of several other key factors, that along with Validation, are often overlooked or not mentioned.
   These include some of the following;

 A wonderful web-sight: Not all browsers “see” things the same way - and one of the key factors is how well put together your website is.
   A fun analogy for this would be watching one of those old 3D films – if you don’t have the right glasses, it’s going to look more than a bit funny!
   Currently, the majority of web users are using Internet Explorer (IE), yet there is an ever growing number of people turning to other, more compliant Browsers, such as Mozilla FireFox (FF) and Opera (O). 
   These alternate Browsers are more rigorous in their efforts to be standards compliant - meaning that they will show a site for what it is.  In the case of badly coded sites, this means that things may not look how they should, bits may be missing or in worst case scenarios, the page simply won’t load

Rendered Right:  Along similar lines, the way the page loads is also affected by the standard of code.
   A fair analogy for this is the code act like instructions for a self-build wall cabinet.  It doesn’t matter how good the picture looks, if you are missing some screws, the glue and the measurements are wrong, it’s simply not going to go well!
   Most Browsers will receive the code and start “building” the page straight away.  This is a problem if things aren’t quite right.  If bits of code are wrong or missing, then it often means that the page “jumps around” a bit as things load.
   Another problem with this is that it takes pages that little bit longer to load whilst the Browser is trying to figure out exactly where “part A” goes.

Easy to Read:  Though not exactly a measure of Accessibility, Valid code does help in the fact that it should be useable by those using Assistive/Alternative Technologies (A/AT), such as Screen Readers, Text only Browsers and even Brail Bars.
   The simplest analogy is that of a Book Shop – it’s not just making sure you provide books in large print, in brail and on Cassette/CD; you have to put them on shelves people can reach as well!
   Accessibility is still going strong as a “buzz word”, yet it has it’s own host of benefits – and to get it right you ought to start with Valid code.
   Also, it’s not a “trend”, it is rapidly becoming a hard and fast fixture for standards, which all in all is as it should be.

Seen on the Search Engines: Though it isn’t really considered to have much of an affect, having valid code can have a bearing on your Search Engine Result Rank.  It isn’t a case of Valid code getting better results, it’s a matter of really bad code causing problems.
   An approximate analogy would be a building site and a building inspector – if the building inspector falls into a rather large whole, they will be unable to report their findings!
   You would have to have a truly appallingly coded site to cause such problems – but you’d be surprised at how many such sites exist… and some of them are “hot of the press” as it were!
 
Validation – Hindsight.
   In short, Validation is not only important, it has several rewarding features that make it a worth while, and easily achievable goal.
   There is little to no excuse for non-valid sites.
   That said, a few errors here or there are easily made, and just as easily corrected.
   But for those sites that posses plenty of errors, it is a clear indication that something is wrong.
 
Validation – Foresight.
   So, if you want to know if a website is valid, visit the website.
   In another Browser Widow, go to the following link;
   http://validator.w3.org/
   Paste in the websites URL/Address, and click on the Check button.
   You will be shown a page listing errors.
   Now, in most cases, this is likely to be sheer gibberish… but you can still gain some insight from this turnout.
   You can see the number of Errors – anything less than 10 is pretty good, though not perfect.
   Between 10 and 25 is forgivable if the page is complex.
   If there are more than 25 errors, I’d feel a little perturbed.
   If the document cannot be Validated due to something being wrong with the Character set or the DocType, then it is safe to assume that ignorance, carelessness or both have a part to play in the reasons why.
   If you are thinking of getting a website, look at some of the portfolio pieces or previous client sites.  Test them and note the results.
   Then, just for fun, test the web design companies own site – see how well they perform.
   As an alternative, Choose-easyWeb provides a service called the C.A.U.SE test, providing a brief report on issues including Valid Code.
   If you feel strongly aobut obtaining a professional opinion, please feel free to contact myself at http://www.choose-easy.com - you can use the online email form to get in touch, or to give me call.

   If you have any questions or comments, feel free to comment.
   Criticisms and complaints are also welcome – it’s always good to see from the other point of view.