CSS vs Tables

Admin · Jun 10, 2006

I have heard that sites using CSS instead of tables are better for SEO.

Can anyone explain this please?

accelerator · Jun 10, 2006

By using CSS to control all the formatting information, you need a lot less html, e.g. all those font colour specifications, font sizes, and by using CSS for positioning, you don't need tables and all the associated table tags. This means the code on your page is more "content", so important keyphrases have greater weight within the page, plus the site is "lighter weight" and "cleaner" (coding wise) so can be read faster and more easily by search engines.

I still use tables at the moment, but I use CSS for formatting more and more, and am waiting until the technology is sufficiently accepted by all browsers before using it for layout. In the overall SEO scheme, you can still get away with using tables I reckon.

Rgds

Accel

Whois-Search · Jun 10, 2006

It's more about accessibility than SEO.........

http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/full-checklist.html

Priority 2 checkpoints

3.3 Use style sheets to control layout and presentation.

5.3 Do not use tables for layout unless the table makes sense when linearized. Otherwise, if the table does not make sense, provide an alternative equivalent (which may be a linearized version).

Jeewhizz · Jun 10, 2006

accelerator said:
am waiting until the technology is sufficiently accepted by all browsers

I can't think of a browser that won't work with a bit of elbow grease applied

Even IE 5.2 on Mac (which MS has dropped now) can read the sites fine.

Basically, when a search engine reads a page, it reads the source - and no formatting applies. BUT... they don't read all of it, there is a certain cutoff, so if you have long/big pages, then you need to sort that out - i'm not aware of the figure off the top of my head.

Furthermore, with CSS, your content can be the first thing in teh source after <body> - the headers, navbars etc can all come after. Having the content first is a good thing

Tables aren't evil, they could be used for example for the domain prices list you have, but should never be used for arranging page elements that aren't tabulated data.