You are here:

1. Manual
2. Development
3. Descriptive markup
4. Why it is important

For visitors

• Documents with descriptive markup are more accessible to special browsers. Screen readers can jump from heading to heading and speech browsers can add emphasis when reading certain content. Visual markup complicates the use of these functions.
• Documents with descriptive markup load more quickly. In combination with the separation of structure and presentation, documents with descriptive markup can make a significant difference in file size and therefore download time.
• Documents with descriptive markup remain structural and well-organised if CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) are not supported. Older browsers that do not support modern techniques, as well as modern browsers with limited options – user agents like PDAs or mobile phones – display a ‘textual’ representation of the document. Thanks to the structure, this representation remains well-organised and usable.
• Search spiders derive the importance and relevance of information from the markup of a document. The more logical and suitable this markup, the more efficiently search spiders can index the document.

“Create a useful, information-rich site and write pages that clearly and accurately describe your content.”

Google Webmaster Guidelines

For web developers and content managers

• Descriptive markup is well-organised, provides insight and is reproducible and increases the sustainability and reusability of documents. Based on the HTML 4.01 specification, descriptive markup constitutes a universal language for web developers and content managers.