301 Redirect - better for SEO

Use 301 redirects to let visitors know if a URL has changed. Many people still use the "meta refresh" command. This is an outdated command that has been utilised in the past for unethical purposes. While visitors can be directed to the new page the same way with either method, Google specifically mentions using a 301 redirect.

301 Redirect Instructions

If you have changed the domain name of your web site or changed the file names of pages, then you need to link to the new URLs for your visitors and search engine spiders. The 301 redirect is the most search engine-friendly method of directing users to the new URL or page.

In a .htaccess File (if you have one):

Add a new line that reads:

redirect 301 / http://www.new-site.com/

More information on how to implement this redirect can be read here...

Microsoft & Internet Explorer vs Web Standards

This is a great post by someone called Jim on 456 Berea Street...

Microsoft, by not keeping Internet Explorer up to date as web development has moved into the era of open web standards, has caused web professionals all over the world a lot of grief.

I don't think this can be emphasised enough. It's not just "a lot of grief".

It's years of being held back, knowing what you could do, knowing that it would be possible if it weren't for this one damn browser.

It's hours spent at the office instead of with your friends and family for no other reason than Internet Explorer not being good enough.

It's knowing what absolute garbage it is, and yet being utterly powerless to do anything other than babysit it.

It's knowing that there is no end to it for years to come, even now that Internet Explorer 7 is almost finished.

It's knowing that even when Internet Explorer 7 is deployed on most people's computers (my best guess the year 2010), it still won't be good enough to handle a lot of CSS 2 (published 1998).

Internet Explorer is a ten tonne weight around the neck of web developers everywhere, it's been utterly demoralising for years, and I really can't work up the energy to care that poor Chris is upset. I know he's trying to do the right thing. I know it's not his fault. But ultimately I, like a lot of web developers, have just reached the end of my tether and nothing will be good enough to stop this feeling of resentment.

Yeah, there's nothing he can do about it but put up with it. I guess after a few more years of unwarranted abuse, he'll finally understand what it's been like for us web developers"

Couldn't agree more.

Graded Browser Support

Interesting article on Graded Browser Support by Nate Koechley, Senior Web Developer Yahoo! Inc (Feb 13th 2006):

"In the first 10 years of professional web development, back in the early ‘90s, browser support was binary: Do you — or don’t you — support a given browser? When the answer was “No”, user access to the site was often actively prevented. In the years following IE5’s release in 1998, professional web designers and developers have become accustomed to asking at the outset of any new undertaking, “Do I have to support Netscape 4.x browsers for this project?”

By contrast, in modern web development we must support all browsers. Choosing to exclude a segment of users is inappropriate, and, with a “Graded Browser Support” strategy, unnecessary.

Graded Browser Support offers two fundamental ideas:

• A broader and more reasonable definition of “support.”
• The notion of “grades” of support

Evaluating Website Accessibility

Invaluable post by Roger Johansson on 456 Berea St evaluating website accessibility...

"intended to make it easier for web developers and website owners to perform a basic accessibility evaluation"

1. Evaluating website accessibility part 2, Basic Checkpoints explains accessibility aspects that can be tested with automated tools as well as some relatively easy manual checks.

   1. Validate HTML and CSS
   2. No frames, please
   3. Automated accessibility checking tools
   4. Images and alternative text
   5. Make sure that JavaScript is unobtrusive
   6. Increase text size
   7. Look for semantic markup
   8. Disable CSS
   9. Use Fangs to emulate a screen reader